Date: 2009-03-22
To: Less than a month...
Miles today: 0.0

Wow, what a productive couple of days its been. I got my checks in the mail from Hanny's and my taxes back (almost simultaneously) on Friday, and immediately went on a shopping binge. I think between LL Bean, EMS, and shopping online I spent about $1500 on Friday. I have everything but my pack now, and will try to upload it all to my gear page tonight. What an awesome sight it is to be able to see my house, my kitchen, my only forms of communication, my food carrier, all of my clothing and medical supplies for 5 months all at once. Not literally, but close. It really humbles you as to how simple life can, and will, be.I still haven't bought my backpack yet, but I think I am going to go with the Atmos 50. We'll see, I loaded it with 30lbs in the store and walked around with it for awhile and really liked it, but I might need more volume as it is only 3000ci in the main body. The Osprey exos isn't going to work out, it just isn't built for long term durability and comfort. Maybe a Granite Gear Vapor Trail? It's about a pound less than the Atmos, and holds 600ci more, but is essentially a duffel bag with shoulder straps. We'll see...I've turned into a real ounce counter. Once I get all of my stuff (waiting for online purchases in the mail), I will take it all in to Bean's and see what kind of space I'm really going to need.It's inspiring to see so many others on this website who have already started and to hear their stories. Good luck to you all and be safe. You have made me very excited, and I can't wait to get out there!Speaking of getting out there, this weekend was great. I was able to do two great little hikes with Dani (my girlfriend), Heather (my sister), and Denise (Dani's Mom). And of course Samantha, Dani's wonderful golden retriever, who has turned into quite the bad ass mountain dog since doing Camden with us last weekend! Yesterday we went to Bear Mountain in Livermore (about 20 mins north of Auburn), and the weather was great, the trail was in good condition thanks to lots of snowmobilers, and we had beautiful views of Mt. Washington even though we were over 80 miles away (yeah, I google'd it). Today was a challenge for all of us. We went to Pleasant mountain, which is essentially the mountain "behind" Shawnee Peak and its ski area. We went up a very strenuous trail, climbing 1600' in one mile in snow, ice, and 35* weather with a spit of flurries. A NICE climb! We made it to Bald Peak, headed over to Pleasant or "Main" Peak, and back down to the road. A very long mile plus back to the car. Don't let the 5.1mi label fool you, in these conditions it was very tough, but scenic! Again good weather, but the stiff wind and 10* drop in temperature quickly swept us off the summit.Well, they all have to go back to work tomorrow, but for me it's back to my new job, walking! Even though I am trying to check off all sorts of things on my pre-hike to do list, I must still walk every day, I have to get out there!This week I plan on updating a bit more regularly. Instead of doing my normal "So, what did you do today?" blog piece, I will do a piece on trail safety and the hazards I might face, a piece on resupplying and mail drops, and a piece on long distance hiking with a feature on some of the beautiful places I will be traveling through.By the way, check out the photos page, there will be more to come.Happy Trails,Matt