It Started as a Dream

Once upon a time a man said to his wife of 25 plus years, “Honey, I think I would like to hike the Appalachian Trail.”

Her response was something like, “OK, why not??? Go for it.” After all it sounded harmless in 2004 . . . the man and his son went camping before didn’t they?

For months father and son planned their trip. The adventure began on a Sunday morning in June when the man and his son strapped on their packs, which weighed over 60 pounds each, and took their first steps up the Approach Trail in Georgia. The support staff consisted of Terri, the wife, and Stacy, the daughter that year. As with all good adventures, the support staff took pictures and waved goodbye with thoughts of wonderful hiking scenes dancing like sugarplums in their heads. The father and son adventurers were armed with a cell phone just in case something went wrong. The day before the trip Mom got a second cell phone so that she could stay connected to the hikers day and night.

Less than two hours after bidding the support crew farewell, father and son began to have some doubts about the hike. Things were not adding up. Two very heavy packs + two soaking wet sets of clothes + one steep rocky incline = two extremely challenged hikers who had shadows of doubt passing before their eyes. The hikers were so concerned that they tried to call the Support Crew to see if they could return to the approach trail and pick them up.

Unfortunately the new cell phone was not working properly, so the call from the hikers never got through to the Support Crew. The strong, stubborn hikers were so motivated that they pushed on . . . it was to be the start of a very long journey.

The son/brother earned his name, Navigator, in 2006 when he got a bit disoriented and could not remember what state he was in. The following year the husband/father would earn the name Turtle when he fell, pack side down and could not get up without help. Hence the title of this story is N.A.T. – On the Trail Again (Navigator and Turtle - On the Trail Again).

In the coming months our family will post stories from the past and updates from new adventures. We hope that you will enjoy reading as much as we enjoy sharing these stories with you.