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