Final Test Hike

We loaded up our packs and headed North to the AT Museum area.  We took the movable Halfway Sign up to Dead Womans Hollow Rd and erected it for the season.  Jen and Tom, volunteers from the A.T. Museum came along to help.

2017 Halfway Point - Dead Womans Hollow Rd.

After that chore was complete, we went back to Shippensburg Rd and started hiking North.  It had rained all the way up from home, but had stopped by the time we arrived in the area.  It was a chilly day with temps on the upper 30s and everything was drippy.

A misty, drippy day

We made our way down to Toms Run shelter, where we would set up our new hammocks and spend the night.  The hike in had been good at an easy 4.8 miles, but we still felt that soreness you get when you first start carrying weight along uneven terrain. 

I took a time lapse video of our antics as we worked to figure out our new gear which was amusing.  I'm glad we did this trip as it was enlightening to say the least.  We are still climbing up the learning curve.

Our hammocks await us

We ate dinner and gathered some wood for a fire, but everything was pretty wet and we were tired enough to not want to fiddle with it much, so we didn't waste the effort.  As the light faded from the misty forest, we both headed to our hammocks to read, then sleep.

My night seemed restless, but I wasn't cold at all.  LoGear didn't fare as well as she said she was shivering all night.  She is ready to go back to her warm, but heavier bag.

Eventually, a Pileated Woodpecker announced the new day.  I opened my eyes and saw dawn had arrived. 

We slowly got up, made some breakfast and packed up.  LoGear headed out first as I was puttering around, in no hurry.

She was motivated by the hot tub and warm bed back waiting at home as we headed back the way we had come the day before.

We quickly got back to the truck and started for home.  Both of us sore and tired.  This was a good dose of what we will have to face on our hike and even though we didn't get actively rained on, we were able to experience some less than ideal weather.  

We will now make our final decisions on gear, finish up our food bags and Fontana resupply and be ready for the start of our Quest.

As always, we will stay flexible and make any needed changes to gear and technique as we start the Adventure.  25 more days until the Quest for Pamola starts.

Peace,
EarthTone and LoGear

New Post on The Trek - AT

I just posted another article on The Trek - AT.  

In this one I talk about reaching the point in my preparations that I call Saturation.  

You can check it out here:  In Which I Reach Saturation in my Preparations

Peace,
EarthTone and LoGear

Preparation Work and Purchases

Preparation

While my Subaru sits in the shop with a leaking transmission, our preparation plans continue.  That current repair may dig into our gear purchasing fund, but we only have a couple of things to buy to make our kit complete.  Truth be told, we could hit the trail today with what we have and be OK, but these last purchases can cut more weight while making us a bit more comfortable.  All we really need besides a few consumables are some quilts (both top and under) and maybe some new hammocks.  These items will cost somewhere over $1000 for the both of us.  

That's tranny fluid all under the truck

Something I had been thinking about was the best way to check our packs when we fly down to Atlanta.  I don't want to just throw the pack as is, with its hanging stuff onto the luggage rack at the counter.  I want to lessen the chance of losing things or having them messed with.  I found a nice duffle bag made specifically for that purpose at REI and purchased two of them.  They arrived yesterday and I threw all my gear into one to see if it fits.  Not only does it all fit (including trekking poles and crocks), but there is still room to spare.  Now, it looks pretty huge, so I don't want to fill it to the brim and risk being charged for oversized luggage, but these should work nicely.  One thing I really like about them is they collapse into their own zippered pocket that is pretty small.  We will mail them back home once we get to Georgia.  

From this, to this.

I also pre-ordered two copies of AWOL's A.T. Guide.  (one for us and one for home base).  They have a nice early bird deal going and having two copies will help with coordination with Brandi "Home Base".  I also plan on getting a pdf copy for my phone when they are available.  

I have started to make some inquiries down in Georgia as I plan our arrival and transportation to the trail.  We plan to fly into Atlanta and take the MARTA train up to the northern terminus where we will be shuttled to either a Hostel, Amicalola Falls or Springer.  The planning continues. We will also need to pick up some fuel and any last items that we are missing before starting the hike as you can't pack canisters filled with a highly flammable gas.  We have some tentative plans to get some help from a friend down in Georgia, but those plans are still in their infancy and are still very nebulous.  When they firm up, I will talk about them.

The preparations continues and will most likely do so until we head to the airport.  As of today we have 158 days until we hit the trail, but who's counting.  

Peace,
EarthTone and LoGear