Preparing for our attempt to thru-hike The Appalachian Trail is a delicate dance! Just when we think that we have all the necessary gear to begin in February, we take a shake-down-hike and overnight backpacking trip in order to camp in cold weather… twist… alter… adjust… and adapt to whatever Mother Nature blows our way. The life lessons learned out there are reasons to shout!
Winding Stair Gap was the perfect “Dance Floor” for our most recent Shake Down Trip, hence the title to this Blog: “SHAKE IT A BABY NOW… TWIST AND SHOUT!”
I think Slipper and I are getting our “dance steps” down quite well and are discovering items to shake off (discard) in order to lighten our load. That alone is something to shout about!
We have several more “Shake Downs” planned before we ascend Springer Mountain to begin our Northbound Thru-Hike. Should you happen to hear “shouting” coming from the woods… it just might be the celebratory cheers from Tripper and Slipper as we “Twist and Shout” to the lessons we are learning from our Shake Down Hikes and overnight backpacking trips.
