The birth of "Walking Home"


On June 5, 2012 I set out on a 200 plus mile journey on the Appalachian Trail, commonly known as the AT.  This is my first true "section" hike with hopes to complete a thru-hike.  You will walk with me from Amicola Falls State Park in Georgia to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, but the walk is only part of this great journey!  I will share stories of hikers I marched with along the way, wildlife encounters, scenic vistas, and my most memorable thoughts (spending up to 10 plus hours a day alone can really get a individual to think about his life's purpose).

Walking home is the only means possible

Albeit I will spend many of these blogs depicting my AT experience, but it is my ambition to illustrate "Walking Home".  My "Walking Home" was just discovered on the trail, yet it has been in my blood and soul since conception.  My home is more than four walls; it's the hills of Tennessee, the valleys of Yellowstone, granite monoliths that tower above Yosemite, chilled creek waters, watching the woods come to life in the morning, and a memory of times past and a glimpse into the future.


The following words describe why I indulged in natures wonders, this is what I thought after my last 7 days on the trail with a couple weeks to contemplate what I did...


"This is my journey of hiking and other outdoor pursuits, it is gifted in the fact that I believe home is but a metaphor fused in the essence of living.  Home is where the heart is, I am a gypsy for natural beauty and feed off natures purist senses. Slumbering under the canopy of giant poplars or a blanket of stars.  Awakening to and with the sun and all things that rise with it; the morning dew, singing warblers, and the thunderous roar of the wild turkey. My home, our home, is wild and fierce but with such beauty and solitude that it can calm and rejuvenate the soul.  Its natural, one of a kind, pure, and here for us all.  How we get there is different, I chose to walk. "

-Welcome Home!