Here’s Lisa, my hiking and Highpointing partner and main squeeze. She is also my muse, inspiring me in more ways than can be counted. Lisa said to me, “Be sure to tell them about the official trail sign in your backyard (it came from the forest) and tell them you have 2 x 6 inch blazes leading up the stairs to your office (I haven’t gotten lost yet) and tell them that your boots are in the Appalachian Trail Boot Museum and tell them that you write a newsletter and you named it after a mountain that you have climbed, and tell them you keep a log of every mile you hike.” How could I say no?
Lisa makes our trips possible, remembers details that I have forgotten, overrules me when I write like a juvenile or say something in bad taste, and she provides endless encouragement, especially when my fear of heights kicks in and I can’t imagine hiking any higher on an exposed ridge. It is Lisa’s strength and inspiration that get me up there.
In the words of A C van Cherub, “I could walk forever and a mile with one beautiful girl.”
We have covered thousands of miles of trail, but there are still thousands more to be hiked. So c’mon, walk with us.
