The inspiration for shaving it off was that the hair was starting to thin in the front. Not too terribly bad but noticable enough. Instead of fighting it, just decided to embrace it.
TimmJ you asked about getting into hiking: Yes, being in great shape helps, however, there are many excellent hikes that are not long and challenging. Also, other than working out a few times a week, I don't really train for these 53 miles in one day kind of hikes. Once you get to a certain point, everyone hurts and it becomes 90% mental. You want to quit but you push yourself to go on. Most people I know think I'm nuts and do NOT do that kind of hiking. Now for the advice: the best way to get into hiking is to pick hikes that are not too hard or too long (to begin with) and have something really cool like a waterfall at the end of them as a reward/goal. Also, go with someone you like who has a good attitude. It is amazing how you can go to a crowded national park and as soon as you get a mile or two down a trail you almost have the whole place to yourself. Another good tip is to do your first couple of hikes when the you have good weather and the bugs are not too bad. September tends to be an excellent month for both of those. Also, check around to see if you have a hiking club in your area. We didn't have one, so I started it up myself, the Midland Hiking Club:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/midlandhikingclub/ Another nice benefit of hiking/backpacking/camping is that it is really inexpensive. We usually travel with free airline tickets from credit card miles. So we go to some great place like Hawaii or Alaska and all we have to pay for is a rental car. If you book that way ahead of time that can be pretty cheap too. Then we backpack or frontcountry camp 2/3s of the time and get a motel/hotel/cabin for 2 or 3 days mixed in. The trips are cheap, we see amazing and beautiful things (see my youtube video at:
for examples of the stuff we see -that video isn't on my website currently), and we have unique experiences. I would do it that way even if I made the big bucks but as a public servant with two little kids, it makes a lot of sense. There are also some great websites and books out there that you can learn from and be inspired by. Another good tip is to hike/backpack with someone that is experienced and knows what they are doing. They will probably be able to loan to you or find someone else that you can borrow gear from so you can see if you like it before you buy equipment. You can learn a lot from someone like that. Hope that helps.
