One Step at a Time

To be honest, I'm not exactly sure where my fascination with the Appalachian Trail began.  Like everyone else, I've seen the terrible Bill Bryson movie but that wasn't it.  Maybe a documentary, as that seems to be where I spend most of my Netflix time.  Either way, I ordered the book, "Lost in the Woods" by Kyle Rohrig and instantly knew, I had to go there. Since I don't have months of time to spend away from my job or family, I knew section hiking was my only option.  I had to see these views that the books and documentaries talked about.  I needed to meet thru-hikers and hear their stories.  Who are these people and what possesses them to walk for months, sleep in rat infested shelters, and basically seclude themselves from reality for an undecided amount of their life?  After convincing my wife that I wouldn't die and persuading one of my life-long best friends, Jesse, that this is a great idea, we set our sites on a spot halfway between our h...