Hiking the AT

As most of my friends and family know, both Seth and I (and now MJ) are into Scouting.  Big Time!

At the age of seven I took Seth to Cub Scouts.  He has been a Wolf, Bear, and now Webeleo.  I have gone from parent, to Den Leader, to Cubmaster, and MJ from Pack Trainer to Den Leader.

We have all taken to scouting, and the girls are very involved.  Looking back I have been amazed with all of the things that Seth has done and how he has grown through scouting.

And now to the point......   After seeing all the amazing things that Seth has been able to do, I thought wouldn't it be cool to start section hiking the Appalachian Trail.  That if we started now, we could hike the entire trail (2,100 miles) by the time he reaches eighteen.

What a story that would be, what memories, a huge accomplishment for "both" of us, him by eighteen, and me by fifty (I feel old saying that).

Hiking with a nine year old may sound a little rough (on him), but the kid can walk miles and miles without complaint.  We walk five miles together (no complaint), biked fifteen miles (no complaint), and have done various activities (no complaint).  I truly believe Seth can out hike most adults (I might be a different story, but we will see).

So there you go, hike 2,100 miles with my son over the next decade. Plan and simple......  But wait, MJ wants to go.  She wants to start with us and doesn't want to miss out.  So change in plans, now its Me, MJ and Seth.

But what about the girls?  Brooke was not interested, and Scout needed some more maturing (so they will be staying with Grandma).  However I have a feeling that will change.  I know Scout is rearing to go, and Brooke is now showing some interest.  Maybe the next leg of the hike?

Our first section hike will begin mid-September 2010.  Wish us luck!!!!