Date: 2006-02-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

This is the email i sent out a few days ago.. so now everything will be on my trail journals page (and that make 3 so people can view it!)Ok so i got some great emails back to my last group email! thank you so much! i realize i am getting loads of questions about what i am doing exactly. I am really not sure what i am getting myself into, but i will do my best to answer all the questions.(ok so this turned out long! to all of you who are new to my email list, they are not always this long, and there is not a quiz or anything at the end, i gave a lot of info for the people who wanted to know, and who have the time to read all of this! if you already hike you might know some of this already) where and what is the Appalachian trail? OK so it is from Georgia to Maine, 2,175 miles, you hike for 4-6 days and then hitch hike into town (no i have never hitch hiked before, no i am not afraid i have become a pretty good judge of character and locals know you are a thru hiker and will pick you up) to do laundry,email maybe, shower, maybe sleep one night in a hostel, get food (from the market or post office if someone is sending you food, that is what i am doing for most of it) I will have what is called a bounce box, it will have the battery chargers for my camera, phone, ipod, cloths to wear while i wash the ones i hike in, extra food/vitamins/band aids and so on. after i used what i need and put in what i don't, i mail it to the next town i will stop at. (30-50 miles away). Post offices will hold the box until you get there for it. where do you start? i will start in the beginning, a 8.8 mile trail that leads you to the top of springer mountain. that is where you start (although i think i already started at the bottom.) from what Taylor tells me, this should be my hardest day I will hike up 1700ft in 4 miles, back down 300ft then up 700ft in the next 4. up and down up and down, that is what i will do everyday. when they built this trail it was not like on the west coast. Most hiking trails have switchbacks, this makes you go back and forth up a Mt side, so you climb gradually up and then back down, You are not going straight up and then down again, since that tends to be harder on you. so that will be new for me, but i am ready for the challenge.how many miles will you hike in one day? as many as i feel like.. ok so that doesn't really work, because i do need to figure out food and stuff. but i will do 8-15 miles a day. I want to not really have to worry about it, and stop when i want, or keep going if i am feeling it.will it be cold? yes it will be cold, when i start, and at the tops of mountains it tends to be cold. I am thinking i have the gear to keep me warm. if not, well i will get more when i get to the next town. It should start to get nicer about a month into it. when Taylor hiked it, it rained for the first 2 weeks out there. Something about putting on really cold and wet cloths/socks/boots... oh yeah! bring it on!are you bringing protection (bear mace or something!)? no no no. i am not worried, i will be OK, i will not get eaten by a bear. i will hang my food away from wear i sleep, i will be careful, use caution. and bears are the least of my worries.. even though yes they do live in the woods too!will you be alone? until i get sick of myself! i do talk alot, i might drive myself crazy! oh no! there are lots of people on the trail. for sure at the start anyway. 30%(i think) will drop out with in the first 30-40 miles (4days) but so many people start that i am sure i will make friends like i always do while traveling. there are huts that people use to sleep in and cook dinner and stuff. so i will stop there and check it out. i am thinking there will be times when i am alone, but i will embrace those times, meditate, yoga, and use this great book that Renee (step mom) bought me. It gives you tips on observation in nature and of yourself. thinking time is good. And when i want to quiet my thoughts i will listen to my ipod. or even better, learn how to not think all the time!are your boots broken in? are you even using boots or sneakers? i have hiking shoes, not boots, yes they are broken in, and i will need to get another pair i am sure. and then i will choose what i think will be better. maybe use sneakerswill you have an instrument? no i have my ipod, i can not play anything, and i am not sure there will be many people with them. it is a weight issue really.will you have internet connection? yes in town. and i will try to keep you all updated. and know i am safe. I would love to think i could go without it, try not to keep in such contact. But i know me better then that, and when i have adventures i love to share them! and i think you all like to read them too. so i will do my best to keep you all posted!will you have a blog? i tried that before, and it seemed everyone liked getting the group emails better. am i wrong?what does it mean to dehydrate a meal? ok so i cook this big meal, with all sorts of different