Eleven Days and Counting

It's getting down to crunch time here.  There are only 11 days until we head out on the trail.

This weekend, my mom and I decided to test our tents and sleeping stuff.

WE don't have to worry about bears in the backyard, but the chickens were interested in what was going on.

Both tents were easy to set up.

I'd like to set mine up again to show my husband the ins and outs of it

so he can help with it on the trail.

My mom isn't as comfortable with all the camping stuff, 

but she far surpasses us with the physical fitness.

So she can haul our asses up the hills, 

and we'll make sure her tent isn't going to leak or blow away.

Packing up "camp" was a cinch as well.

And so far my pack is only about 15 lbs.

That includes the tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, 

some clothes and the camera.

I'm certain I will be well below 25 lbs which will be awesome

(plus my husband can carry some stuff too).

I did learn that I need a new sleeping pad.

Mine has a leak and I was on the ground by very early morning.

(you know, the morning where the sun isn't up but the neighbor's rooster thinks it is and starts crowing)

All in all, I'm certain I'm nearly prepared for the trip.

Food plans are coming along, and I've chosen my clothing.

All that is left is assembling the first aid kit and some other odds and ends.

Gear

Last night 3 of us headed to REI to pick up a couple of things.  My husband was finally going to purchase his pack.  He went with my suggestion of the Osprey Atmos 65L.  It's the same pack my cousin, my mother and I have and we all love it and think it's super comfortable.  The hubby agreed. 
I had my husband try out the sleeping pad I'm going to order for him to make sure he thought it would work.  Last night I also inflated my sleeping pad to make sure that it stays inflated and doesn't have any leaks.  But one issue I didn't think of is that my pad is an extra long and it might not even fit in the tent (oh darn, I might have to get a new one).
Back to the shopping excursion, I also picked up a "Feminine Urination Device" called the Freshette.  Basically, it's something that let's women pee standing up.  I was unsure about getting one or if I needed one, but during our planning meeting, (and after 15 minutes of serious gut busting, tear producing laughter) both my cousin and friend said it's definitely something that is a must.  It just makes things easier.  The Freshette even has hose extensions for those women with hose envy.  Can't beat that.
After getting the back and some socks and some other various things, we headed home.  The peas were done dehydrating so I got some blueberries and apples going.  I have a feeling the dehydrator will be going nonstop for the next week.

What Am I Going To Eat?

Food is an important item on the trail.  When you're burning so many calories, you need to make sure you take in enough calories to give your body enough energy and nutrients to continue.  So I've been trying to think of some different foods to take so I don't get sick of the same thing.  My plan is eating a hot breakfast, cold lunch and a hot dinner.  I think planning your hot meals is a lot easier than figuring out a cold trail lunch.  So I decided to try tuna.  I'm not a fish lover.  I hate eating fish.  Can't even stand the smell of fish.  But every now and then, I can stomach tuna.  The small little cans are heavier than I'd like but still not too bad.  The kit I bought had a can of premade tuna salad, 5 crackers and a spoon.

I opened the can and immediately thought it looked like cat food.  Not a good omen.  So I started eating, and at first it was okay.  Okay meaning with the flavor of the cracker I could choke it down.  But when I got to the last couple of spoonfuls, I was done.  There will be no tuna salad in my pack on this trip (or any other trips for that matter). 

 While in the store, I also came across this soup mix that you make by just adding water.  I love potato soup, and nothing is better on a chilly fall night in the woods than a warm bowl of soup.  So, since it was only around $3, I figured I'd test it out.

So I cooked dinner last night backpacker style- in a Ziploc bag.  I measured out the mix based on the amount of the serving size listed on the bag (1/4 cup dry made 1 cup of soup).  The first bag I made was a little watery but the second was okay.  Both were edible and tasted pretty good.  We've decided to include 1 meal of potato soup.  I wonder how I can get bacon in it?





I also have the dehydrator going full bore.  I'm currently working on peas, and tonight I'm hoping to start on some corn.  I have apples and blueberries to dehydrate for my oatmeal as well.  (the peas and corn aren't for the oatmeal, that's for chicken and rice or noodle meals).

So I think I have an idea of food, or most of the food.  Lunches will be jerky and granola bars or possibly PB&J on a tortilla.  I'll be trying it all so I know how I'm managing everything. 

Sleeping Bag Saga Solved

All this time that I've been preparing for this backpacking trip, I've been worrying over my sleeping bag.  I have a great bag, but it isn't a backpacking bag and therefore isn't very light.  My husband's bag is rather old and I know (from experience, or rather my cousin's experience camping at the UFO Ranch in Trout Lake, Washington) that sleeping bags loose their effectiveness over time. 











