Shovel my poo

Thru-hiking is the process of hiking a long-distance trail from end to end. The term is most commonly associated with the Appalachian Trail, but is also used for other lengthy trails and long distance hikes, including the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail. Thru-hiking is also called "end-to-end hiking" or "end-to-ending" on some trails, like Vermont's Long Trail. - Wikipedia

Of late, my husband has been doing extensive research online about thru-hiking, particularly on Andrew Skura’s website. Evidently Mr. Skura is the Michael Phelps of thru-hiking, and also appears to be my husband’s latest man crush (second only to Alton Brown of Food Network fame). A 2,000-3,000 mile long hike is a walk in the park for people like Andrew Skura.

So every night lately, I get filled in on hiking stats, info on lightweight gear and clothing, and which nutrition bars pack the most calories per ounce. Why? Because my husband’s new goal in life is to be a thru hiker and to complete the Vermont Long Trail in September 2009. And he wants me to do it with him. Right now I’m taking the challenge with a handful of salt. It would mean me losing about 150 pounds in the next 13 months, and conditioning myself to be able to hike at least 10 miles per day. Crazy? Yes. But if this motivates me to get my fat ass moving, I’ll take it. Eric (the hubby) on the other hand, is taking this challenge seriously and is already hinting at Christmas presents ranging from an iPood shovel (seriously?) to ultra lightweight water bottles and bear repellant.

This is the kind of crazy scheme I am used to. A year ago Eric wanted to start a tobacco farm and make his own cigars. The year before that he wanted to open a winery. Will he stick to this one and actually make the 270-mile hike through Vermont? Probably not. But for now it’s fun to sit back and watch him dream. And try on his new little hiker shorts. Go on, flex that butt.

The iPood. Yep.