Overnight Gear Test

Since we upgraded our sleep and shelter system, I have been chomping at the bit to get out in the woods and see how it feels.  We decided that last weekend would be good, as the temperatures were going to stay in the 40's for a couple of days.  Rain was in the forecast, but weather never interferes with our plans.  In fact, a couple rainy days were perfect to test our gear (and ourselves) to possible wet conditions.  We were also bringing Ginger our Golden Doodle (now trail named Mama Bear).  She loves to come out with us when we head out, so we thought it would be good to bring her for our short hikes. 

Mama Bear and LoGear heading down the misty trail

The original plan was to drive to old Rt 40 at the Old South Mountain Inn, hike into Rocky Run shelter, overnight, then hike back to the car, drive to the Rt 70 overpass parking and hike to Pogo Campground for a second night.  Plan B would be put into effect on Saturday after an unexpected challenge. 

LoGear works a night shift, so she usually doesn't arise until after Noon.  She had Fridays and Saturdays off.  We had everything ready to go and got on the road at around 1240 on Friday.  The drive was a little over an hour and after a quick stop for lunch at McDs, we were at the A.T. Parking lot next to the Inn and on the trail around 1400.  

The weather was damp.  Scattered showers had been coming through for a while and even though we didn't get rained on, everything was a little drippy.  We arrived at the shelter after the quick, easy 2.1 mile hike at 1455 and set up camp.

LoGear wanted to test her new sleeping pad along with her new quilts, so she set up in the empty shelter.  The plan was for Mama Bear to sleep with her.  We brought a couple of blankets for her.

  

LoGear's set up

I wanted to see how my new under quilt and top quilt worked in my new hammock, so I set up right outside the shelter where Mama Bear could see me.  She likes to know we are safe.  

EarthTone's hammock set up

It was still pretty early in the day, so we puttered around the shelter area, getting water and gathering wood.  The temps were in the low 40s, but felt comfortable with a puffy on.  

Darkness comes early in the winter so we ate dinner as darkness settled in the holler.  Even after a nice fire, we were contemplating heading to the quilts at around 1830 and we did just that.  

Here is my notes from Friday:

Moonsday, 30 Afteryule:Left home around 12:40ish. Parked at South Mountain Inn. Hiked about 2 miles to Rocky Run Shelter. Arrived at 14:55. Set up hammock, gathered wood, fed Ginger. Made a fire and dinner as it got dark early. Went to hammock around 1830. Lisa is in shelter with Ginger. It's about 40 degrees with rain off and on all day. Nothing while we were hiking and only a few minutes when we were up on the hill top checking out the camping area. There is a breeze, but the woods are calm and quiet. Ahh, winter in the woods. I can feel some cold on my back, but it isn't too bad. The setup probably needs adjusting. This is why we are out here. To test the new gear and learn how to use it.

 I went to my hammock and read for a while and then tried to get some sleep.  My sleeping was sporadic and not very fitful.  I don't think I had my under quilt set up exactly right and from time to time I would feel cold under me.  I also need to get used to the top quilt.  It isn't like a sleeping bag where you can zip yourself in and virtually eliminate most drafts, but acts more like a blanket.  It sure does feel warm though, but I will need to adjust to how it works.  I hung out in the hammock until I was ready to start the next day which was around 0530.  11 hours in the hammock.  Nice.

Mama Bear seemed to have a restless night.  She wasn't content to just sleep next to LoGear, but had to patrol the area and check on me every so often.  She seemed just as content sleeping in the shelter, under my tarp or in the middle of the blue blaze trail coming into camp.  In the morning we christened her Mamma Bear as she seemed to be protecting and watching over her "babies" all night.  

I got up in the darkness and just took it easy.  I knew it would be a while until LoGear rolled out as I could tell she was up a lot during the night checking on Mama Bear who was checking on me.  She also needs a couple of days to adjust to a different sleeping schedule, where she can get up along with the sun.  But the sun wasn't going to be seen all day.

I started the day with a couple cups of coffee with some Carnation Instant Breakfast stirred in.  Next we went down to the spring to fill up the bottles.  There was a super dense fog.  We were in the midst of the cloud so to speak.

