Date: 2009-01-19
To: Preparations are underway!
Miles today: 0.0

Only 54 more days and I leave for Atlanta and the Springer Mountain trailhead. My gear is pretty much set, and I'll be commenting on some of the key items in my next few journal entries. Mostly it's the same stuff I took with me the last time, since I know it works. The greater challenge is one of getting my body in shape for this little walk in the woods. On that score, I've got a ways to go!I'm generally in better shape than when I did this the first time. I'm out "speed walking" five miles in about an hour two or three times a week. That helps with the cardio vascular system, but it's on level ground, and I'll be using a somewhat different set of muscles going up and down hill! I've done a couple of "conditioning hikes" so far, and in each case I was also able to test my gear and make sure it's up to the task. My first one was a two-day 20 mile hike from Snickers Gap in Virginia to Harpers Ferry in West Virginia over Thanksgiving. I did two 10 mile days, staying at the David Lessor Shelter, one of the nicer ones in this area. Since no one else showed up, I set my tent up inside the shelter. That was a good move, as it rained overnight, and then froze, so there was ice everywhere when I woke up. Not only was my tent dry (a wet tent weights more in my pack!), I did not have to deal with frozen joints where my collapsible tent poles come apart. Cold metal just sucks the heat out of your fingers, even through gloves, when that happens. Fortunately, the ice melted, but the rain did not diminsh, so I got to test my rain gear on the ten mile hike into Harpers Ferry. I've made a few ajustments as a result, but that was the whole idea!My second hike was four-day 37 mile hike over the New Year's weekend, from Front Royal, Virginia up to Snickers Gap. The test this time was simply the cold temperaturs. How cold was it???? Well, first, I keep a 32 ounce Nalgene jar full of peach ice tea in my tent over night -- in case I get thirsty, as I try very hard to stay hydrated when I'm hiking. Whatever I don't consume overnight becomes my morning beverage, to wash down my pills and whatever I'm having for breakfast. After spending the first night in my tent, I awoke to temperatures in the mid teens. As I was preparing to take my morning meds, and was swishing the tea around in the nalgene bottle, I realized I was creating a peach slushy! Ice crystal city! Could have eaten it with a fork!I then turned to my breakfast bag. I only do one hot meal a day -- dinner, as it's just too much hassle to cook in the morning as well. On my '05 hike, I started out doing pop tarts for breakfast, tired quickly of those, and finally ended up with things like white chocolate chip/macadamia nut cookies -- those really big and tastey ones from Pepperidge Farms. Couple of those and some peach tea, and I'm ready to hike. This year, I thought I'd be more healty and start my day with a protein bar. So I dug out my mint chocolate chip "Balance Bar", and tore open the wrapper. You know how you used to put a snickers bar in the freezer in the summer time? How hard it was? Well, this thing was worse. It was a total brick. I could have broken my teeth trying to pry off enough for breakfast. Ok, once again, it was a field test of my gear, and my menu plan. We'll be making a few more adjustments soon. I did have a good hike, however, and even considered shortening it to a three day hike. I opted out for two reasons. First, with the short days this time of year, you really need to stop by about 4 pm if you want to have enough daylight to get your tent set up, pump water, cook and eat dinner, hang your food bag so bears don't get it, etc. Earlier if you want to collect wood for a campfire, which I am rather partial to, especially when spending the night in the woods by myself. Alone. All by myself. So I stopped after a 7 mile day, and did the final three miles the next day. The second reason is that those last ten miles were through a section they call "The Infamous Rollercoaster". The right-of-way purchased for the trail is very narrow, which makes it impossible to do "switchbacks". Instead, the trail goes straight up and over ten peaks in a row. I'm reasonably fast on level ground, but slow going uphill, at least until I get into shape. I could have pushed through the rollercoaster, and ended the day in the dark, pretty much exhausted, or stop at early and enjoy a third night on the trail with a nice campfire, which is how it worked out.I slept well on both hikes, despite the weather. My tent protects me from the elements, is just the right size for me and all my stuff, is tall enough I can sit up in it comfortably, and weighs in at a tollerable 3 pounds, 3 ounces. It's a Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2. I used the same tent on my first hike, and loved it. That one, however, is showing a bit of wear, and when I tested it in the backyard during a rain storm, it had developed a couple of leaks. The poles were also showing some wear, so I broke down and ordered a new one. It's my house on the trail, and my defense against the elements, so I figure it's worth it. My sleeping bag and pad are also from Big Agnes, and have kept me warm with temperatures in the teens, wearing only my long undies and my fleece "sleeping hat". On my first hike, I occasionally added a fleece vest to the mix, but was always toasty warm when hunkered down in my Big Agnes tent and bag. I'd planned to do more conditioning hikes, but that may not happen. The time is just going so fast, and other obligations are taking up the weekends. One non-hiking weekend I'm really looking forward to is the annual AT hikers reunion at the Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Pennsylvania -- the half way point betweeen Springer Mountain and Mount Katahdin -- called the "PA Ruck". I'll be seeing old friends from my '05 hike (Mouth, Bubble Toes, Passin' Through, Felix, Marsha, etc.) and will hope to meet up with some of my propective thru-hiking friends for this year. It also looks like I'm going to be spending some time abroad, assisting with a training program in New Delhi and Dubai, and getting back just before I leave for Springer Mountain. So I may start my hike both jet lagged and culture shocked, but I know from experience that neither will last long on the trail. Ah, the trail. I can't wait. The mountains are calling me....