The Beginnings of My Meanderings

Tricorner Knob Shelter, Great Smoky Mountain NP, July 1997

I started hiking when I was 35. I took it up as a means of losing weight, plus to help escape an unhappy marriage situation. Prior to this point in my life, I had spent many years in the retail industry and had lived a rather sedentary lifestyle. As a result, my weight had ballooned to over 300 lbs and I did not feel healthy at all. Walking seemed easy enough, I'd been doing it all my life!

There were plenty of trails in the Smokies from which to choose, so naturally I started out easy. I think my first hike was less than a half mile in length. The more I walked, the more I wanted to see. I wasn't content with just doing short strolls on the same trails. There were over 900 miles of trails for me to explore!

Finally, in 1997, I did my first multi-day excursion. I backpacked the 70 miles from Fontana Dam to Davenport Gap-the entire length of the Appalachian Trail through the Park. Never had I considered doing anything of this sort, but afterwards, I knew I was a changed person with a new zeal for life. This picture was taken at a trail side shelter I stayed at on July 4th, 1997.

My new found love for hiking shortly took me into a whole new direction in my life. I was determined to find some way to make a living doing what I loved. Most people, it seemed, woke up in the mornings only to go to work at a job that they really didn't enjoy. They simply did it for the paycheck. I wasn't sure that I could accomplish this goal, but I gave it my best shot.

The first several years weren't easy. Luckily, at the time, I had no bills, and after my marriage fell apart, no commitments. The first two years, I worked as a full time volunteer with the Forest Service in Southwest Virginia for fifteen bucks a day and a place to stay. Even though I was poor, I was happy. I was hiking every day in some one of the most beautiful areas in the southern Appalachians. I was also beginning to learn some of the fundamentals of building and maintaining the same trails that I was hiking on.

Fast forward to today. I have a dream job with the National Park Service building and maintaining trails. Everything seems to be relatively stable at this point in my life. At 50, though, I find I don't quite feel like I did at 35. The aches and pains are more frequent and the recovery time is longer. I tend to favor a slower pace these days. Some of my weight has come back. Finances continue to be a source of stress. Even though I'm making more money than I have before, my bills are also larger. I have glasses, hearing aids and dentures. The stuff of old people.

Mary's Rock, Shenadoah NP, Jan 2011

I am trying to age gracefully but I don't always feel like I am succeeding at it!!!