Joel 1:19 To you, LORD, I call, for fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.

Joel 1:20 Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Joel 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

Those are the visible verses on a bible page that floated out of the Gatlinburg fire and it got me thinking... I have to do a few things before it's too late. It's selfish but there it was in bright blazing colors, one of my dreams quite literally going up in smoke. I watched the footage from the break room tv of my carpet mill prison in the wee hours of morning. Why haven't I done this yet? I've wanted to do this my entire adult life but I always found an excuse... that would take an entire school year I'll just go after I graduate, that's 2-6 THOUSAND dollars and I just graduated I'll do it after I have some work experience, I should be in Kentucky for Robbie, I'm still recovering from my ankle injury, it's just crazy to even think about, I need to pay a few things off first. Excuses, every single one of them. 

I'm done making excuses. I'm tired of being afraid that I'm crazy or afraid that I will fail. I am and I may but I will know, I must try. I can't let another hiking season go by without going out there. In March (probably mid-March but it's largely weather dependent) I will set out to complete a northbound thruhike of the Appalachian Trail. It will be approximately 2100 miles and will take me 4-6 months. It's longer than that but I'm hoping that my family might enjoy driving me through the state parks that I have no desire to revisit on this trek (Smokies and Shenandoah). I love them a great deal but they are under much greater restrictions and it's just a headache I don't need considering it's ground that I have already covered. And I also need to write and somehow publish something of substance before I die, but one dream at a time. 

I'm asking, dear friend, for your support in any way that you can afford to offer it. It is a crazy endeavor and every word of encouragement matters and will likely matter considerably more when times are tough. Every dollar you can spare would be one magical vending machine treat, or go towards one juicy burger or one cold beer that I will otherwise have to forgo. Honestly it's not even the extra things. If I run out of money my journey will have to be cut short. I'm begging you to make quitting difficult. I'm asking you to invest in my personal development. 

Also, obviously I'm not too proud to utilize your hand-me-downs. If you happen to have camping or hiking equipment sitting around going to waste I'd be thrilled to regale you with tales of its epic adventure on the trail. Please contact me if you would like to donate stuff.