Trail to Trial - A Whole New Life

Over the last few weeks, friends and acquaintances have been coming in to see what's happening at Pack and Paddle. I've had a lot of fun telling them what we're planning for the business and how much fun we're having.
That brings me to today. I've decided that it would be fun to share some of the stories of our re-construction project with you over the next few months. Since we've been working on this for a while, I'll spend the next few days catching you up to what's been going on in our lives this spring.
Let me begin at the beginning (sort of): Becky and I spent 6 months of 2006 hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. I don't think that at the time we returned that I fully appreciated the depth and breadth of the changes in our lives that took place on this adventure.

I came home calmer, bolder, stronger, more confident and most of all, having more fun with everything I did. I don't know where the change came from, but now that we've been home for over 6 months, I can tell you it's happened and it's not going away.
Two days after we arrived back in Lafayette, our biggest competitor out of California called and was interested in purchasing EPuck.com (our internet based hockey retail site). Long story short: EPuck was sold in early February. This freed Becky and I up to become more creative and have more fun with Pack & Paddle than we ever had before.

This joy that we've shared with so many of you is where our new adventure began. So far, things have not gone the way we expected. It's been more difficult to transition from trail to business than we thought. Actually, I hope NEVER to make that transition. But we are muddling through. Just like the AT. Step by step with patience and (hopefully) a touch of humor.

If you stick with me, I'll share the true stories and thoughts that are making up my life right now. If you're in the shop sometime, please mention that you are reading my blog - that will definitely make my day and keep me writing...

This is What it's All About

I had more fun tonight than I've had in a really long time. I presented a slideshow of the Appalachian Trail to a group of scouts and gave them a talk on lightweight backpacking. This is my first duty to perform in my "new" role at Pack & Paddle. Only hours before the event, we signed final papers for the sale of our business (EPuck.com). Then I'm in the warm and woody womb of P&P talking about some of the things I love most: Hiking, Kids and Gear.

When I started, I had a rough idea of what I wanted to say. By the time I was done, I had talked about the AT experience, Hiking gear, responsibility on a trip to your group, leadership, preparation and even making the most of life. It was like when Jerry McGuire's manifesto (memo) poured out of him. For me, it was an uplifting, exciting and fun experience. Becky was there with me, making it complete.

This was an auspicious start in that it totally defined what we hope to be and become at Pack & Paddle. I left the building pumped up about all the possibilities of things we had in front of us over the next few months.