I was the first to leave the shelter at 5:30, motivated to get through the Mahoosuc Notch before the expected rain began to fall. On the 1500′ descent down the Mahoosuc I embraced every step and assumed anything less than intense focus could result in the same dangerous falls and slips I already experienced. Fortunately, rain was not falling but water ran across rocks and down the trail. It was a zen experience as I connected with the ground with every step. Fully aware, I reached the start of the one mile Mahoosuc Notch at 9:00.
Been there, done that when it comes to attempted thru-hikes. In 1995 I started but terminated a PCT hike, and victoriously returned to the same trail in 1996. I worked hard for 20 years until a layoff from my employer became a gifted opportunity to thru-hike the Continental Divide Trail in 2016. With 5,500 miles of thru-hiking experience I did not understand the nervousness I felt when I carefully stepped off the Amtrak Lake Shore Limited at Boston South Station on June 20. The train was one hour late at 9:00pm, and the lack of daylight on the deserted downtown Boston streets unfamiliar to me did nothing to sooth my nerves. In just three days I will begin the 2,193 mile southbound hike of the AT, another unfamiliar route.
It was 20 years ago, in 1996, when I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. Ever since, I have longed to hike the Continental Divide Trail. At 61 years old, I figured I would work for a few more years and start a thru-hike of the CDT in 2019. A slightly unexpected event created the opportunity to change my thinking. On November 17 was told by my employer of eleven years that my job was eliminated. This news never really angered me. I benefited from eleven years of good income, challenging work, and travel to far flung places around the world to do my job: Europe, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Australia, South Africa (and I could go on about specific cities and added time to hike and explore, but not right now).
Roger on the CDT in the San Juan Mountains in 2015.
A week after I was told of the need to look for new “opportunities”, my wife Cindy suggested that I hike the CDT in 2016. Wow! That was a revelation for me because hike the CDT is the real opportunity my job loss gave me.
My former employer was kind enough to ask me back on a temporary basis to work until I leave for the hike, and of course I said, “yes”. Many of my former colleagues asked me if I would be blogging during the hike, and again I said, “yes”.
This is my first post here, and I will add more posts as I get ready for the start of the hike, which I expect to be April 18.
