100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

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We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...

The weeks are flying by. I am trying to get some stuff done by year end. Yes, it is yet another year gone.

I planned a great hike yesterday. You might ask, "How do you get to the Southern start of the Appalachian Trail (AT)?" The answer is obvious. You cannot get there by car boat or airplane. You get to the start of the AT by foot. I had a great hike. After 5 miles I ran across a "hike-in" only lodge. They offered me some hot drinks and soup. Since it rained all day (my fire building opportunities were dampened) it was a welcome treat. The woods and the trails were fantastic. I will be back to this particular trail area when the views are not obscured by clouds. I hiked about 13 miles. My altimeter watch indicated that I climbed over 1700 feet. I spent about 8 hours on the trail. I slept pretty well (after the 50 min drive back to Duluth) except for my sore feet. This is the kind of stuff I truly enjoy experiencing.

The movers delivered my stuff from NY. Now, I have to organize and unpack.

Next Saturday I will be at a flea market in Buenos Aires Argentina. I have a very busy week in South America before getting back up to NY for Christmas.

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