Saturday, August 30, 2014

I want to be a trail angel when I grow up!

I am so excited! We are in Vermont at a hotel and tomorrow is trail day! And not just any hotel but the same hotel where last year the hotel manager offered to let us stay an extra free night and chauffeured us around town. And there's more! A trail angel who helped us out last year stopped by to say hi! It's really hitting me just how much I have missed the trail! I'm not just talking about all the free food, rides, places to stay (that was great but) I'm talking about a huge community of people who willingly help anyone who passes their way all the time. Think about that for a minute! Whenever someone came along who needed something that was within their power to give, they gave freely and repeatedly! It continuously amazed me last year and it amazes me still! Most of the trail angels (with a few exceptions) didn't have a lot to begin with but what they did have, they had to give. They met an immediate basic need at the time but what's left is something that's hard to put into words. It's almost like an intimate friendship, yet I'm sure I will never see most of those trail angels again. Yet there's a connection with them and I feel inspired to do as they did, and try to pass it forward any way I can. It reminds me of this :
"Whatsoever you do 
to the least of my brothers,
that you do unto me.
When I was hungry, you gave me to eat;
When I was thirsty, you gave me to drink.
Now enter into the home of my Father.
When I was homeless, you opened your door;
When I was naked, you gave me your coat.
Now enter into the home of my Father."
It's part of a song taken from verses in the Bible. It's amazing how much it sounds like a description of a trail angel. It makes me want to be a trail angel when I grow up!
There is an intense but simple thrill in setting off in the morning on a mountain trail, knowing that everything you need is on your back. It is a confidence in having left the inessentials behind and of entering a world of natural beauty that has not been violated, where money has no value and possessions are a deadweight. The person with the fewest possessions is the freest.” - Paul Theroux

Friday, August 29, 2014

AT Journey!


Along with preparing for the next hike, working extra hours, and trying to set up a website, I've been finishing my last years trail video! Hope you like it!


I have another sponsor! I asked a few extremely talented friends of mine to help set up a website for me. Instead of just a website, they designed a beautiful logo and have given me all kinds of suggestions on how to make this work better for me.
I hope you will continue to share my journey with me there. Thanks for reading!

Food!

Last year before my AT hike I had lots of questions from friends about safety on the trail stuff like "Aren't you afraid of going by yourself? What if there are creeps? Are you taking a gun? What about bears?" You get the idea! This time (probably because most of them know everything turned out ok last year) I get questions about my hammock, how much water will I need to carry and what do I eat? Questions about the logistics of a long distance hike, like how often do I go into towns? How do I get to the towns? And how many miles do I hike in a day? Most of these questions are easy for me answer based on my own experiences last year with one exceptions: my food bag! Last year I ate cold for most of the trip. I ate poptarts or granola bars for breakfast, summer sausage, cheese and crackers for lunch, chocolate bars, skittles or gummy bears every two or three hours all day long and whatever was was left in my bag at the end of the day was my supper (usually cliff bars or Pringles or something equally unhealthy). While in town I divided my food into ziplock bags for each day on the trail, it was my way of rationing my food so I'd make it to the next town without starving (and I was still hungry ALL the time). Things will be different this time around! There will be coffee and hot chocolate! I'm still going to eat lots of food every few hours but I will have oatmeal at breakfast and a hot dinner for supper! Pasta sides and rice sides with whatever we can add to spice things up are what our first few dinners will be. Will that be what we eat for dinner for the whole month? I'm not sure but there will be towns every few days so we can switch things up if we need to. Oh and this time I start out with a lot of jerky! A friend of mine gave me a lot of homemade jerky and it is delicious!

Tral Food


Almost ready!

