Interested in reviving this group

momwow17

I've been dreaming of hiking the Appalachian trail since my early years as a Girl Scout. Last year, at 47 years old, I decided to make it a reality and started training. To start with, I changed my diet and exercise and am 37 lbs into a 100 lb weight loss goal. I walk about 5 miles on week nights and 10-12 on weekend days and do local hikes about 1x/month. My goal is to increase strength and endurance and begin an AT section hike this year during Thanksgiving break. It will probably take close to 10 years to complete the trail in real life, but I've surrounded myself with positive motivation like buying camping equipment when I reach big goals, joining the AT Conservancy, putting a poster of the AT in my office at work and now, joining this group.

The group doesn't seem active anymore, but hopefully, some members will see my post and have a renewed interest. I thought the challenges and ideas for group topics seemed very neat and I'd love to participate.

I downloaded an app on my iPhone called "Virtual Walk." It has a GPS feature and can track your mileage and tell you where you'd be on the AT. I plan to use it to log my miles here.

I also go geo-caching and just love being outdoors, although the idea of seeing bears and mountain lions frightens the you-know-what out of me!

I hope to meet some people with similar interests. I log into MFP everyday. Please feel free to friend me.

Thanks for creating the group and I look forward to our journeys together!
Shannon

momwow17

I noticed that when I post messages, this group shows up on the recent activity list in the forums. I hope if I keep posting, some similarly interested people will see it and join the group. It would be great to share stories and motivation with others who are interested in hiking the AT.

momwow17

I had a great backpacking experience last weekend. I visited Morrow Mountain State Park in NC for the 2nd time. It has a very nice primitive camping area with a nearby water source. The trail to the summit is pretty strenuous and about 3 miles long, perfect for a beginner like me. This was the second time I visited this park. The first time was really tough and I had to push hard to make it to the top, but I've been working out and so this time, it was pretty easy. Its great to be able to see real progress and results and motivating, too. This weekend, I'm visiting another park with a waterfall at the end of the trail. I'll let you know how it goes and try to post pictures if I can.

momwow17

There's a message on MFP that they are dieting inactive groups. Hopefully my recent posts will be enough for them to spare this group. This weekend I should get plenty of walking in. I'm at Girl Scout camp ti Sunday!

momwow17

YAY! This group survived the forum reorg! Whew...

momwow17

YAY! This group survived the forum reorg! Whew...

momwow17

I attended the Appalachian Trail Movie Membership Drive meeting in Charlotte, NC on Sunday and it was a great event. The ATC is really doing a wonderful job of promoting, maintaining and envisioning the future of the AT. Way to go, ATC!