Are you walking this trail the whole 9 yards this time? You did the AT in parts. What's the difference? And what are you looking at if you do walk it all? 3 months? I have no idea.

Are you exercising on a regular basis for the hike? Training? When do you start that?

So, was that blog post your will of sorts? Do you plan on getting mugged? Falling off a cliff? Being eaten by a tiger...er... a bear....rattlesnake, whatever? Are you carrying a gun? I know, if you told us that, you would have to kill us. ;-)

It was a nicely written post, in spite of its nature. Very informative, and thank you for thinking of us out here. Wishing you the best hike ever, safely, and fun.
OD

And what wonderful boxes they are. Their memory endures.

How about a solid fence, where at least they can't see you as well? Almost makes you wish for a sound barrier of some sort. Air horn sounds like it might work, though. Sure would make those folks wake up and take notice, and all the other neighbors to boot. ha
OD

We do have a california letterboxing patch. Tydans sells them - you can see it here: http://www.atlasquest.com/gallery/viewphoto.html?gPhotoId=26334 I got one and sewed it to my letterboxing pouch I take with me on the trails :)

he did the AT all in one go.
then he did the florida trail all in one go, and tacked on the florida keys and some at the north end to connect up to the beginning of the AT.
and yes, he plans to walk the PCT all in one go, from mexico to canada.

and I agree with you, the post about disaster planning was nicely, and even a bit humorously written. I would never want to think of AQ without Ryan...but it's nice to know it could somehow survive without him, if necessary, though muchly saddened in that event. Happily, I will wish him great fortune on this hike...at least he'll only have to watch out for rattlesnakes, rather than alligators. I expect the snakes will be as timid of him as the gators were. He's more likely to have trouble with the two-legged type of coyotes and mules than anything else...

romana

From your favorite show, carve an image of the main character/protagonist. I am thinking Gibbs from NCIS, or Horatio from CSI, or something like that.

You must have planted and found at least one letterbox to join. The start date for the ring is May 1st.

http://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?gTrackerId=4285

Case in point - I have never had a problem mailing a postal that had someone else's return address but today I go to mail LUNA Sea's Tank Girl to Alleymen and she is like you can't mail this with someone elses return address marks thru it with a pen and hands the pen to me to put my return address on there. I looked at her and said it hasnt been a problem before, she says oh they must not have been doing their job and just saw that it had a return address. UUUMMMM YOU have been one of those people!!!!! Anyway Alle when you get Tank Girl will you please cover over my return address and put Luna Sea's back on there.

Thanks,

GG
*** and I deleted myself from all postals I was signed up for except Tangram ***

The Postal Service never ceases to amaze me.....don't you wish they ALL would read the same rules?

I get a little help with postal hitchhikers.

yes but i want them to be the rules that favor our game.

GG
*waving hi*

Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you know that Tom is planting his first word of mouth boxes. They are wonderful stamps that Coffee Mug carved for him for his 50th birthday. They will be available until April 15th. Contact us for the clues!

Good to know he has a plan after almost drowning himself on his last hike!

Congratulations! :o)

Hello, friends in Kentucky!

I recently received this message:

I found your letter box on the goose creek trail at EP Tom Sawyer Park by the Spring. . .

Yes, there is more to the message, but here's the deal:

I Googled that park, and it's in Kentucky, right? Well, I have never planted a box in Kentucky! I am thinking that perhaps one of my hitchhikers was in a box there. That's all I can think.

If this location sounds familiar to any of you, I can send you the rest of the message. It sounded like the box had not been re-hidden well, and the owner might want to check it out.

MC

(((Waving "Hi" Back)))

Isn't that the truth?

Ketha

There are several along Goose Creek. I think I manage all of them. Send along the info. BTW, that park is named for Diane Sawyer's philanthropic dad.

Immediately after 9/11, nail clippers were no longer allowed. They relaxed the restrictions in December of 2005, however, and nail clippers are now allowed.

A couple from my church went through airport security immediately after 9/11, . They confisgated her eyeglass screwdriver stuck in a cork. Do you know how small an eyeglass screwdriver is?

