Date: 2004-10-01
To: Food for the Trail
Miles today: 0.0

Since the last journal entry we have posted mail drops for over the first half of the hike. A little more work to be done on the northern half but hope to have it also posted soon. We are in the market for a digital camera to take with us but we want our son with us when we purchase one since he knows a bit more about them than we do. He will be the one posting our pictures and journals after we get on the trail. We would like to get the camera as soon as possible so that we can get our about picture posted. We like seeing pictures of the persons that are either planning their hike or are hiking to get an idea about their age. It sometimes is easier to get an idea about what we can do by reading about someone else's concerns and progress. It is suggested that an itinerary be left with someone so that our approximate whereabouts is known in case someone needs to get in touch with us or to check on us if we are not heard from after a certain length of time. Also, we need to have an idea of how long it will take us to reach Katahdin before the park closes in October. Some days off without walking any of the trail (zero days) will be forced by the weather and other days off will be planned at certain towns where we have mail drops. And some will be taken just because our bodies are sending a message to stop and rest. All of these will alter the itinerary but basically we hope to be able to keep pretty much on somewhat of a schedule in order to be able to finish. We have been dehydrating fruits and vegetables to add to our soup mixes and our pasta and rice dishes. Whenever bananas are on sale, which has been fairly often lately, we buy a lot and dehydrate them. They have turned out great. We have dried peaches and apples off our own fruit trees and they also have turned out well. This winter we'll try canned pineapple. I dried some earlier this year but I think I dried it too long. I have some refining to do on it. I also did some strawberries and they will taste yummy in hot oatmeal or cream of wheat on cold mornings. Vegetables that have been dried are green beans that were bought frozen, corn that was bought canned or frozen, and frozen peas. The other day I dried fresh mushrooms. We'll buy dried potatoes and a few other items from the bulk food store that a cousin has. He also has some other snack items such as trail mix, dried snack peas, nuts, sunflower seeds, etc. Every time we grocery shop we pick up macaroni and cheese, ramen noodles, lipton soup mixes, sauce mixes, a Lipton type pasta or rice dish, pop tarts, breakfast bars, hot chocolate, instant puddings, jello for mixing with hot water for a hot drink, foil packed tuna, chicken, shrimp, or beef, or anything else that is on sale and sounds good. We will be putting these into our mail drop boxes and will be food mostly for our breakfasts and dinner meals. Lunches may be more of things we pick up at stores at towns along the way and will include cheese, bagels, and peanut butter. And whenever we are close enough to a restaurant or hamburger/hotdog place we will have lunch there. It'll be a welcome change from trail food. It is suggested to carry olive oil to add calories and fat to the diet; it is estimated that long-distance hikers need anywhere from 4000-6000 calories a day, especially later on in the hike after some weight has been lost and there are not as many reserves in the body. Our friend Wendy is going to manage our mail drops for us. That means that about every week or so she will going to the post office to mail a box first class to our next mail drop. We'll keep her posted as to what extra to add or what to not send that we had originally planned on having sent. We hope she does not regret agreeing to do this after she starts doing it. We don't even know how difficult it will be but we should have all the boxes somewhat packed and already addressed and with a list of what goes in each one and when each is to be mailed.