Next I gathered some wood for a morning fire.  Everything was damp to wet, but my nice fire starters never let me down.  I ate breakfast and started breaking down my camp.  I know my tarp was going to be packed up wet because nothing was drying in this damp, drippy weather.  

Mama Bear enjoying the foggy morning

The woods woke up, but the quite remained.  It was super peaceful and I glorified in being outside and enjoying the day as it was given. Eventually LoGear had enough of laying in the shelter and came out for breakfast.

Here is my Saturday morning notes:

Treesday, 01 Solmath: Slept kind of cold. Up around 0530. Made coffee, got water, collected damp wood, ate bfast, etc. 38 degrees with fog and dripping trees. The metal shelter roof is like a drum beat for every drop. I need to figure out my under quilt. I'm not sure I have it set up right. We headed out of camp at 1048.

Just before we left, we met two hikers coming in.  We chatted a bit.  They had just come in from where we had parked for the night.  They went up on the ridge to set up as we headed back down the blue blaze to the trail.

We hiked back out in the foggy morning, passing about seven others coming in, stopping at the Dahlgren campground for a bit to use the porta potty.  This site is really nice in the warmer seasons, as it has showers and running water.  

We were quickly back at our truck.  Yesterday we had been the only vehicle in the lot, but there were already four or five vehicles parked there now.  I was a little surprised that so many other were coming out on this dreary day, but I guess there are a lot of others who are like me and don't let weather be a factor in whether or not they go out.  This would be an omen of things to come.

We headed to the next parking lot.  A pretty large lot on Rt 40 just before it passes over Rt 70.  I followed the GPS instead of going a somewhat longer, but straighter route which turned out to be a twisty, windy series of back roads that I feared would upset Mama Bear's stomach.  

She used to get car sick when she was young, but had pretty much outgrown it for the most part.  We were asking for trouble by risking it.

When we arrived at the parking lot, it was completely full.  Even the overflow area had a car in every slot.  This sucked pretty much.  We decided that we had learned a good deal from our one night out and would schedule more as we can.  It was time to end this adventure and head home.  

Mama Bear was acting thirsty and LoGear gave her a little bit of water.  Just as we pulled away to head to McDs again, she covered my middle console with some nice dog puke.  

After a clean up we were on our way.  This was not the first time she has done this, but last time I was able to catch most of it in her bowl.  Oh well, next time we will get out of the vehicle and let her drink, then let her stomach settle.  

We had packed basically our whole kit for this test that we will be bringing on our Hike along with some extra stuff for the dog and our packs weighed in at 28 and 29 pounds.  My pack felt good on my back and LoGear said she felt good too.  

Some Lessons Learned:
1.  Learn the proper way to set up that underquilt
2.  Adjust to using a quilt instead of a bag
3.  I will be bringing my crocks.  The DIY "sandals" I had made were OK for slipping them on for a quick walk to piss, but I just like having the crocks, so I will take on the extra 12 oz or so.  
4.  Mama Bear doesn't sleep well when we are separated in the night. 
5.  Don't give Mama Bear water inside the vehicle any more.

I look forward to our next gear test.  

Peace,
EarthTone and LoGear (and Mama Bear)

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

LD-07: More Life on the Trail

More, Life on the Trail

A Long Distance is just that. It takes a long time. So, this is part two of Life on the Trail. Just a few more things to think about.

Staying smart around sex, drugs, and rock and roll
The trail, in a way, is a reflection of life in the "other" world. I like to think of it as a nice, clean, simplified reflection, but it still contains all the elements of our society. Yes, people have sex out there, they do drugs and rock and roll will never die.

If you like to smoke the weed, please be discrete. Don't do it around other people. Especially those who you know are uncomfortable with it. Also, if you are uncomfortable with it, have the courage to let the stoners know that you would rather they move off somewhere to have their "safety meeting". (I thought that term was cute when I first heard it, but now it just annoys me, like when a kid giggles after saying Dicks Sporting Goods). Remember, respect others (this will be the theme of this whole paragraph.)

If you want to have sex, great. I think everyone should get laid out there, but I'm pretty sure not everyone wants to listen to you getting it on. Don't fuck in a shelter if others are there. Don't fuck in the bunk room of a hostel if others are there. If you are a loud fuck, try to use some self restraint in your tent away from the others. Get a room, stealth camp away from others, jack off in the shower at Trail Days. Well, maybe not that last one. Remember, respect others.

