April 8, 1997 (Day 20 – milepoint 202.9 – Newfound Gap)

Got to walking a little before sunrise so I could make it to the highest point on the AT – Clingman’s Dome, elev 6643′ – and have it to myself for a little while before any tourists showed up. It worked out very well but the wind and cold on the tower forced me to eat my breakfast down below under the cover of the conifer forest. While I was eating, I suddenly realized that this was the place I visited when I was 10 and heard about the AT for the first time. Kinda neat.

I moved swiftly and comfortably through the morning and made it to the road crossing at Newfound Gap at mid-day. On the other side of the road I came upon a guy by the name of Scott Underwood, smiling and welcoming me with a healthy dose of trail magic, coolers full of pop and fresh fruit, which he sponsors along with two former thru-hikers White Pine and Jokers Wild. He had a scale (I’ve lost 10 lbs, better be careful) and a welcome sign that read “only 1,960 miles to go.”

We enjoyed a good chat and when I told him I was planning to hitch a ride to Gatlinburg to meet up with some friends for a couple of days, Scott offered to take me himself. Nice drive down the mountain to Gatlinburg and Scott even joined me for pizza and beer at the Smoky Mountain Brewery. Good food. Good drink. Good company. Checked into the Grand Prix Motel and called my good friends Kathy and John who live in Knoxville. Had to leave them a message but the phone in my room rang around 9:00 PM, it was John, he said he was on his way to pick me up and that I’ll be going to visit Kathy at camp tomorrow … Camp?

Aquaholic

April 8, 2009

Hey Aquaholic,

I applied for a job today at Vail Resorts – Director of Online Marketing. I know you would wonder how the hell I evolved to be going after such a job, but my experience is applicable and I fit the criteria for the position. Realistically, though, it is a long shot considering the extremely deep pool of professional talent out there right now.

The key message here is that I’m going after opportunities that combine adventure travel with marketing. This is where many of my passions are and it feels like a sustainable path that could lead to a variety of interesting successes, opportunities, and new adventures.

I am properly pulling useful information from the center of my heart and moving it directly to the top of my mind. I am conscious of the connection wherever I go. I am noticing things I was not noticing before. Drawn to things I was not drawn to before.

I’m walking a good path.

The karmic weight continues to shed, little by little.

O’