Date: 2013-11-16
From: Test Equipment

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Well, here it is already mid-November. Tracy McG and I will be leaving from Harper¢s Ferry in a little over 16 weeks from now for the hike of a lifetime. For Tracy, a lot of this trip will be a repeat, but she will be hiking south instead of north this time. For me, most of it will be new. As the time gets shorter, I am starting to feel just a little nervous, but also very enthusiastic. This will be one of the biggest challenges of my life, and certainly the most physical.I¢m starting to realize how long I will be away from my family and my home. I have confidence that my husband and daughter will be able to take care of things at home and will take good care of my elderly father-in-law while I am away, but I know that my challenge is also a challenge for them. I will miss my family very much, all of the celebrations of birthdays and holidays that I won¢t be there for this year, and all of the little day-to-day happenings. I¢ve never been away for more than a few weeks, so that will be something new too.I went on a fairly challenging solo hike two weeks ago in Stokes State Forest. Part of the trail was on the AT, and included Sunrise Mountain, which was just beautiful with the fall colors. The AT section of the hike was actually the easy part. The rest of the hike was a bit harder, and not clearly marked. I spent a lot of time studying my map, trying to be sure I was on the right path. Some parts of the trail seemed to be just a route through the rocks, not an actual trail at all. I managed to slip on the rocks twice on a steep downhill and my feet went out from under me. Luckily, I was carrying my full pack and both times I landed on the pack instead of on rocks. I also got caught in my first rainstorm on the trail. It often threatens rain, but usually winds up being no more than a sprinkle. It was a good chance to try out my raincoat. I would have been dry if I hadn¢t taken so long to get the raincoat out of my pack and put it on. Two days later, I did a shorter hike which I have done many times, but this time I stubbed my foot on a rock and managed to badly bruise two of my toes. I have taken a break from hiking to let them heal. They are a lovely shade of purple and I am fairly sure I will wind up losing the toenails. Last week I did a backyard campout to check out my gear in the cold. The temps were down to about 28 degrees the night I camped out. I was warm enough, but had some trouble getting used to my new down sleeping quilt. I am used to having a full sleeping bag and it seems strange not to be inside a bag. Everything was fine until the early morning hours when I noticed that the inside of the tent was iced over from my breath, and my tent was sagging. I checked online for solutions to the condensation problem. It seems I need to pitch my tent higher and perhaps keep the vestibule cover a little more open to get more air moving through the tent. All good lessons. It was nice to know that my sleeping gear will be warm and comfortable, and if I can prevent the condensation, I should be dry too. Hopefully it will be darker on the trail than it was in the backyard. There are so many bright lights that there is no need for a flashlight in the tent. It¢s pretty urban where I live, so traffic didn¢t slow down until after midnight, and started back up by 4. The trains just seem to go all night. The wildlife was active too ¢ mostly cats fighting for territory. At least the skunk who passes through our yard frequently took a break the night I was sleeping outside. I¢m looking forward to getting out on the AT, to walk such a great distance through our beautiful Appalachian mountains.