Date: 2006-07-30
To: Prep #37-Really...I'm not crazy!
Miles today: 0.0

The title of this post is what I had to say to my neighbors on Wednesday evening. See, it was storming LIKE CRAZY when I was driving home from work. From the suggestion of a certain somebody, I decided to take advantage of this rainy/wind blowing opportunity and run outside to put my Hubba tent up in the rain to practice and to see if the thing really keeps me dry. So I'm speeding home and I swear, just as I park in the parking lot, the rain stops...I'm so pissed. But alas, luck was on my side. I looked at the weather radar to see that another wave was coming through within 30 min. So I hopped into my official hiking clothes and threw on my new Frogg Toggs jacket (which also worked GREAT), grabbed my Hubba and went out on the sidewalk and just waited for the rain to come again...and man did it.It started down pouring w/thunder and all, so I hopped up, walked out to the middle of the court yard and proceeded to put up my Hubba tent in the pouring rain (which I'm SURE I will have to do on the AT). I used my pack towel to wipe out the inside, after I got the rainfly on and everthing staked down...then I put my sleeping pad in there, I crawled in and layed there for probably 45 minutes through this storm. I could have fallen asleep.It was AWESOME!!!! Not one drop of water got on me, a tad bit of condensation built up under my sleeping pad, but it was no biggie, and I didn't have my piece of Tyvek under my tent (because it just showed up yesterday), so that will also help w/condensation. Everything stayed staked down, secure, and I stayed dry. As I was putting this up in the pouring rain, my neighbor walks out and starts questioning my sanity. Can't say I blamed her, but after I told her I was basically going to live in this little tent for 6 months next year so I needed to have confidence in it, her response was, "Oh my gosh....well....I'll be praying for ya!" I chuckled and seriously had more fun playing in the rain that day than I had doing anything else in a long time.Other news is that I went kayaking for the first time today, and it was SOOOOOOO fun!! I've heard that at one of the big stops on the AT, maybe the NOC (I don't remember for sure) that there are rafting trips. I may have to take a day for that. I've been whitewater rafting twice in my life and really enjoyed it, but this kayaking thing was great because I could go anywhere and explore places you can't go in a canoe. Granted, we're talking zero rapids, and in the rapid rating system...I was in Class I water, but it was so nice being out there.All in all everything is still on track for my March 15 step off. I'm starting to feel some butterflies in my stomach (already!) when I drive past the train station that I will depart from in March. It's getting more and more real everyday....my gosh....7 months from Tuesday is already March 1. Scary, exhilerating, exciting, terrifying...all in one. I don't think I'm going to believe I'm really doing this until my train pulls away. It's going to be so hard to say goodbye for 6 months....THAT will be my biggest challenge without a doubt...being away from my family that I've lived life with for the past 11 years. However, in the grander scheme of things, 6 months is a drop in the bucket compared to a lifetime and wow...what a worthwhile way to spend 6 months of your life.