stuff, pastas, veggies, sauces, pesto, herbs, things i would not be able to bring, or have the fuel/utensils to make. it takes about an hour or two to make it and clean up. then i put it into a machine that i bought and it takes all the water out of what ever i have. makes everything dry and hard. during the 7-10 hours it takes to do that, i have to rotate the trays and food on them to make sure they all dry. then i take another hour or so at the end to cut/label and vacuum seal each meal. one day makes about 4 meals. i have about 40 meals now. and i made some breakfast meals last week, and some hot coco mix that has powered milk/sugar in it already.how do you cook it and does it really go back to normal? i have a tuna can that i will put denatured alcohol in and light in fire, then this little metal piece (look like a little fence or something i will take a picture) Taylor gave me the idea and the metal wire and Dan sanded it for me to make is smooth and ready to use! I will place my pan on that, out the dry food in, put a little water (each meal needs different amounts) bring to a boil and then eat it.how will it taste? it better taste good! after all this work! plus after to hike all day long, anything tastes good! you see what they eat on survivor right?what about water? my trip up north to say goodbye to my friends up there turned out to be everything i needed and more! they hooked me up with some gear to borrow. A great water purification pen, that i will use to treat all my water. they also let me use a cup, and travel light chopsticks oh how fun! what is in your pack? my pack weighs 2 lbs emptycloths to hike: long john shirt, quick wick short sleeve shirt, pants (zip off to shorts) long john pants the crazy stripped ones i got in new zealand with Karen, 2 pairs of socks, boots.hat and gloves (fleece light weight)clothes to camp in: synthetic coat, fleece,long johns,warm socks,crocs (super light comfy plastic shoes)Light poncho (Taylor's) as rain gear/pack cover/extra shelter if i need itHammock: Ultra light backpacker hammock, with rain fly and bug net, with a sleeping pad for extra warmth and if i sleep in the huts sometimes (all only weighs 2 lbs beats a tent 3-5lbs)sleeping bag (25oz) (thanks dad) with water proof stuff sackmy water purification pen, tuna can stove, fuel, (8 oz of liquid)pan, cup, spork/chop sticks, bladder bag for water, ipod, camera, phone(for emergencies only!((on trail)) but you can call and leave me messages i will listen when i get to town) but i promised to not be on the phone the whole time i was in town. a journal, pen, binos, a couple booksfirst aid kitrope to hang my food from bearsa few baby wipes,toilet paper, tooth brushfood (i hope to keep food to 1lb per day. they say you need 2 but since i dehydrated breakfast and lunch i should be ok with one)i think that is it. and i hope all of the will weigh 25lbs tops! i was at 13lbs last time with out a few things and without food and water. Why don't you do the PCT instead? ok so the pct is from Mexico to Canada and along the west coast where i live already! ... well. that trail has not huts, you have to go 10-15 miles a day everyday and 10 days without stopping to get more food. so even though the trail itself might be easier, those things to me make it harder. I will do parts of it when i get back, and a couple 100 mile hikes in WA too.are there address's to send you treats and mail along the way? yes i will try to keep you all posted if you want. when i stop in a town i can tell you where i will stop the next 2 times with the address's. how far do you think you will get? i have no idea! i am staying for one month, and after that i will play it by ear, as far as i am concerned anything is something! if i could go 500 miles i would be pretty ok with that!why won't you finish? i can not afford it, i do not want to hike in the summer in new England! it is hot, humid and full of bugs!, i love my life here to much to leave for that long again, and if i want to finish i can start where i left off and finish. in the future. some people hike one week at a time for years and years to finish it! i have no idea what will happen, what my feelings will be, or what my needs will be. are you crazy? well.. i don't know. i think i am pretty sane in the grand scheme of things. But i like to do things that challenge me, so i grow, and learn from others. I like to see how i will react when i am taken out of my comfort zones, I like telling stories and unless i go on adventures i would not have any interesting stories to tell.hiking every day for months on end might sound crazy.an average of 2000 people start the AT thinking they can do it. maybe 200 finish,less then 40% even make it 1/2 way.A mental challenge as well as physical. So much could happen, so much is unknown,i am just hoping for the best, it is all i can do. and no matter what i will have fun, learn many new things, and meet more amazing people to add to the list of people i already have and love!i think i got it all! i start in 23 days! it is getting close! i am so excited!peace and lightStephie