Date: 2015-01-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

How? How does someone hike the Appalachian Trail? How do you eat, sleep, stay safe, survive, bathe. etc.? While there are those who have made this journey, and successfully completed it, with little or no preparation, I chose not to be among them. I believe life itself is best pursued with education and preparation and this journey is no different. When my wife and I agreed two and a half years ago that this may well be a good time to pursue my dream I set about educating myself on the particulars. I began to read trail journals published in book form. Names like Bryson, Shaffer, Gatewood and McKaye became familiar. But in modern times many of our best educational tools come to us via the internet. Technology is at its best in this use and I quickly joined the Appalachian Trail Commission (ATC), and the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association (ALDHA), availing myself of the many resources they offer to learn and prepare for a thru-hike. Then I discovered what a resource YouTube can be. Amidst the junk one finds there, there is a treasure trove of learning opportunities on anything imaginable. I searched and watched Hiker slide shows, Gear videos, How To instructional uploads and more. Eventually I found ¢Hike Light¢ and one of my most favorite offerings, ¢Hitched Hike.¢ I still dab moisture from my eyes as I watch Little Engine make those last few steps to the wooden goal at Katahdin. Even as I write, I am warmed.So I have prepared. My clothing is light, and multi-functional. My food is best described as prepackaged and/or readily prepared with 2 cups boiling water. My gear is a balance of lightweight and moderately priced. (I will post details about as much of my gear as I can here on Trail Journals.)Finally, perhaps the most significant contributor to my preparation and chances of successful completion, is the book ¢Appalachian Trials¢. This small publication affords the potential thru-hiker the opportunity to reflect on ¢what it takes¢ to complete the adventure. It was after reading this book that I found my determination, and confidence, that this was where life would lead me this year.To conclude this post, a few details about my preparation. I have prepackaged 100 days of food that will either be mail dropped to me, or carried to me by friends and family. The rest I will procure as I go carrying four to six days of supplies at a time. I will sleep in my tent, shelters, hostels and a few motels along the way. I will shower, bathe, and do laundry whenever possible, hopefully at least every four to six days. My pack weight today is 34 lbs. with winter gear, five days food and four liters of water. My base weight without food and water is roughly 20 lbs. As Spring blooms I will look forward to shedding four to six lbs. of gear.I would enjoy answering questions so I encourage readers to post queries in my guestbook and I will respond as time permits. Once I am on the trail I will journal daily, and upload as power and web access allow. One disclaimer, I am trying not to over edit my writing so if I seem to leave thoughts incomplete that you would like fleshed out, ask about them. I will leave the over editing to others when I consider the other major item on my bucket list, writing a book, after this one is checked off.