This time next week I will be snug in my hammock somewhere along the trail! I am so ready! My gear is all together in one spot. I want to pack it so bad but I want my down quilts and jacket to stay as puffy as possible, instead everything sits on a shelf near the front door as a constant reminder of what lies ahead! There are still a few things I need to do to get ready. Mostly chores to do with being away for a month, the few things left that are trail related are things like putting new music on my iPhone for the really hard ups. I normally don't like the interference, I like to at least hear the wildlife before my dogs scare them away! But when the hills get steep and seem to go on forever music is a great distraction! I need to contact friends/ trail angels I met last year in Bennington and see if I can drop off supplies and dog food there in hopes if picking it up two days into our hike. I know that this sounds a bit useless and silly but I think it will make the first few days of the trail more enjoyable. We will be able to start out with lighter packs and not feel pushed to gain miles knowing that our first town stop is easily attainable in two days. Michael still needs another pair of hiking socks, I really want to buy him Darn Toughs (they worked the best for me last year) but haven't been able to find them anywhere up here. I might just chance it and wait until we cross the border and stop along the way or maybe the outfitter near Algonquin Park will have them, we are driving right by there anyway!
Oh! My cook set is finished! I couldn't find a Canadian king can (I really wanted my pot to declare "I am Canadian") so I've got a Fosters pot instead and a V8 can stove. It doesn't work as well as the one Michael made for himself but I can get 1 1/2 cups of water to a full boil in 6 minutes and 15ml of methyl hydrate lasts 12 minutes (just in case it's really cold). That's good enough for me! You might be thinking, why do you both need a stove? We don't! But it's going to be really nice to have coffee right away while our breakfast and or dinner is being cooked! We are using the freezer bag method for all of our hot food. Basically that just means that instead of actually cooking the food over our stoves, we just boil water and pour it directly into a freezer bag with our dehydrated food, seal the bag and place it in an insulated cozy for ten minutes until the food is hot and rehydrated. Simple eh! And no messy pots! I should probably describe my meal plans but I am tired and I work early tomorrow. Only four more shifts!

-Trouble

Cook Set


Excitement!

Guess what! Henry (trailname Lionel) will be on the trail the same time as us! I met him in hiking in Virginia and he offered to help me out when I got near Bear Mountain in New York. Well he did more than help me out! By the time I got to New York I was hiking with Two Socks, Canadian Bacon and Zenmaster and when I called and explained that I was hiking in a group, Henry said "the more the merrier!" It was during the heat wave and he and his wife (Lola) came to our rescue in a huge way! They came and picked us up immediately and brought us to their air conditioned home complete with swimming pool! It felt like we were on vacation at a resort! We were totally pampered. We stayed for four days with Henry slack packing us in the mornings while it was a little cooler. We became fast friends and Henry ended up driving all the way to Maine to hike Katahdin with us! It's people like Henry and Lola that made my experience last year so wonderful and I am excited about the chance to see him again!

Katahdin picture from the Appalachian Trail!!


Mountains of The Long Trail!

I'm running out of time before the hike but my list seems to be getting longer not shorter. We took the car in for a check up and discovered some things that need fixed, so we will be without a car for a day while it's being fixed and our trip savings just shrunk a little bit. We are also leaving a day earlier, not to head straight to the trail but to take my daughter back to Ottawa where she is in school so there is one less day to make things happen. It's not that I still have a lot to do it's that I have to try to fit the few things left into an already busy schedule (I can't wait for the peace of the trail).
I'm off to work soon but the real reason I am posting today is that there is an actual list of all the mountains we will be climbing on The Long Trail! I was skeptical when someone posted about it on Facebook until they sent me a message with the list. All in there are over one hundred mountains and it really makes me wonder just how many mountains I climbed last year on the AT! Here's the list:

Long Trail Mountains - VERMONT – Northbound on Long Trail
(This list does not include 30+ unnamed peaks)