There are many days that I need a little boost to get the miles in and listening to music is one way that helps me get my legs pumping and the miles go by fast. Using ear buds is the recommended method. I usually only plug in one ear, so I can still hear nature, especially that fast hiker coming up on me who would scare the shit out of me if I didn't hear him coming. Portable blue tooth speakers are a new rage out there. Sometimes you are in a group that appreciates your rage rock or syrupy country, but a lot of times, you will see the tension rise on that person who just wants to hear nature. Once again respect others.

Common thru-hiker medical issues
I'm sure I could create a post all by itself about the different number of medical issues a hiker can potentially encounter during their hike. Here are a few that I have experienced or seen out there on the trail.

Overuse injuries top the list, I believe. Knees, hips, ankles, IT band, Achilles tendons, the list goes on. Usually the best way to fix this is rest, icing, compression and elevation. If you start slow, your body has the time to strengthen to the stress it is being put through. If you push it too far, too fast, you risk an overuse injury.

Food or water born Illnesses. Giardiasis, Noro Virus, etc. There is an old saying out there, "when you eat poop, you will shit liquid". Well, it isn't too old. I just made it up. These sicknesses that cause diarrhea, vomiting, cramps and unending pain and suffering, are usually caused by you getting someone elses poop on your hands and then eating something with said hands.

Hand washing out on the trail can't be emphasized enough. Unfortunately, it isn't always easy to get a good hand washing in. Whenever you have the opportunity, you should be washing your hands. Anti-bacterial gel is a must have, but it isn't as effective as a good hand washing.

Also, don't dip your hand (or let anyone else dip theirs) into a Ziploc of food, such as trail mix or Cheetos. If you want to share, dump from the bag into the hand. This keeps each hiker's dirty dirt away from yours. Fist bumping is also common out there. Not only is it cooler than shaking hands, it is more hygienic.

Hypothermia is a constant risk out there. You can become hypothermic easily well into the 50s. If you are wet, and the wind is stealing your heat, you risk this deadly situation. One thing about hypothermia is you quickly become confused and can not realize that it is happening to you. If you feel like you can't get any colder no matter how fast you hike to try and warm up, you need to take action quickly. Stop hiking, find shelter if you can or need to, get into dry clothes (you do have some dry clothes in your pack, right?) climb into your bag and warm up. If you can, warm up some water and sip it slowly. If you are hiking with others in an unpleasant weather situation, keep an eye on each other. If your hiking buddy starts ripping off their clothes saying they are too hot, maybe you need to get them into their bag and start up the stove.

Heat Stroke can also be a real danger out there. As summer comes on and the springs start to dry up, a hot day with little water can bring on all manner of heat related ailments. Once again, recognize this situation. This problem can be worse by the fact that you may not have what is needed to correct the situation. Get water if you can. Drink some. Get into shade and remove clothing. Rest and maybe pray a little and you should be fine. If there is no water or shade on the trail, get to a road and try to get into town, where a cool shower and air conditioning can help the situation.

Dehydration is very common out there. I have learned time and again that if you see a water source (especially in hot weather), you need to camel up, even if your bottle is still mostly full. I drink all I have and refill. Sometimes I hang out for a while and drink a full liter, before filling again and moving on. I have made the mistake of passing up decent water sources because I thought I would just fill up at the next one. Sometimes that next one is dry or down a stupid steep hill. The best place to store water is inside your body.

Staying motivated
There will be times, sometimes several times a day, that you will be completely out of motivation. It isn't an if, but a when. It is up to you whether or not these episodes are simple bumps along the trail, or an insurmountable obstacle to your hike.

There is a real common saying out there to "don't quit on a bad day". It advises to wait for a good day and then decide if you really want to quit.

There are a lot of ways to keep motivated. Find the magic and mystery of being out in nature. Look at the small things. Not every hill top will have a view. So what. Find your "views" everywhere you look. That little red eft, that is moving across the trail. That really cool mushroom growing next to that tree stump. Your hiker friends, doing funny antics.

Help and encourage the unmotivated and let them help you when you need it. We are a tramily out there and need to look out after each other.   Ask others what they use for motivation and see if that works for you.  

