2012 is here and boy, am I Stoked! As it
stands today, I’m looking at about 6 weeks and 3 days till I depart on Springer
Mountain. I’ve acquired all necessary
gear and have a pack that weighs about 30lbs….it really paid to count those
ounces in gear selections! I was listing
gear before as I blogged, but feeling too lazy at this pint ;-). At some point over the next month, I’ll compile
a complete list of gear I’m using for the hike.
I’ll also let you know along the way what fails, what exceeds
expectations and what I send home/swap out.
One new and exciting thing to point out is that I will be
departing with two friends, Nick Figel and Kelly Barbato. These guys will join me for the first two
weeks of the trail which will be all of Georgia and the bottom half of
NC??? We’ll see how it goes and what
kind of time we can make as a group. The
first leg of the A.T. is known for shutting down people and/or slowing progress. My own ego says I’ll be waiting for them…..but
I know better than to make such a bold statement. They could end up waiting for me, who
knows???
My training waned for a bit there, but has really picked up as
of late. 5 days a week weight training
with cardio; a mix of walking, jogging, mountain biking (its actually been THAT
warm this winter so far) and doing step routines on my weight bench with as
much as 30lbs in each hand. I’ve started
stretching more, but really need to implement a routine into an everyday
thing. I’ve had problems with my right
hip flexor since my 2 month conservation stint in Costa Rica the summer before
last. I don’t know what I did to it…in
all honesty, before that; I didn’t even know what a hip flexor was. I noticed towards the end of my time there
that I was getting excruciating pains in a muscle right by my hip on my right
leg. I was drastically hobbling around
by the end of the nightly turtle patrols.
In true Erik fashion, I never saw a doctor about it. Over the last year and a half, it pops up
once in a while. I’ve got a stretch for
it that is amazing, it truly outlines the difference felt between the left and
right one. Staying on top of it keeps it
from acting up lout of nowhere. However,
it makes me nervous thinking that it could be a trip ending pain if not taken
care of during my hike. On the bright
side, I haven’t had many problems from it during my hikes. Just a little
tenderness when it hasn’t been stretched well prior to hiking. Hopefully, if anything
arises with it, it will just lead to an extra day of rest ;-)
Yesterday I had the opportunity to sit in on an A.T.
thru-hikers clinic at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. It was pretty cool, not much new information
for me. However, they did do a shakedown
of my hiking pack and gear. This is a
process where I bring in my fully loaded pack and they rip it all out and
assess everything. They tell ya what you
will need versus what you won’t use and offer other options for certain
products. I am very proud to say, there
wasn’t really anything to change with my gear.
I took their advice on getting (I purchased one) an evac bag for my
sleeping bag as opposed to a cuben fiber bag.
I’m leaving out a hiking towel, or cutting it down drastically…..which
ever I decide on, and packing my tent differently. That was all about he had to say, made me
quite proud of my researched choices in gear!
Plus, after seeing some others bags….I know I was MUCH lighter than them
and was rocking better with less with in my selections. I was questioning some people and if they
have ever actually hiked before. There
were others (quite a few) in the class that look like a flight of stairs would
be VERY challenging, let alone mountains.
I know that’s shallow or mean or whatever, but it’s the truth. Anyway, my time at NOC was awesome and the
staff is SO very cool and knowledgeable!
They rock! I look forward to my next visit, if not for gear, then along
the trail, as it crosses paths there.
On the school front, I’ve sent in apps to Northern Arizona
University, U.C. Denver and Evergreen State and getting ready to mail the final
one to Portland State. I’m studying,
more halfheartedly than adamantly, for the GRE.
I slacked because I’ve been nailing it on all the practice
questions. However, I’ve gotten cocky on
tests before and had hurt my score at the end.
So, with new vigor and pressure for time I’ll be jamming on it over the
2-3 weeks. I have to take it no later
than the 2nd week of Feb and should take it during the first week. We’ll see what happens there, either way it
will be done and I know I’ll do just fine on it. My admittance isn’t exactly riding on it or
anything. I contacted two Profs at NAU
in regards for getting advisement while I’m there. Both NAU and Portland, require you to be
accepted under a prof for the program.
One of them wrote back almost immediately praising my CV. He wouldn’t have the room to take me on but recommended
a colleague of his. That guy, just so
happened to be the other Prof I wrote.
Looks and sounds promising so far, we’ll see. I’ll be writing several Profs at Portland as
soon as I send off the application packet.
I’m waiting on one transcript and my letters of rec (in sealed
envelopes) from the 3 Profs writing on my behalf.
All in all, I’m down to the wire and am VERY excited! This is going to be a very exciting
year. Happy (Belated) New Year to
everyone!