Since we're on a budget, my husband and I didn't really want to purchase new sleeping bags.  So I attempted to see if mine would be compressed small enough to at least fit easily in my pack.  But it didn't fit in the compression sack I purchased. The thoughts of sleeping bags and compression sacks were shelved for a while.  I'd figure it out later. 










So while discussing the issues recently, my 9 year old son suggested my husband use his bag.  I explain that his sleeping bag is a youth size so my husband would never fit.  "So why don't you use it, Mom" was his next suggestion.  So I tried it out.  We won't dwell on the fact that I am short enough to fit into a youth bag.  We will dwell on the fact that I fit, it's lighter than mine AND it fits into the already purchased compression sack.

Only a few other items to work on getting and we'll be set!

From the 104th Floor

by Leda Rodis (age 14 in 2001)

When the plane hit the building
rocked first
to the right
then
to the left,
and outside all the skyscrapers
of New York
seemed to tremble.
The alarms screamed louder
than we did, and I knew
it was time to get away. It’s funny
what you notice:
a pen rolling across the floor
my screen saver flicker and go off
a picture of you
and me
at Coney Island.
So much to leave behind. And yet so little.
Running down the hall I remembered
my mother
taking me to the top
of the Empire
State Building when I was just
a little girl,
telling me that a plane
had crashed there a long
time ago. So I thought that maybe
that’s
what happened. Just
an accident. And accidents
happen everyday.
Under the blown-out exit sign
a crowd
is screaming,
crying,
pounding
on the door.
I know:
There’s
No
Way
Out.
You have to believe that I tried. I’m not the one
to give up.
Back at my desk, I rescue
the rolling pen,
stare
at the blank screen, and
hold
my picture
of you.
I look out
at the blue morning.
I expect
to see God there.
But what I really see is
another plane.
And I know what it means.
But I don’t know why…
I always thought that life was full of choices.
It always has been.
What to wear
Where to eat
Who to love
(and you know who I chose).
Now my choices have been taken away from me.
The men in the planes have narrowed my choices
down
to
two:
Death by fire, or death by fall.
I see the smoke
rising
filling the room
It’s hard to breathe
I look towards the open window.
What
would falling feel like?
I remember the roller coaster at Coney Island.
The wind tugging at my hair
How good it felt to scream.
The feeling in my stomach.
And how all the way down
I was with you.

Excited!

This time next month I will have hopefully returned from my section hike and will be able to move.  Hopefully I won't still be lying on the side of the trail somewhere above Harper's Ferry, or be buried in a hole dug by poop shovels or, as my 9 year old son warned me, end up missing because Bigfoot or a UFO abducted me (I really shouldn't share all my research on ghosts and the paranormal on the AT with him).
In the meantime, I'm getting all my gear together.  There will be a last trip to REI next week for the hubby's pack and some online sales to get the stove and other various odds and ends (I'm taking my small Olympus Tough camera so I'm getting extra batteries- worth the extra weight for me because I love taking photos, plus I want to be ready in case I see Bigfoot).
Sunday our group is meeting to plan all the logistics of the trip.  At some point this weekend, I want to start preparing food or at least experimenting with some recipes.  Part of me thinks it would be far easier at this point to just stock up on Mountain House food, but as someone who has high blood pressure, I can't really have the amount of sodium that Mountain House has.  It's a shame, really, because some of there meals are darn good. 
So, with the flurry of activity, I'll post here when I can about updates on the gear choices and food.
I'm so excited!

And for your listening pleasure, one of my favorite songs:

The Countdown

This time next month, I'll be on the Trail somewhere.  I'm not sure if I'll be actuall hiking, or if I'll be lying on the side of the trail telling people to contiue on without me.  Either way, I'll be on the trail.

In a last minute push, I managed to get back into the gym.  I've only gone one day so far, but I went back.  I tried not to push too much because I didn't want to cause issue with my muscle injury.  For a few days afterwards it was a little touch and go.  The heating pad was my best friend.  Then I took one of my prescription anti-inflammatories, went to bed and woke up the next morning completely pain free.  And for 2 days now, I haven't even had the typical constant ache.  I'm hoping it lasts.

I haven't been able to do much actual hiking.  September came and my world exploded with school meetings and scout meetings and popcorn meetings... I did have my grandson visiting for a weekend and we managed to take him to the Battlefield for a short hike.  No doubt he loves the outdoors and hiking, but he just runs with no sense of potential pitfalls.  Luckily he had his uncle there to help him along. 

Just need a few more things to round out my gear and figure out meals and I'm good to go!