Date: 2007-03-23
From: Hiawasee

To: Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0

March 23, "I Stayed at a Holiday Inn Express Last Night"It's sure going to be hard to leave this town. I woke up this morning all snug in my bed with visions of cinnamon rolls dancing in my head. Just down the hall was the continental breakfast and I could practically smell the sugary goodness. I feasted. Not only is it nice to not eat instant oatmeal but it's also nice to not have to carry the trash on my back for the rest of the day. I've spent the rest of the day in a pretty relaxed state. I caught up on emails and even got to talk to some friends, Andy and Paula. Michele and I rented bikes again and headed to the post office, Rite Aid and the local outfitter/gun store. I mailed the disc for my photos to Derek so hopefully my journal will have some photos to liven things up soon. I also picked up some hand warmers - phew! The four minutes I spent in the outfitter was a hoot too! Camo onesies and Carhart jackets for babies - hillbilly heaven!Anyway, I'm making slow progess on repacking my pack but right now I'm watching "Field of Dreams" and it's hard to stay motivated for long. There are a few things people have asked me about that I want to talk about while I have some time here. First is my daily routine. It's still being fine tuned as my mileage increases but this is how it goes for the most part... I wake up in the morning and it still looks dark out because I have my hat pulled over my eyes. So I fall back asleep and I wake up a couple of times before I actally decide to get up for good. I grab the clothes I plan to wear for the day (doesn't require too much brain activity since I only have one choice) and throw them in my sleeping bag to heat them up. After a minute, I start to change - throwing my fleece pants into a Ziplock bag and then into a stuff sack, followed by my fleece socks and jacket and sometimes my down jacket. I also put away my mid-weight thermals. Then, I do my morning foot check and put duct tape in all the necessary places. I put my sleeping bag and liner in their stuff sack and make sure everything else is put away. Then I get out of my tent and pull out my sleeping pad. I shake that out to get rid of debris and condensation. I put that in my pack since it is part of the support. Then I take all of the stakes for my tent out of the ground, tear down the rainfly and put it in the sack. After that, if there is a spot clear of trees, I pick up my tent and shake it out, then put the poles away and then the tent itself. After that, the Tyvek gets shaken out and put away. Then it's time to eat breakfast. First I have to figure out what's on the menu (also not hard since oatmeal is usually my only choice) and how much water I need to boil. I fill up my pot and then I just need to decide how much alcohol to put in my cat food can stove. I usually always overestimate at breakfast and underestimate at dinner. I boil my water and distribute it accordingly (to my Ziplock full of oatmeal and maybe my cup full of hot chocolate). I try to make all of my meals in Ziplock bags so I don't have to clean my pot - it's been working out well so far. Then I eat, pack up my food bag, my stove and my fuel bottle and I'm almost ready to go! I just have to brush my teeth and then I can start filling my pack up. Food on the bottom, then my trash compactor bag full of stuff sacks with clothes and my sleepling bag. Now, I'm ready! I usually have a moment or two to check out my guidebook before we hop on the trail. Every day is a little different hiking-wise but we typically stop for a few breaks to fix our duct tape and eat lunch.At camp, I immediately add a layer or two so I don't cool down too much. I scurry to set up my tent. I then explode my pack into my tent. Then comes the best part of my day - I lay down my sleeping pad and then I lay down. It is the most wonderful feeling in the world - no pressure on my feet and no weight on my back. I let myself lay there for a minute if it's not too cold and then I layer up!After that, it's dinner time and that goes pretty much the same as breakfast except for that I have more choices about what to make. After dinner, my food gets hung on a tree and if there's a fire, I will sit by that for a while and maybe write in my journal. If there's no fire, I'll head to my tent and write and label my photos from the day. Lights out after that!That's it for my daily routine. And for my zero day. The rest of the day was spent relaxing - even with a soak in the hot tub. Back on the trail tomorrow and on my way to North Carolina!- Sound of TBS movie and the fan in the room.   Post Trail Thoughts:My daily routine definitely changed throughout the course of the hike - but I'm so glad I wrote that all down!