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

2012

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!

Hmmmm

So I just found out that 2012 is a leap year.  With this in mind, February will have a 29th day added to it.  I think  this shall be me departure date....technically same as leaving March 1st anyway, right?  Just sounds a lot cooler to have left on February 29th, leap year day.

On another note, I recieved my new boots for the latter half of the hike (Vasque Screes).  Turned out to be to narrow and I couldn't get them in a wide size.  I looked and reviewwed the Vasque Breeze.  These were on sale and I could get them in the needed wide size.  However, the construction of them didn't seem trust worthy for a long distance hike.  I also didn't care for the top lace hooks which were comprised of plastic as oppossed to the usualy metal.  This, along with some negative reviews left me seriously questioning the integrity of the boots.
REI allowd me to order some Asolos in place of them that looked and felt nice and were on sale $139.99 from $200.  I also tried on another pari of Asolo's that really liked but were $210.  I'll decide after the other ones arrive and I can try them boith on at the store.  I may end up paying out the difference for the more expensive ones.  They felt great and the constrcution looked solid.  Reviews for both had the same complaints and the expensive pair scored higher on all sites by all reviewers.  We shall see in about week or so.

I've also received recently some socks, rain pants and my new Columbia peak 2 peak rain jacket that I got on sale (thank god!).
Injinji Toe socks
Darn Tough Socks
Columbia Peak 2 Peak
Marmot PreCip Full Zip rain pants
Jetboil cooking system

Not a whole lot left other than some smart wool base layer for the iniital cold weather and some clothing items.  Only 3 months away, I can't WAIT!

So far....So Good :-)

Well, we're rounding out the end of October here and so far everything is working out well.  The car is paid off in two weeks and I've acquired a good bit of new gear and/or upgraded existing gear.
Currently in transit is my new rain cover for my pack, dry stuff sacs and a stuff sac for my new Thermarest Neoair sleeping pad.
At this point I also have acquired a winter sleeping bag (Marmot sawtooth 15°) and for the warmer weather (REI Lumen 45°).  I got both at REI's garage sale for a great price, I was VERY pleased to have been able to do so.
Other gear so far::
Thermarests NeoAir 
Big Agnes UL1 Fly Creek
Black Diamond Trekking Poles

I have a pair of Vasque Wasatch boots that I love.  I plan on using these during the initial trek since there will be the possibility of snow.  However, as things warm up I plan on switching over to the lighter Scree's .


The rest are just some clothing items and a few smaller things that I'll probably list as I acquire them.

As it stands, all systems are looking GO for the trip.  I've completed all paperwork (electronic and not) for the four grad schools I'm applying to.  All that is left is to write the letters of interest (will be completed in next couple weeks) and to take the GRE, so my scores can be sent off to the colleges.  It's all very exciting, I wonder where I'll end up??  The news will come to me while along the trail via my folks. 

So much to look forward to next year, I can't WAIT!

So it begins

After much thought and toying with other ideas to my immediate future I've finally to decide to take on the 2100 mile challenge of the Appalachian Trail next spring.  It's something I've always wanted to do and now both timing and finances have come together to allow such an adventure to transpire.

I'm applying for grad schools right now and don't see the need to land an environmental job only to take off again for school.  So, with things being fairly lucrative at my current place of employment, I'm busting ass to pay off my car and put money away while studying for the GRE and getting all my graduate applications in as early as possible for next Fall.

I'm creating this blog in hopes of accessing it at points along/off the trail to share my thoughts, feelings and experiences with friends and family....and anyone else interested in reading.

I'm planning on taking off no later than March 1st, maybe a week earlier if winter weather is permitting.  I'm so stoked about this upcoming venture as it will be fulfilling a dream of many years!

I have some financial obstacles as well as gear acquisition to take care of over the next couple months.  I'll keep poposting as these obstacles are overcome and any and all hang-ups along the way.

Cheers!