You will have plenty of bad days out there.  Remember, even your suckiest day will be a story to tell later.  

Making friends on the trail
The Trail is a place where I have seen meaningful friendships develop from "What's up?" to "Love you Bro!" in about five minutes. It is an amazing thing to see and a wonderful thing to experience.

The trail is full of the most amazing people. They come from every walk of life, but have this one thing in common. To follow the white blazes until they are done following the white blazes. These friendships are super strong and will most likely last the rest of your life. Even the most introverted out there make plenty of friends.

Be open and friendly to all you meet out there. They may be the one who gives you one of their power bars because you are out of food. They will fill your water for you when you are too wiped to walk down to the spring. They will wrap you in your bag when you are shivering uncontrollably.

Also, you will want to do all those things for them. Minutes after coming upon them on the trail.

It is a wonderful magical world out there.

Keeping in touch with loved ones
In today's world, keeping in touch is much easier then it was even a decade ago. The ubiquitous smartphone and decent cell coverage are responsible for that.

It is much easier to keep in touch with those not out on the trail with you. Facebook, texting, email. It's all much easier to do today then even a decade ago. Try to send a handwritten post card from time to time. People will enjoy that.

Make sure your loved ones know where your are and better yet, where you will be in a few days or a week or so. They may want to send you a care package with lots of great stuff to eat and use. Make sure they let you know that a package will be waiting for you, so you know to check with the post office or hostel where they send it.

Some use one of those satcom devices like SPOT or DeLorme to help track their whereabouts. These can be nice for those who need to give their loved ones peace of mind that you are not being eaten by a bear or have fallen down a ravine somewhere. At least they will be able to find your body easier, if that happens and you had the device turned on.

Let your loved ones live vicariously through you. It will keep you motivated and let them feel happy that you are out there crushing it.

Every Hikers' hike is different. Your personality and the circumstance you encounter during your trek define that hike. You could hike the same stretch a year later and have a completely different hike. This is just a little snippet of what life is like on the trail. It doesn't even attempt to cover everything and may bear no resemblance to your hike itself. Hopefully a nugget or two of wisdom were contained here. That's up to you to decide.

LD-01 - LD-02 - LD-03 - LD-04 - LD-05 - LD-06 - LD-07 - LD-08

Losing Weight on a Long Distance Hike

Carrying a bit more weight than I need

As I spread things around on the Interwebs, I have written a new article for The Trek (formerly Appalachian Trials).  I talk about weight.  Not the weight in my pack, but the weight I have packed on my body.  Enjoy.

The Weight Factor: Losing Weight on a Long Distance Hike

Peace,
EarthTone and LoGear

LD-06: Life on the Trail

Life on the Trail

Doing a long distance hike is a bit different from a day hike or weekend adventure. I like to think of it as continuous section hikes, one after the other. After a few days out there, your attitude changes. You start to feel comfortable out in the woods, even as you work through all your aches and pains.

What's it really like out there?
One thing a long distance hike isn't is a simple walk in the woods. You are living out here. Everything you need is carried on your back. You are climbing mountains all day, every day. Your feet hurt. Your clothes and body stink. You may not be totally dry for several days in a row. It's not easy. It is a real challenge. The trick to success out there is to let all of this happen and still find a way to smile each day. The smile may only last a few seconds, or it may stretch into a huge belly laugh, but to find the good in the days hike and the people who are out there with you is important.

Eating and drinking
Keeping yourself fueled and hydrated are super important. Carrying food that is light and easy to prepare helps. The longer you stay out there, the more food you will need. As you spend each day hiking, you use up all your calories quickly and start to lose weight. Your body actually eats itself. Keeping your calorie intake at the proper level will take more and more food as time goes on.

I usually carry foodstuffs that only need for me to add boiling (or hot) water to make them a meal. If I'm only heating water in my pot and using freezer bags to prepare the food, then cleanup is a snap. The bag becomes my trash bag and the pot just needs to dry. I will also carry food that doesn't need cooking, like peanut butter and tuna. As you move along and your tastes change, you will try new things and keep trying to liven up your meals. When you hit town, you can eat huge meals that someone else has prepared and add fresh (and heavy) fruit and veggies to your diet. It all evens out.

