It all starts today

Today is the day, after about a year of planning and 10 of dreaming.  A 2 ½ hour drive to Amicalola Falls state park.  Followed by an 8 mile approach trail to the top of Springer mountain and the southern terminus of the A.T..  Depending on how my body adjusts, I’ll walk back to Franklin (107 trail miles) in 10 to 14 days.  Then I’ll only have about 2077 miles left to go ;-)

This is all for now as I ready to depart, next post from on top of Springer.

Almost there.....

Well, as it stands now, I am back to the original plan of doing the entire trip solo.  Both of my friends have bowed out for various reasons.  That's alright though, now there is just me to worry about and my own pace to keep.  I’m also moving the departure date up by one day.  I’ll be starting out at Amicalola Falls State park.  This entails walking up an approach trail of roughly 8 miles, to the starting point of the A.T. at the top of Springer Mountain.  The weather is calling for thunderstorms (70%) on the 29^th and clouds (30%) on the 28^th.  I’d rather do the 8 miles and my first day in a light rain than torrential downpour.  Also, I’ll be on the A.T. ready to go on the morning of the 29^th, Leap year day.  To move it forward gets me into March and many more people departing between the 1^st and 4^th.  I prefer to stay ahead of some of the crowds.  I’m looking forward to the social aspect that transpires along the A.T., but not the vying for spaces in shelters right from the get go.  

So in other departments of life, I took the GRE on Tuesday.  It wasn’t so bad, I walked away feeling confident.  However, you’d think I’d come home from that feeling relieved and ready to relax….????  Not so much, I got so riddled with anxiety that evening I couldn’t sleep, and paced the house till 3am and some Tylenol pm.  I was anxious about the finality of finishing the test.  It’s all out my hands now; all I can do is wait to hear back from the prospective universities.  That didn’t settle well with me that evening, a flood of worries and coulda/shoulda’s went through my head.  That stress, along with the sudden realization that this vast trek is just around the corner and about to happen.  Have I prepped enough, what else do I need, and what can I do????  

It was all a bit to take in, and it all wanted in at the same time.  The past couple days have been an emotional rollercoaster I wasn’t expecting.  Excitement and random bouts of butterflies in my stomach egged on by fleeting thoughts of anything hike related.  Wondering if I have what it takes, will my problematic hip flexor cause me too much grief?  Will my knee’s last the entire trip or will just getting past all the initial pain lead to these issues working themselves out with proper stretches (I have a routine) and use?  Oh yeah, and since it’s been such a warm winter, will I get slammed in a later winter push while traversing the higher elevations of this area??  That is the question really annoying me, because if I could just get a NO, then I could shed some clothing and gear.  However, I probably won’t receive that no and will just have to be prepped for it till the end of March.

Let’s see, what else to cover?  Aaaahh, yes….the weight issue, lol,  No, not my pack, just my gut.  The sedentary lifestyle of sequestering one’s self to study has left me with about 16lbs extra.  It’s quite sad really, I’m usually 180lbs and now (through a lack in cardio and poor dining choices) I’ve moved up to the mid 190’s……I even hit 200 at one point.  Though it’s a bit weird and annoying to find all this on me prior to such a hike, I take solace in knowing it will be gone bout two weeks into it all.  I actually read on two long distance hiker blogs, that it’s good to pack on 10-15lbs prior to taking on such a journey.  Just gotta hope my hiking pants don’t “muffin top” me too bad??  LOL.  I’ll be only 10lbs over by the time I leave, eating healthy and stepping up my workout to include more cardio over the next couple days will help.  I’m looking forward to the level of fitness one achieves after hiking 2,000+ miles.  

So as of April 1^st my phone will be suspended for 90 days.  No point in paying a bill for something I do not plan to use much, or at all.  So basically, during March, my blogs will be from wherever I receive signal and shall be more often.  After April 1^st, there will only be updating when I get into towns and can receive a wifi signal or use of a computer. 

