Wahoo!

[magicalbill]

You know what I'm going to ask....

After seeing you back on here on the Gulfstream/258 Topic, I am curious when the next leg, (or maybe the last leg) of your Loop trip is set for.

If memory serves, you ended up near the Anclote Keys with your Sailfish.

I get it if your kicking it down the road because of Covid.

 

[wahoo33417]

Magical: You're absolutely right about Covid getting in the way. I have three trips left to do. I had planned to do the remaining Great Lakes (Michigan and Huron) last summer, but backed out at the last minute when numbers spike up there. So, if Florida can get its act together on a vaccine roll-out, I hope to do the Great Lakes this summer.

Then I have a Delaware Bay gap that I missed due to logistics. On a previous trip, I sat in Cape May, NJ waiting for a weather window to get to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and ran out of time.

Lastly, I will run from St, Marks, FL (end point of last trip) down to Hudson, FL, my original starting point.

And while I'm doing all this I'm supposed to be helping my wife complete the Appalachian Trail. I can't hike with her due to some bad discs, but I can be a "trail angel", meeting her where the trail crosses roads to either resupply or take her into town for a hot shower and hot meal. The more often I can meet her, the more that lightens her pack and she can cover more in a day. Or run faster from a bear. Something like that. Starting in Georgia, she got as far as West Virginia before Covid essentially closed the trail for through-hikers.

So we both have our retirement wish list and this damn covid has certainly gotten in the way.

 

[magicalbill]

Hey:

Thanks for the update! Glad to hear your still planning to complete the voyage.

The Appalachian Trail Crossing is new to me. By the time you both complete your Goals, you'll have acquired a decent resume' from tackling different aspects of the Great Outdoors. I know zilch/zero about roughing it in the woods. Is there really a bear danger? Yikes...maybe she can carry a Taser in her backpack....

Nobody in any branch of authority has agreed on anything regarding Covid, which we all are aware of. However, even the CDC and the Government seem to think the vaccine will turn things around by summer. The mere fact that they aren't arguing over that is a hopeful sign in itself. Now if they can streamline the vaccination process, we may be on our way to putting this in the rear view mirror.

 

[wahoo33417]

My wife has been pursuing the Appalachian Trail like I've been doing the Loop - two weeks at a time each year for years. We both took early retirement to get these life experiences while we're able. I got one boat trip in and she got a good two months in with me as trail angel and made some real progress. And then Covid. Damn.

Do I see a light at the end of this tunnel?

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Cool story on the AT Wahoo. Had I known I could have helped when she came through the Murphy , Nanatahala and Newfound gaps ,possibly even Davenport gap too. My nephew through hiked it in 15 . Good luck on it all.

 

[wahoo33417]

Thanks Bob. Those names sound familiar. At those times she had a girl friend who shared the goal of completing the AT. They did all the hikes together. Then her friend became a grandmother and was done. It was only on the last trip that I became the trail angel.

To answer Magical's question on black bears. Bob has probably encountered many more than we have. But on the trail, you just don't want to surprise a bear or come between between a mother and cubs. Many hikers wear a bear bell. At night, you hang anything that smells like food from a tree and set your tent up some distance away. Except my wife gave up on tents. She carries a very lightweight hammock now. Didn't like sleeping on rough ground. Funny thing about hiking gear, the less it weighs, the more it costs. Still not as much as boat stuff though. As I am frequently reminded.

 

[magicalbill]

Thanks Wahoo: I suppose like anything, you get accustomed to proper protocol concerning bears and take the necessary steps to stay safe.

Walking thru the woods with bears about would scare the crap out of me..I guess everyone's comfort zone is different; I'll snorkel and swim while many I know wouldn't get in saltwater for any reason because of sharks.

All is relative...Smoky, I assume you have seen bears in your area?