Water is also your most precious possession. Dehydration is no joke. If you don't treat the water you find along the trail, you may suffer the consequences. Giardia is pretty much everywhere. It comes from poop. Not just beaver poop, but also human poop. Having a filter or other form of treatment will lessen your chance of water borne illnesses. You must have water and it weighs a lot. One liter is 2.2 lbs. So, you find it along the way. I like to find springs that I can see coming out of the mountain. I sometimes don't treat when I see it coming out, but I'm not saying everyone (or anyone) should do that. That's just how I roll. I tell people it gives me a strong constitution. If your body gets used to the little critters, it can fight them better. At least that is what I tell myself.

Luckily in today's informational world, you can know how far the next water source is, if you have a decent trail guide. The A.T. Guide or Thru Hiker's Companion will get you there. Sometime though, that water source is dry. You need to be able to plan ahead and I have learned, that is almost always a bad idea to pass up a water source. What I do when I come upon a good source and still have water, is I camel up. I drink all I have and fill up. I carry an extra empty 1 liter platypus for when I know I will be heading to a dry camp or an extended dry stretch. It's always nice to have the option of gathering extra water. Of course, you now have to carry it, but the tradeoff is worth it.

I also will flavor my water from time to time with powders or MiO, because drinking plain old water all the time, gets old after awhile.

Making camp
Each day you must find a place to lay your head for the night. Since you are continuously moving, it will be in a different place with different circumstances than the night before. Each hiker creates their own routine.

Some will make their way to the next shelter and grab a space. This is always more likely to happen if the weather is turning wet or cold. Others, will do some socializing at shelters, then move a way from that area to disperse camp.

Wherever you lay your head for the night, it will be a new challenge every day. The best place to camp (for the trail) is at or near a shelter. This keeps the wear and tear to a constrained area. There are also a few of the rare amenities (if I can use that word) at shelters. A privy, fire ring, tent pads, table and water are some of what is usually near a shelter.

As a hammock hanger, all I need to do is find two appropriately spaced trees with nothing dead above. Rocks, don't care. Slanting grade, don't care. Under story plants, can easily avoid as my shelter is hanging above all that. To me, tenters have more of a challenge finding a place to place their tent for the night.

If you do disperse camp, always try to use leave no trace techniques that minimize your impact on the forest. Try to leave it as if you weren't even there.

Tricks for the long haul
They say that accomplishing a long distance hike is about 80% mental. You need to find what works for you to keep yourself motivated and positive.

Try to think of the long distance hike as nothing more than a long series of short (multi day) hikes. Create goals that aren't 2000 miles away. Maybe 100 miles or so and strive for that. Think about where your next resupply will be and work on getting there just as you eat your last snickers bar.

Keep your mind active and engaged. You will spend a lot of time in your own head. I have solved many a problem, just by mulling it over in my head as I hike along.

This may seem impossible on some days, but try to find a reason to laugh and smile during the day. Even on the worst day of hiking, you can still find something to smile about.

Hiking a long hike is just like eating an elephant. It seems impossible at first, but the way you eat an elephant is one small piece at a time. You can try to hike the long hike the same way. One small section at a time.

Trail etiquette
It is important to not only avoid pissing off those who hike with you, but to also minimize your impact to the trail and surrounding terrain as you hike along.

There have been dozens of articles of trail etiquette. How not to "be that guy". A quick google search will give you many examples of what not to do. I try to keep it simple.

I basically just invoke the Golden Rule. Don't do anything to another hiker (or the forest) that you don't want done to you. Be considerate, be grateful and be generous.

The Leave No Trace movement gives you lots of things to think about when you are out there. Simply put, do whatever you can to minimize your own impact on the trail and those you encounter when you are out there. Plan properly, don't litter, don't be inconsiderate of other hikers and wildlife, don't be irresponsible with fire.

One final piece of advice (and I think I have been guilty in the past) is don't be that person who thinks they have all the answers. Who knows it all. Everyone can learn something out there, so always be open to other's opinions and ideas. When we work together out there on the trail, we all excel.

Safety basics
One of the best safety skills you can develop is situational awareness. If you can recognize a potential hazardous situation and avoid it, then you are halfway to not encountering something that can end your hike.