If you’re interested, I have a journal account on trailjournals.com.  Some posts, like this one, will be written on one and pasted into the other.  While I’ll save certain reflections for one and others on the other to mix it up.  You can find those entries here: http://www.trailjournals.com/ErikNOBO2012/

Well, I believe this will be it until Tuesday when I blog about my approach trail walk.

Till then, here’s to running water, bathrooms, hot showers and not being stinky ;-)

Let the Countdown Begin!

February is upon us and the final 28 day countdown for me.  I must say, it took a while to get here...but boy am I Excited!  As it stands, all universities are applied to and I'll be taking the GRE in the next week or two.  The studying is paying off and I'm quite confident now that I've re-familiarized myself with all the old math stuff.

I have finally comprised a full gear list with everything that I shall be using/bringing along the way.  Some things, like the sleeping bags and shoes, will be mailed to me to be swapped out as conditions change.  Everything is listed below....pretty sure I haven't left any items out.

Now, as long as I stay on track with running, walking and hiking I should be ready to go at the end of the month.  The first two weeks will Rock with Nick and Kelly, should make for some fun times!  After that, who knows what I'll encounter,,,,,,,good, bad and Amazing!

My pack total weight now sits at just barely over 31lbs with two days food and 1 can of gas.  Sooooo, basically with varying food choices and amount of days I'll be no more than maybe 35lbs for the first leg. It will only get lighter as I shed things and swap out my heavy down winter bag for the MUCH lighter synthetic summer bag.  My goal was to be under 40 lbs, pretty happy to have met and exceeded that for the start.

Gear list

Gregory Baltoro 75 Pack

Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 Tent & Footprint

Marmot Sawtooth 15° Sleeping Bag (First Leg)

REI Lumen 40° Sleeping bag (Last Leg)

Therm-A-Rest Neoair Sleeping Pad

Tyvek ground Cloth

Black Diamond Trailback Trekking poles w/ rubber tips

JetBoil Flash Cooking System

Steripen Journey (water purification)

Gerber Paraframe knife

Leatherman Style cs

1 Liter Nalgene btl

3L Camelbak bladder

Petzel Tikka Plus headlamp

Z-Pack Cuben Fiber custom pack liner

Z-Pack Cuben Fiber Roll Top Blast Food Bag
Anti-gravity gear Ultra-light Spectra Rope/pouch 50ft
Compass
The A.T. Guide 2012 Northbound edition

Electronics

Garmin GPSmap 60CSx (Garmin Trailhead Series A.T. Topo map)

Olympus Stylus Tough 10MP camera w/ mini tripod

Droid X (for wifi blogging, music and email only)

Ipod

Spare batteries (2 AA, 3AAA, 1 droid, 2 Camera)

1 wall charger for Olympus batteries

1 USB Wall charger 2 cords (Droid and Ipod)

Clothes

Vasque Wasatch Boots (1^st pair)

Asolo FSN 95 GTX Boots (2^nd pair)

Teva Terra Fi3 Sandals

REI Gaiters

Marmot PreCip Full Zip Rain Pants

Columbia Peak 2 Peak Rain shell

Darn Tough Socks 2 pair

Smart wool Socks 1 pair

Injinji sock liners 2 pair

Columbia Silver Ridge cargo shorts

REI Sahara Convertible pants

REI Sarah T-shirt short sleeve

Columbia Omni-dry long sleeve shirt

Smart Wool Midweight top and bottom base layers

Patagonia Nano puff mid layer jacket

Miscellaneous

Sea to Summit EVAC dry bags 13L (Sleeping bag) 8L (Clothes)

3 outdoor ditty dry sacs, 1 med-kit, 1 socks, 1 electronics

Trowel

Ear plugs

Med Kit, various bandages, alcohol wipes, new skin, duct tape, blister donuts, Ibuprofen, Benadryl, antibiotic ointment, tweezers, Gauze, tape, anti-itch antiseptic, body glide and travel toothbrush/paste

Sleeping pad repair kit

Sea to Summit Wilderness Wash Biodegradable multipurpose