Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Gearing Up - literally

Hey everyone!

Thanks for visiting our little portal on the internet. This is where we'll be blogging about our journey on the Appalachian Trail.

Monday, March 24th, 2008 will begin the long walk from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Katahdin in Maine.

If you are in the Southwest Virginia area, you're invited to an informal presentation of our plans to thru-hike the AT. It's Monday, March 17th at Lebanon Community Fellowship Church from 7-9pm. We'll be giving some general facts about the Trail and our specific thru-hike, we'll bring our gear for you to check out, and we'll answer all your questions about food planning, packing firearms, cell phone service and how to have a good attitude when sleeping in a soggy tent.

In the meantime, if anyone has any suggestions about my (Betsy's) trail name, I'd love to hear them! Dustan's is "Brahma Bull" - a nickname given to him by Bruce Hornsby back in Williamsburg. It can be shortened to "The Bull" or just "Hey, Bull!" - and he really likes it. I don't really have any good nicknames or ideas, so throw in your two cents if you have them.

We'd love to see you on the 17th!

Happy Trails,

Dustan & Betsy
Cleveland, VA 2008

12 comments:

Amy said...

Yaaaaay! I'm excited for you guys. You are going to have such a good/bad time, but it will be wonderful and I can't wait to hear stories. I miss you guys!

Anonymous said...

Testing, testing.

OK. You don't have to have an account to leave a comment.

Anonymous said...

YYYAAAAHHHHOOOO!!!! Happy Trails to youuuu.....Until we meet againnnnnn.....Happy Trails to youuuuuuuuu.....Keep smiling until thennnnnnn! HA HA HA HA!

Love you both, Toni Jill

Bethany Taylor said...

Sorry Bets, no intriquing trail names on this end. (I'm assuming you decided against Unicorn worshipper??) Joshua and I would love a call when you hit Shenandoah. I'm telling you we'll be there with supplies for you and some company for a day or two. Just let us know!

Anonymous said...

Oh yea...After reading the comment from your friend Bethany, let us know if we need to meet you somewhere in the Great Smoky Mountains with supplies. We would love to do that for you guys!

Anonymous said...

We want to say we miss you guys and we are praying for you. Be safe out there............wowowowowowowowowowowow WHAT AN ADVENTURE!!!
joe & hailey

Anonymous said...

Keep it up!! Love Jer, Mich, Vi and Summer shine.

PS - Our feet are warm.

Anonymous said...

We are watching you guys and you seem to be doing great. dustan, love the dental floss thing. in our prayers guys we hope to meet with you guys in staunton....................dont forget and we would love to send some mail..................you can email us with info on P.O. at lifesong1@verizon.net

Anonymous said...

Keep gettin it, you guys are doing awesome as we knew you would...............love ya and prayers for ya are out there

Anonymous said...

Hey Dustin and Betsy,

We thought we might catch you when you came by Blowing Rock/Boone, NC, but it looks like you've been there. Hadn't checked your website for awhile and didn't realize how far you had gone. When will you hit Waynesboro, VA? We would love to have you stay with us when you get this far.

Been thinking about you two. Don't like the pictures of Dustin's blisters!!! Ouch!!

Scottie and Carl

Anonymous said...

hey guys, we are keepin an eye with ya and our prayers still going up. We were wonderin if you ever got our card and we would like to send to a care package along the way. what do you need besides nido and if you need to reach us sis,7575229787. We were also wonderin when you are expecting to arrive in waynesboro, if you can answer all these question on the blog, we will be checking it reg.

Anonymous said...

Dear Dustan and Betsy,
Received your voice mail today and it was wonderful to hear your voice, Dustan. Our sympathy in the passing of your grandfather, Betsy. Ninety-six years is a long time, but you will miss him. We'll be thinking of you as you join family and attend his service.

I was listening to your voice mail and I had a big laugh when I heard you say you remembered me when you ate a pimiento cheese sandwich. Not everyone can be remembered for that!! Anyway, glad you thought of me.
We are hoping you will be able to stay with us when you hit Waynesboro. You can stay in the shower as long as you wish and we will have a nice guest bed for you. Be thinking of your favorite meal and we'll see if we can put it together.

We think the Appalachian Trail passes over the Blue Ridge Parkway several times near Waynesboro....at least that is what we've been told. I haven't looked it up to see for sure. We go on the mountain for picnics, hiking, etc. and we have seen the signs for the trail. There should be a good place for us to pick you two up. One place is near Humpback Rock. That spot should be on your map.

Thanks so much for returning our phone call and know that we are praying for your safety out there in the wilderness. It has been exciting to follow your progress.

Love and blessings,

Scottie and Carl