Faith Lane Books

The Fresh Librarian

The Poet Genealogist

Thoughts About Blogging

When we began this journey in April 2019, I began to make notes about our training hikes, about our physical-mental-emotional health concerns, about books and resources we were studying, and about equipment selections we were exploring. I called these notes “Essay Germs.”

While my goal is to blog at least weekly, I have been more actively focused on transitions which needed to be made at Dorcas Library so that Yumi would have all the information, records, and tools needed to manage the library operation going forward. I have not yet begun to blog consistently.

During November, I will follow NA-NO-WRI-MO [National Novel Writing Month] guidelines and 1,000 words each day to craft and develop the style of this blog. Blog entries will move back and forth in time as I remember and include more in-depth notes about our experiences. I will include poetry or essays from the trail, because I often draft ideas as we walk on roads and open pathways. I have been asked to include resources and references that we are using to prepare for our trek, so I will make every effort to do that.

This blog is about more than just our experience of hiking the Appalachian Trail. I will write about nature, and the joys and challenges found in the woods and by the water. I will describe plants and animals that we encounter and share my observations about changing habitats and weather patterns. I will record conversations with other hikers and with wilderness professionals, as well as with people we encounter in towns and villages along the way.

I will write about the Dorcas Library and the Schoodic Peninsula. I will share my vision of current and future librarianship: community-driven practices, heart-centered leadership, and organic operational structures vs hierarchical structures. I will talk about the challenges of funding non-profit organizations and the need for strong investment accounts for long-term sustainability.

I will write about human bodies: aging; inflammation conditions (high blood pressure, diabetes); exercise challenges; lifestyle changes; the body positivity movement. I will write about mental health conditions: lifestyle stressors, PTSD & C-PTSD, depression.

Every day is an adventure, and I hope this blog will bring readers along on this journey of self-discovery and spiritual quest.

20191101 Gouldsboro, Maine

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