Date: 2008-07-11
To: NPT trailhead by way of Massachusettes
Miles today: 0.0

Tomorrow we leave Brooklyn to go to Williamstown, MA and then on to the NPT trailhead in Benson, NY on Tuesday July 15th. Its a bit of a roundabout way to get to the beginning of our journey, but Turtle's dad and step mom have graciously agreed to drive us to the trailhead and we will have a relaxing weekend with them in the Berkshires to get ready for our trek. I can't wait!I think all our planning is finally done and soon we will be hiking! The journal entries that follow are taken from the trusty moleskin journal that we carried on our trip, supplemented with ideas that we were too tired to write about and/or that I thought prospective NPT hikers might want to know.In many entries I include comments on all manner of deliciousness eaten since eating is always a highlight of our trips. For this trip we are trying to do a lot of freezerbag cooking so as to eliminate the nightly pot-washing ritual. A lot of the recipes were taken from a book I bought on freezerbagcooking.com, and several I invented myself - mostly on purpose, a few by accident (stories to follow). We also used the cozies that we bought on the freezerbagcooking.com website. I really cannot say enough about this approach to cooking! Throwing your "bowl" (ziploc bag) into the garbage bag in the evening and then packing up a damp pot (only touched by water) is a real thrill when compared to the prospect of washing bowls and pots with parmesan cream sauce....I highly recommend this approach!I spent several days over the past few weeks dehydrating with my home dehydrator - salsa, tomato sauce, mushrooms, canned pumpkin, pasta (so it re-hydrates/cooks quicker then usual), etc... I actually did not dehydrate many vegetables (though I usually do) because I decided to spring for the Just Veggies brand, as they re-hydrate must faster and are perfect for freezer bag cooking. Then I spent 1 or 2 evenings bagging up each of our meals, labeling them with a sharpie, etc. In a moment of true obsession I also weighed each baggy on a postage scale and wrote the # of ounces on a post-it which I put on the bag before spreading it out on the dining room table (not that we have a dining room). This actually proved VERY helpful in deciding which meals to plan for our 7-night re-supply versus 3 or 5 night stints. Finally, to finish the food prep I enlisted Turtle's help as we choose meals based on weight and diversity for each of the 3 legs of our trip (what we would take, what we would pick up at the Piseco Post office, and what we would pick up at the Long Lake post office). Turtle not only helped me mull over how many nights out of 5 we thought we wanted to eat rice-based meals (for example), but also became self-ordained snackmaster - rebagging and sorting what I think was about $100 worth of dried fruits, nuts, Cliff bars, Cliff Mojo Bars, Cliff Protein bars, Primal Strips (vegetarian jerky) and the Oreos and dark chocolate I insisted that we bring. Go team! It took hours and hours longer then I expected but all came together and we even packed our gear earlier in the day today and were able to go out to a concert in the park tonight! This is the most-prepared and earliest-prepared we have ever been for one of our adventures!The following journal includes commentary on assorted things, with perhaps a focus on things I like to obsess about: best places to camp, the ways humans are mucking up and/or taking care of the trail, food, how our gear worked...and more...If you are looking for a journal on how to hike 15-20 miles a day search elsewhere. Turtle and I are approaching this as a wilderness vacation...and, an opportunity for some intense exercise - but NOT as intense as some people seem to choose! Our plan is to average 8 miles a day, with some days as low as 4.5 and some as long as 13.4. We want to start slow, linger at the places that promise good swimming, and take time to watch newts and whatever else catches our attention. Our plan is to take 17 days to do the trail and to have 2 of those be days that we just sit on our butts in the woods...