Date: 2015-11-17
To: 100 Days 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

One hundred days until Springer. One hundred days ¢ that is where my head is.   Right now, much of day-to-day life just seems like a distraction until I start. Dinner is great, but I'd rather be on the trail. Annalise Keating just got another killer off scott free, but I am too busy reading thru hiker blogs to follow the plot.   After dreaming of this trip for 31 years, my head is in Georgia. My body just needs to catch-up.   Thanksgiving.Christmas.Springer. I tweaked my gear some and, in doing so, was able to cut a few pounds off my base weight and actually get some better equipment. Currently REI has the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 2 on sale for $259 which is $100 below the normal price. Roomier. Cheaper. Lighter. Not a lot of decision needed for that.After decades of having a house full of cats, it is finally paying off. I am joining the ranks of the Supercat Stove cult. My Jetboil Mini Mo will have to stay home for now. Maybe when I am able to offload some of my winter gear, I will be able to demonstrate some of my superior camp cooking skills. Until then, oatmeal and noodles like everyone else. I also decided to upgrade my backpack to an Osprey Atmos 65 AG from an Exos 58. Despite the increase in weight, I think it is well worth it. I've never had such a comfortable pack before. It fits me perfectly. At times, comfort trumps lighter. I mean, seriously, if all goes well I will be wearing the thing for about 6 months. Comfort cannot be measured on a kitchen scale. I did get a couple of items from ZPacks and have to say that they have outstanding customer service and very high quality items. The one thing I got that I really like is the rain kilt (1.9 oz) and a pair of gaiters (2.2 oz - Waterproof-Breathable Cuben Fiber-eVent). I hate rain pants and how I become a living petri dish after a day or two of high humidity steaming under Goretex (does it actually keep rain out or just keep sweat in?). So the gaiters and the kilt are likely to keep me and those around me a lot happier. Plus, the kilt and gaiters are lighter than the UL rain pants I was going to use. I'm sure I'll never hear the end of this decision from my brothers. I need to do a series of shakedown hikes soon. I am going to do them on the Arizona Trail, which is unfortunately about as opposite of the AT conditions as you can get. No need for rain kilts here. To test out my cold weather gear I am going to go the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff or over to the White Mountains. Despite the perception of Arizona being a desert with a giant ditch in the middle, it also has the biggest stand of Ponderosa Pines in North America, snow, skiing, and lots of mountains over 10,000 feet. Finding cold conditions is not difficult. Testing my rain gear is another story.If I cannot get out in the rain, and that is always a trick when living in the Sonoran Desert, I guess I can test my stuff in the shower or under a sprinkler.   A lot of people think this thru hike idea demonstrates poor judgment, at best. Having up to 5 cats moved me into the questionable sanity category. The rain gear test in the front yard will close the deal.Now I just have to wait 100 days.