Date: 2011-02-28
To: I am officially a bird nerd
Miles today: 0.0

Can we discuss how ridiculous I am with buying new gear? I just spent the last half hour researching not sleeping bags, not stoves, but sporks. SPORKS! I had bought one of those Light My Fire utensils a while ago but they are not durable. The fork tines got caught in a mesh bag and three of them broke off rendering it useless as an eating utensil (but great for a sharp poking utensil). If you want something durable go with metal, either titanium or aluminum alloy. I am going to get the Sea to Summit Alpha Light Spork. It weighs in a whopping 0.3 ounces and is cheaper than the Snow Peak titanium spork. I also picked out a camping stove but am still debating about it.In other news, I had a field trip to Chincoteague Island this past weekend for my Ornithology class. It was absolutely amazing and I can proudly declare myself to be a bird nerd. I geeked out hardcore on so many occasions. Our class beat the old record of seeing 103 species of birds with a whopping 110 species, not including domestics. I saw two species of loons, three bald eagles, a Eurasian widgeon, longtail ducks, brown headed nuthatches, and a common redpoll. I know that probably does not mean a lot to most of you but a few of those are pretty rare, especially the Eurasian widgeon. It was fantastic. I saw over 60 species in all but those were definitely the notable ones. The brown headed nuthatches were precious and made sounds like squeaky toys. I was also give the title of ¢bad ass¢ and was referred to as this by people on the trip for various reasons, one being the fact that I am planning my thru-hike for next year. I can't wait to dispense all of my wildlife knowledge when I am on the trail. Hopefully people wont find me to be too obnoxious about it, but I do tend to geek out when I see wildlife.This upcoming weekend I have a rugby tournament in New Orleans. I have never been there so it will definitely be a great experience, especially since it coincides with Mardi Gras! We rugby players know how to have a good time so it should be an epic weekend. We are scheduled to play the University of Delaware for our first game and the other games are TBD. The following week is our University¢s spring break so I am planning a three day backpacking trip along the AT. I am not entirely sure where I am hiking though since gas is outrageously expensive right now and transportation is an issue in general. I will be taking a friend who has never been backpacking which will be interesting. I¢ve been searching for a job to finance my trip for next year. I have been given the opportunity to apply for a position as a camp specialist, meaning I would be in charge of the camp programs of several residential camps in Virginia. That is a HUGE opportunity but it means I would have to postpone my hike¢¦ and that is an extremely tough decision. It is also a desk job and based in the D.C. area, both of which are major negatives. But I would be in charge of planning the camp programs¢¦ what a tough decision. Of course none of this matters unless I apply. I am leaning towards a field technician position though the pay would be a lot less. Not that I care, but the other job would be able to pay for my AT hike as well as my future plans of other thru-hikes (PCT, CDT, Long Trail, and West Coast Trail in British Columbia, and the Te Araroa Pathway which officially opens in 2011 ). Clearly I have an ambitious and expensive hiking future planned. Well, I have to be awake at 5am for my 6am rugby practice tomorrow so sleep is in order. Bonne nuit.