1. Peak 3025
2. Consultation Peak
3. Harmon Hill
4. Maple Hill
5. Glastenbury Mountain
6. Gore Peak
7. Stratton Mountain
8. Spruce Peak
9. Bromley Mountain
10. Styles Peak
11. Peru Peak
12. Baker Peak
13. White Rocks Mountain
14. Bear Mountain
15. Little Killington
16. Killington Peak
17. Pico Peak
18. Deer Leap Mountain
19. Mt Carmel
20. Farr Peak
21. Mt Horrid
22. Cape Lookoff Mountain
23. Gillespie Peak
24. Romance Mountain
25. Worth Mountain
26. Burnt Hill
27. Kirby Peak
28. Mt Boyce
29. Battell Mountain
30. Breadloaf Mountain
31. Mt Wilson
32. Mt Roosevelt
33. Little Hans Peak
34. Mt Cleveland
35. Mt Grant
36. Mt Abraham
37. Lincoln Peak
38. Nancy Hanks Peak
39. Cutts Peak
40. Mt Ellen
41. General Stark Mountain
42. Baby Stark Mountain
43. Molly Stark Mountain
44. Beane Mountain
45. Burnt Rock Mountain
46. Mt Ira Allen
47. Mt Ethan Allen
48. Camel’s Hump Footrest
49. Camel’s Hump
50. Stimson Mountain
51. Bolton Mountain
52. Mt Mayo
53. Mt Clark
54. Dewey Mountain
55. Mt Mansfield
56. Spruce Peak
57. Madonna Peak
58. Morse Mountain
59. Whiteface Mountain
60. Prospect Rock
61. Laraway Mountain
62. Belvidere Mountain
63. Tillotson Peak
64. Haystack Mountain
65. Sugarloaf Mountain
66. Bruce Peak
67. Buchanan Mountain
68. Domey’s Dome
69. Gilpin Mountain
70. Jay Peak
71. Doll Peak
72. North Jay Peak
73. Burnt Mountain
74. Carleton Mountain


Counting down the days!

The countdown has begun and I am so excited! I can't wait to get back on the trail! I have lists of things to do, still a few items to buy, a few items to make and food that needs to be repackaged into ziplock bags before we leave. Everyday I cross another thing off the list and get a little bit closer to being back on a trail! I'm pretty vocal about things and can't contain all this happy energy, Michael on the other hand has been fairly quiet even as his new gear was arriving. I was starting to get a little worried that I was dragging him in way beyond his comfort zone but I have seen a drastic change in the past week. He's been talking about our trip to everyone we see, he made a walking stick and right now he is working on our beer can pot. I can tell from his comments that he has been daydreaming about how this hike will play out and now I'm concerned for other reasons! Last year before the AT I told myself how hard it was going to be and promised myself I wouldn't give up, it appears that Michael has the exact opposite approach! He is making comments about being able to "run up mountains by the time we are done," and that he "is the picture of perfect health and Men's Fitness will be at the end wanting to do a photo shoot." Oh and there's more! "Canadian Geographic is going to want my pictures" and "publishers will want my journal." I am laughing my head off! At the same time, I totally acknowledge that most of hiking a long distance trail is a mind game. I am sure I had it easier back in Georgia last year than some of my fellow hikers who ended up quitting. I had psyched myself into thinking that it was going to be so hard that it actually seemed easier than I had imagined. I'm sure that a lot of the hikers who left the trail uninjured left because the trail wasn't what they had pictured at all and couldn't adapt to it. Will Michael make it on The Long Trail? I think so. Will he enjoy it as much as I do and be looking forward to the next trek the day we get back home? I hope so but what if he doesn't? Then what? I met some amazing couples on the trail last year that I could tell were loving every minute of being on the trail together but to be honest I met a lot more hikers whose spouses were at home. I guess I will just have to wait and see.

Group Hiking Gear!


Sponsors!

Sponsors! Over the winter on Facebook I have made so many new hiker friends. One of my new Facebook friends (Marie) started up an ultralight dog gear company called Groundbird Gear and was looking for some canine testers for her new products. She offered to made a custom pack for Cooper for free and it is awesome! The harness is so much lighter than Melkie's Ruffwear Palisade pack harness and if I were to get it wet it would be dry in no time. Melkie's harness was often wet for days last year. The pack itself is a lot smaller, lighter and more compact than Melkie's and I hope this translates to a lot more comfortable for the dog. I don't want anyone to think I am putting down Ruffwear packs, by far they were the best and most durable on the trail last year but I really like the idea of an ultralight pack for the dogs. I am always trying to make my own pack lighter shouldn't I also be trying to lighten my dogs load? You can find out more about her products at groundbirdgear.com
The funny thing is that Cooper wants nothing to do with it and runs everytime I pick it up but I am sure that will change when we are on the trail and he is having the time of his life! Melkie is the total opposite and if I pick his pack up he runs right over and tries to help me put it on. The other day I was making sure all their gear was ready to go and Melkie just sat by the door for hours looking all depressed thinking he had missed out on a big hiking trip. I hope after the first day on the trail Cooper feels the same way about his new pack. Thank you Marie at Groundbird Gear for the new dog pack! 

