Grand Reopening!

Well, it has been 5 months since Scarecrow has stepped off the PCT and made his way back to family life... oddly enough, it is the same amount of time he was away hiking last year.  Since his arrival home, he resumed work, spends a lot more time with family and friends, and has kept his wish of leading a "simpler life."  With that said, the thoughts of the unfinished 350 miles of the PCT visit him often, and he has made preparations to go and complete these haunting miles this coming summer.  An added plus to this upcoming event was the idea of Dakota possibly joining him in this memorable trek.  We tossed around the idea for awhile.  The pros and cons of having a 14 year old teenage girl accompany him while he completes his PCT dream.  The pros outweighed the cons and she was overly excited at the idea of taking on such an extraordinary challenge.  And the planning began.

image via google images

We knew from the beginning that Dakota's heart would most certainly be into it.  We were not as sure about the physicality of it, or if she was just in love with the "idea" of hiking with her Dad.  So, to test her true intentions, Teddy and Dakota will leave tomorrow morning and hike approximately 70 miles of the Appalachian Trail.  Yes, you read me correctly ~ Scarecrow and Dakota will be driven by me, the Thruhiker's Wife, to Warwick, New Jersey tomorrow morning at 4 a.m.  They will be dropped off on the side of the road and sent on their way for a hiking adventure most teenagers will never experience.  They will walk for about 12 miles a day, take snack breaks, have to cook their food over a stove the size of a soda can, dig a hole to use the bathroom, sleep on the floor of a tent, and hope the weather is in their favor.  They will also walk through beautiful landscape, cross footbridges and streams, encounter wildlife, hear nature, bond not only as father and daughter, but as fellow hikers, and will have section hiked the New Jersey portion of the Appalachian Trail all the way to the Delaware Water Gap.

I consider my self pretty lucky to be able to watch such a beautiful story such as this unfold.  Scarecrow thruhiked the Appalachian Trail 11 years ago, and that experience changed his life.  To now be able to introduce that beauty and experience to our daughter, who is also adventurous, strong, driven and determined, will just be amazing.  And this is only the beginning.  This 5+ day trip will determine if Dakota will want to, and be able to handle, the bigger venture later this year on the PCT.  

All I can report right now are two things:  they are all packed and excited to go, and 4:00 a.m. will be here too soon for me...  Stay tuned for the updates on this latest excursion by Scarecrow and his new hiking partner, whose trail name is yet to be determined.

~The Thruhiker's Wife