Bicycling the Natchez Trace

March 30-April 8
As usual, our little vacation became kind of epic. This started out to be a cycling trip Becky was going to take with a friend. They would ride a 500 mile route up the Natchez Trace from Natchez to Nashville. When the friend bowed out, I was really excited and schemed my way into the trip.

Keep in mind that we were trying to ride the Trace in a week with no training at all (not recommended). Our trip started out with two days that took us to Vicksburg with my parents and our friends Jim and Carol Whelan. Vicksburg is a 20 mile detour off the Trace but well worth it. After our goodbye's we had our first epic day. We rode almost 80 miles over a lot of small hills, up through Jackson and all the way to the north side of a large lake. It was one of those days that really challenge you. I had 3 flat tires that day (the first 5 minutes after we started). We were pretty exhausted and found ourselves looking for something to eat around 5pm. When we couldn't find something Becky liked, we ended up eating Papa Johns pizza on the sidewalk near our bikes. This felt very much like stops on the Appalachian Trail. We still had 15 or 20 miles to go and it was getting dark so we headed north again on wobbly legs. Finally - around dark we reached our campsite: A picnic table near a boat ramp. Not very inspiring, but beautiful to us.

The days passed as we worked our way north to Tupelo where we had a great reunion with Zeb Maharrey - our hiking friend that we spent 4 months with on the Appalachian Trail. Daily we continued to grind towards Nashville. The biggest problems were our feet (numb) and our butts (painful). Somehow we made it though and met Zeb and our friend Jerry on the northern end of the Trace near Nashville. Jerry drove up to pick us up. After a great night listening to music in Nashville, we headed home - tired and satisfied. This trip reminded me so much of the Appalachian trail in the way our days went. Not knowing how we'll cover the mileage, being patient, staying positive, hoping for the best and dealing with whatever came along.

Savin' Gas

Becky and I have saved 33 gallons of gas over the last 5 months by commuting on our bikes to work here at P&P. I was lying in bed thinking about this dismal fact last night.

Was it worth it to sweat, freeze, get rained on and honked at - all to save 80 bucks and reduce worldwide oil demand by 33 gallons? Mix in the friends we’ve met, memories of pedaling through Lafayette after dark, the feeling of connection to our community and I can truthfully say that I think so.

Most of all though, it feels like we’re living purposefully on things that we value. Im not too worried about how large or small the results are. Commuting is fun, we feel good about it – and in the end, maybe that’s what it’s all about.

Our Anniversary

Actually, this is one day AFTER our year anniversary of hiking north from Springer Mtn Georgia. Tonight, we presented our finished AT slideshow to a wonderful group of around 30 people. I was so pleased that this many folks turned out to hear about our adventure.

I spent hours trying to get just the right music and timing on my slides. Yesterday, I spent 4 or 5 hours going through my journal to come up with some good quote to use during the show. These journal quotes were intended to give people an inside feel for our state of mind and our emotions at different points in the trail. I was a little embarresed when I started getting choked up reading some of these journal entries. Luckily I pulled it together and I don't think that many people noticed.

Well - I think that the turnout for this event shows that there's potential for what we want to do with Pack & Paddle and the new room once EPuck moves out in May.

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.