the trail to photography

Two years ago exactly, I was asleep in a tent in the mountains of northern Georgia. It was the beginning of a new adventure for me and the beginning of the biggest goal I’d ever tried to wrap my head around before. I had set out that morning to hike from Georgia to Maine along the Appalachian Trail in a single calendar year. The day was a glorious one. I’ll certainly never forget it and all the emotions it brought about. For the next seven months, I spent my days walking in the woods following white blazes all the way to Maine. I met many challenges along the way but, in the end, I got much more from the trail than I ever expected. Somewhere along the two thousand mile journey, I decided on my next gigantic goal and found the courage to chase it down.

What struck me today as I thought back to March 12,2007, is the new beginning I have going on right now as I try to learn and fill my head with everything possible about photography while laying the foundations for a business. It’s an exciting time! And I owe this new beginning to the one that started two years ago.

Here are some photos from my first day on the trail. Forgive the point and shoot quality – SLRs are a bit heavy to carry for 2,000 miles! Oh, and a special thanks to my friend, Michele (also known as “Certain” on the trail), for the first two photos.