Sponsors!


Getting ready!

I haven't spent the countless hours of research like I did prior to the AT but I did order the End to Enders package from the Green Mountain Club (the group of volunteers that runs and maintain the Long Trail). I also got to buy new gear! Although most of it was for Michael I did buy myself a "new" used pack online and absolutely love it! I bought a Gossamer Gear Gorilla pack, it's a little bit heavier than my old G4 but it has way less room in it so hopefully I pack less and the best part is the hip belt pockets that are totally usable! I bought Michael a Go Lite Jam pack, a Hennessy Hammock that is bigger than mine yet a pound lighter (I am so jealous), JacksRBetter underquilt and top quilt, hiking pants and a Pategonia ultra light down jacket (again jealous)! He still needs a few more clothing items and he might buy a new pair of shoes. I bought us both a pair of Keen scandals hoping he would love them as much as I do but I think he wants more support and he is worried that sticks, twigs and rocks will get in his scandals. I still need to buy a pair of gloves, I remember how cold it was on the mountaintops in Vermont in August and we will be there a whole month later.
If funds were unlimited I would have liked to lighten my pack a little by switching my hammock for a lighter version and maybe even swapping the tarp for a cuben fibre one. I know that some of my clothing choices could be lighter and as far as that goes, I could be lighter but overall I am happy with my set up. The biggest change in my gear this year compared to last year is my alcohol stove and pot. Last year almost immediately I decided to ditch my stove and eat cold food. I was too tired and lazy at the end of the day to waste time on preparing food when I just wanted to eat and relax. This year I am going to have hot food and coffee! Michael wants to eat hot and I can't imagine smelling his delicious food or coffee and just eating a cliff bar. 

The Long Trail Guides and Maps


Another hike!

I'm getting ready to go on another hike! This time it's The Long Trail in Vermont. It is 272 miles (438km) long, starts at the Massachusetts border and ends at the Canadian border in Quebec. When I've finished I will be able to say I've hiked from Georgia to Canada! It's the oldest long distance trail in the US and it is on one of the mountains (Stratton Mountain) along this trail that the idea of the Appalachian Trail was conceived. I have actually already hiked a large portion of the Long Trail as it overlapped the Appalachian Trail for 105 miles but I chose it as it is fairly close to home and is so similar to the Appalachian Trail that I thought it would be a great way to give Michael an idea of what I did last year. He is coming this time and we are bringing both of the dogs! I had hoped to be hiking earlier in the season so I'd get to meet this years AT thruhikers but I wasn't able to get the time off of work until September. By then the thruhikers will be long gone and I'm not even sure how many End to Enders (that's what they call thruhikers on the Long Trail) will be on the trail in the fall. I'm not upset about it though because it will be the perfect weather to hike in (not too hot during the day and not too cold at night) but I hope we meet other hikers for Michaels sake. So much of what made the AT great for me was the people I met. I will be happy if he gets to experience even a small fraction of what I did last year (except the rain, he can do without all the rain)! I'm sure it's been hard for him since I've been back constantly referring to the trail, or my trail friends or the many trail angels who helped me out so much. It's not that I've totally changed but some of my "far out there" ideas about living off the grid in a tiny house or "travelling the world living like a hippie" were just passing thoughts before the AT hike last year and now they are real goals for me. I would love to spend a year being a trail angel of some sort just going around helping people but when I talk about it, I'm not sure he can relate. I feel like he is just going along with what I want. I hope this trip does to him whatever the AT did to me last year!
"The most dangerous risk of all - the risk of spending you life not doing what you want on the bet that you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later."