Don't take unnecessary risks. Is that a storm coming in? Maybe I shouldn't hike up on that exposed ridge. Do I really need to jump off of that bridge? I'm pretty sure I can make that jump from that rock to that one... Take your time, think it through.

Carry a first aid kit, but it should be small and simple. On the A.T. you are never very far from help, so you don't need a battle kit with large blood sopping bandages and an I.V. drip. A few band aids, some Triple Antibiotic ointment, blister treatment, duct tape, Vitamin I, tweezers, a needle. That's about it.

Being weather observant gets you a long way to being safe out there. Recognize the potential of hypothermia, heat stroke, dehydration. Take actions to prevent it if you can.

Always having something dry to get into is pretty important. If you find yourself unable to maintain a safe core body temperature, you need to take action quickly. Get out of wet clothes and into your bag. Sip on some warm drink. Shiver until you are warm.

Be leery of "hikers" who don't seem right. Observe, question is need be (and safe), decide whether or not to stay where you are or move on. Intuition is a real thing.

Hitch with a friend if possible. It is ok to change your mind about a ride if something doesn't feel right. Just thank them for stopping, but that you decided to wait for your friend or some other cleaver lie.

Safety for women
Common sense also plays an important part in keeping yourself safe as a woman on the trail. This in no way says that women are weaker out there or need special help in being safe, but to point out a few things that might need to be thought about as a female hikes.
Especially if said female is hiking solo.

There is always the "don't publish your location" piece of advice. Delaying your log entries on line can help keep it fuzzy as to where you actually are on the trail. Of course, this can also hinder someone beneficial who is trying to locate you, but it is better to err on the side of caution. There is also the "my hiking partner is right behind me" phrase. Even I use that one from time to time.

When hitching, try to find someone to travel with. If it is a scraggly guy, you are actually doing him a favor as it seems woman can get rides easier than men, especially scraggly men.

If something doesn't feel right, trust your intuition. If you can remove yourself from the situation safely, do so. If you can't then being able to defend yourself is a good idea. I'm all for carrying the small pepper spray canisters. It can be quite the deterrent.

It seems that every female out there acquires a lot of "brother" and "uncle" figures. These people form a protective bond that makes any neer-do-well rethink messing with a lone female that he may think is vulnerable. The Tramily is a strong force.

Lastly, if you are receiving unwanted attention (Pink Blazing), the best advice I can offer is to just confront and explain to the Pink Blazer that you are not interested. Try to do that in the presence of your trail brothers, uncles. It would be unfortunate that you have to alter your hike (jumping ahead, taking an extra zero or leaving the trail) because of some asshole that can't understand the word No. Your trail brothers will support you and can even help "convince" the PB'er that they need to move on.

Special concerns for older hikers
Just because your body has aged and started to betray you doesn't mean you can't still get out there and hike long distances. There are many older hikers who have hiked thousands of miles in their later years.

Some of the things older hikers encounter are mechanical failures. Knees, hips, ankles. You aren't as flexible as you were at 20, so keeping your pace and mileage at a reasonable level, at least for a while is important. Older hikers may also have more concerns with heart issues, that young'ins don't usually need to worry about.

If you are on medication, you need to figure out how to resupply those meds when needed. It can be challenging, but is always do-able.

There are a lot of older hikers out there. They are able to complete their long distance hike because they were aware of their limitations (if they have them) and they use patience to ensure they can maintain a pace that chews up miles, but doesn't overtax the aging body they live in.

Each Hiker will experience the trail a little bit differently.  If you always keep your head clear, your decisions flexible and your attitude adjusted, there is nothing you can't do.

LD-01 - LD-02 - LD-03 - LD-04 - LD-05 - LD-06 - LD-07 - LD-08

Adding Another Stick to the Blogging Fire - Appalachian Trials

I have decided to join the Appalachian Trials team as one of their bloggers.  I will post articles on there from time to time as I think up interesting topics to write about.  

Here is my intro post.  

The Quest of Pamola

Here is how it starts:

You have to admit, Pamola is a badass looking dude.  Well, god actually.  As the Penobscot stories go, Pamola is a god of thunder and protector of the Greatest Mountain, aka Katahdin.  That’s where he lives and no one comes into his house without paying the price. Read the rest...

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