I'm a 38-year old teacher from Chicago who started section hiking in VA for the last two Spring Breaks. Shenandoah NP was an easy place to start by myself and the March weather was very comfortable (especially without the bugs!). AT hiking was different than CO or NY or in the midwest, but I enjoyed it the most of anywhere I've ever been. I'm hooked!! Met alot of great people in a short time. I hope to take an extended hike sometime in the summer. Maybe someday I'll get to do the whole thing as a thru-hike. I look forward to reading these forums, learning more about my next section, and keeping up with my AT hiking goals.