So this afternoon at work I turned in my resignation letter. Barring something unforeseen or unsafe weather, I plan on starting a thru-hike up the Appalachian Trail about the 15th of March 2015.
I've been at the my current hospital since February 2009. I've worked as a central pharmacy pharmacist, a decentralized floor pharmacist and most recently as a sterile products pharmacist. I've made some friends, hopefully not any enemies, and learned a fair amount about areas of Pharmacy I didn't know before this job. I'll miss a good number of people.
That said, I'm really looking forward to this hike. I've been under a lot of unhealthy pressure at work, missing out on family happenings and on a work shift that is not conducive to socialization. Even though long distance hiking is seen as a solo effort, it is actually, on the AT at least, a very social activity. And it is completely removed from my work. When I came home from my 2007 attempt, I was recharged and reasonably eager to get back into my chosen profession. I'm hoping to get that same mindset on this hike.
As the calendar gets closer to Go Day, I'll be posting more. I'm expecting to post a gear list soon, so that you can see what I'll be carrying. I'll post my foods, my pictures, and my thoughts. Look around the site, you'll notice several gadgets to help you understand what I'm doing. There's a weather gadget; it can display up to 10 locations' weather. Under it is a map of the Trail, to help find which location I'm closest to. On the lower left is an as yet inactive gadget call SPOT. It will activate when I turn on my emergency locator beacon, and will display where I was hiking on the day you log in to the blog. There is a link to sign up for email alerts when I post something new and ways to contact me privately if you don't feel like commenting on a post in public.
I invite you to come along on this journey with me, even if only remotely. I'm excited about it, and hope you will be as well. See ya!