They asked her if she wanted her cork back!

KuKu

After reading all the posts, I've concluded that I'm lucky. When I retired from teaching, my principal gave me my brand new paper cutter that I had just purchased for my room. It's
24" X 24" and will cut a finger off in an instant. Between that and the other 5 smaller ones that I have from scrapbooking... I'm okay. I didn't even know that you could take paper somewhere to have it cut... Learn something everyday! Thanks for sharing

The In Between February and March box is planted. It should be there for the next week, week and a half while I wait for March's Box to arrive. Have fun!

I went to get Mr. Pete this weekend (he is freakin adorable btw). I asked Toolbox to feed Gina the goldfish while I was gone. I have had marginal success with him performing this task in the past so I didn't think it would strain less than adequate skill set. However, upon my arrival home last night I discovered that he had neglected to shut my bedroom door, which is canon in the house, especially considering the Sati/Sasha debacle. Sati was visibly shaken and the mice were still alive...so far, so good...then I noticed the large puddle of cat urine in the middle of my bed on my BRAND NEW MATTRESS. I don't know who peed on the bed and I don't care. I do know this never would have happened if he had simply closed the door. He has seen and heard Sasha and Sati's less than pleasant encounters. What makes him think they would peacefully co-exist in my absence is beyond me. Sasha also ate Sati's food and used her litter box. So what's the difference between manslaughter and homocide?

I'd like to reiterate that the police departments in Jeffersontown and Louisville have requested that the boxes planted here in town not be painted, nor camotaped. They want to be able to see into the boxes.

Some of you were around when the great GT got the email a few years ago re: the reporting of the box, the closing of the street, the drug sniffing dog and the bomb squad on standby which resulted in this request by the police departments. The police were very nice about it all.

What new taste is on the beer list for me to sample in their place? ;)

I have an idea for a swap I am in... Eat Sleep and Box is the name of my Ltc I have the image for eat and sleep but what is a good idea of an image for the lb image....

I need to carve this in the next couple of days....

GG

I believe I would lay down the line with your roommate. Give them an ultimatum, either clean up your act and be the adult you are and face your simple but necessary duties and the responsibilities of being a pet owner, as well as an adult, or move, and find a new dwelling. If worded tactfully, maybe this will work. But from the few posts you've made in the past, it seems to be a continuing thing. Really, pets do not expect much from any of us. They love us unconditionally, they do not lie,...all they need is food, water, and love....and a proper place to wee wee,etc. Good luck! I would tend to be less soft-hearted at this point.

Could you simply just carve a cute LB container....or for a play on words, maybe a boxing glove?Maybe the cute little AQ mascot chicky? Good luck!

Are you walking this trail the whole 9 yards this time?

Nine yards is nothing! More like 2,650 miles this time around. =) I expect it'll take 5 to 6 months. Ideally, I'd really like to finish by the end of September, but the first major snow storms typically hit the north end of the trail by late October and I need to make sure to finish by that first snow. If I'm not finished with the trail by then, the trail will be finished with me. Either way, I'll be getting off the trail.

I'm not doing any special exercises or training. I sometimes joke about "packing on the pounds" before I start since severe weight loss tends to happen regardless of what I do. Packing on a few extra pounds couldn't hurt, but it's rather a half-hearted attempt.

Being eaten by a tiger...er... a bear....rattlesnake, whatever?

Rattlesnakes don't actually eat people. They bite people, but we're much too big for them to eat us. =)

I'm not aware of any tigers being on the trail.

Bears, in theory, could eat me, but I'd like to think that they have the good sense not to. There will be much more meatier people on the trail that I would think they find more appealing. *nodding*

-- Ryan

My very first find, ever. Thanks Stormcrow!

Hi paper Trail! I got the new FF patches, and they are great! Thanks for making them !

Agreed!!!!! Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time both at the first event and at the After Event too. Great location for a gathering!

ASL Girl

What a fun gathering-- we stayed so busy the whole time, and I was sad to see it end...
Thank you to MC Bear and brandicat!