Date: 2018-04-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

I have a new fan club for this year¢s hike. My 87 year old mother volunteers at an ¢old folks home¢ in her hometown in Vermont. Several of the residents there were very interested when my mom brought up I was hiking from Georgia to Maine. She has printed out a map of the AT so they can follow my progress this summer. My mom is very good on a computer so she will be able to show them my pictures and updates. Having thru hiked in 2014 I did upgrade two things for my section hike last summer. Gravity water filtering system. I still used a Sawyer mini, but it is so much easier having a gravity system.NEMO air mattress. This is a bit noisier than the foam pads, but much more comfortable. I have purchased a new tent, but the same model ¢ Tarptent ProTrail. My son will be using my old one. It is 6 years old, but still in great shape. I also have purchased a new Gossamer Gear Mariposa backpack. My old one is also 6 years old and has 4,000 miles on it. I would use it again, but my son needs a pack. I am a big fan of trail runners, not boots. I also like the non-waterproof versions. My feet get hot while hiking, so the more breathable, the better. In the 4,000 miles I have never had blister problems caused by my footwear. I purchase a size larger than normal and lace them very loosely. Footwear is a personal choice, but I have seen tons of foot problems caused by heavy boots. At a minimum I would suggest you buy your footwear at the end of a long day on your feet. The Salomon XA 3D PRO is my choice of footwear. They are breathable but have a sturdy bottom. My base weight will be about 18 pounds not counting food and water. That includes a laptop as I have a small business that I will continue to take care of. I was extremely careful of weight in 2014. This year I will probably be a couple pounds heavier with extra food. During my section hike I carried more as it gives you more options of skipping a town, or just able to eat more. I lost 25 pounds of body weight last time and expect the same this time. My heaviest item is the laptop (39 oz) followed by my pack (33), sleeping bag (30) and my tent (26). These 4 items are almost half my total weight. That said, they are all very light weight compared to equipment of just 20 years ago.  Food is one thing I have not figured out. I do eat the typical pasta sides, poptarts and lots of salty snacks. I do not use drop boxes, just buy what is available at whatever store we happen to be near. Last time I started without a stove, but bought one in Damascus (450 miles in). I do like being able to cook, so will definitely be bringing the stove on this trip. This system is far from perfect, but again works for me.  My son and I have our flights booked for Saturday April 28th to Atlanta. Survivor Dave will pick us up and bring us to Amicalola Falls State Park. We hope to do a few miles of the approach trail that evening. My son has till May 31st, so his goal is to get past the 500 mile mark in the 33 days. My 2014 buddy Slim started his PCT thru hike this weekend. He is again doing a journal, so I will be following his progress this summer. We both have September 1 as a completion goal.