To get out and walk - what a pleasure. Danny and I were able to get to all manner of geo-caches which, in turn, had us walking all over the park. We are currently parked in Double Lake Recreation Area, close to Coldspring, Texas. Beautiful park, centrally located to all manner of hiking and activities. From here we even got to go to one of Brooke's basketball tournaments. We will have to spend more time in State Parks when in Texas as there are rumors and talks of closing many of them down because of supposed budgetary shortfalls. We will try and do our part to keep them open.
Friends came in to visit and we had a blast geo-caching and visiting with them. Of course, it continued to rain throughout the whole time of their visit. The last evening however, it cleared and we able to have a bonfire and make s'mores. It always sad to see friends leave or for you to leave friends behind. But they go with the knowledge that we will see them again soon, as they, like all friends, are constants.
Glitter Graphics
The year is breaking in nicely. Plans are now underfoot for Danny's dream hike - the Appalachian Trail. He has been talking about this since I met him and now it will finally come to fruition. The optimum time for a beginning in Georgia is mid to late March but he has decided to flip-flop hike it. He will start in Pennsylvania and head north. This will allow him to start in a flatter section with warmer weather and prevent our being in this same area during the extreme heat of the summer. Once we get to Maine we will drive back to where we started and head south to Georgia. He will mainly be slack hiking or essentially day hiking most of the trail. When he slack hikes I will be carrying all his gear except his daypack (sagging) and we will spend these nights together. There are sections that are too long to do in one day and for these he will carry a backpack and campout along the trail or stay in a trail shelter. He has decided to "ultralight" hike which involves parring the weight down to the bare minimum in areas such as the tent, backpack, etc. For now he is getting his legs in shape by hiking each and every trail that he can find wherever we are. It will be lengthy endeavor - can take upwards of 5+ months to walk the 2000+ miles from Georgia to Maine. It will be an experience, you can bet. Santa anticipated this hike and gifted each of us with a trail guide. It is amazing just how much preparation there is for a trip like this. For now we are reading everything that we can find on this subject to better improve the quality of the experience. [photo] More to come on this later.
Danny will give this hike from his perspective as well during the hike. His will be so much different from mine, and definitely much more interesting ...
For the immediate future, we are anticipating a quick visit from Bennison. It will be good to see her again and Danny has all sorts of things planned. Mainly we will park the RV in a State Park close to Beaumont, TX near the coast and day trip it from there. The main idea however, is a good visit. Then we are taking a quick trip to Mexico to visit a friend and her husband who are about to open a boutique hotel in San Cristóbal, Chiapas. We leave Feb 8th and return the 18th, giving us enough time to get ourselves packed up and to Pennsylvania before the 1st of March. I will give a report, no doubt glowing, after our experiencing their hospitality and the area. As we will arrive hopefully in time for a few Carnaval celebrations, we plan on visiting surrounding Mayan villages as well.
