Did I mention the dog??
I should have. But there is some back story. When I started doing the research on the trail I didn't get a good vibe on dog friendliness. There are two sections of the trail that outright prohibit pets; The Smoky Mountains and Baxter State Park. These are some really memorable and big points of the trail. And it's not that I don't love my dog. I do. She's great, this is her.....Molly.
Molly goes with me practically everywhere that I don't drive, and sometimes there too. But on the trail I started figuring in expenses and the fact that Molly's a grammie in dog years. I just thought I'd do better on my own. Even though she would be miserable. Probably.
But as I was getting closer and closer to the date and more and more prepared I ran into a situation that I think all through hikers are forced to confront. It's that none of us are really going to be hiking this alone.
I mean, yes... no doubt we'll meet tons of people as we tramp miles closer to Maine. But we will still be carrying a part of the people we left behind...our friends and our families. They will be worried and flustered, but also excited and proud. So, I came to realize that we aren't going alone.
We are taking hopes and fears and expectations and sometimes... guilt. Guilt about leaving your old dog at base camp. Or maybe some of the fear that every parent has when their child ventures into the unknown. Maybe hope that amazing things can still be done. Even today. When amazing sometimes seems like someone else's distant little miracle.
Coming to the decision to take Molly was a big decision, but it got big time bonus points with those staying behind running my base camp. My Mom and my sister. They didn't want to see the sad Molly face any more than I would. Did I mention Molly is a Lab, intensely loyal and of fine stick retrieving stock?
So, last week, I asked Molly if she wanted to walk to Maine. She asked if they made french fries in Maine and I said yes, of course. And so we've agreed to go. Together.
Sorry, dear readers. I had to put the blog to bed for the Christmas months. As I was running around trying to finish projects for gifts and then getting myself full of the goodness that is Charleston seafood and beach time, I let the blog go. Mea Culpa.
I took some time off hiking for a month too. One, to let any stress or repetitive chronic injuries in my legs and knees heal up and, two... it's whitetail season down here in Dixie and I don't want to mess with someones bag limit... or end up in it... as it were. But, during the months that the blog was down I was able to finish getting my kit together.
My 'system,' backpack, shelter and bag, came together in early December with the addition of Sierra Designs Ridge Runner 30 degree down bag. I love this bag. I mean it. I'm in a committed relationship with this bag. I know it's down and that she temperamental and mean when she gets wet, but when I snuggle into that loft and the temp outside is below forty I feel like I'm in the arms of a loving fuzzy ducky mother.
So she don't look like much, but she's got it where it counts. Ahem.
For shelter I combined my Eno double nest with Kelty's Noah's Tarp, which is an enormous but surprisingly lightweight, crushable swath of rainproof fabric. It looks like this when it's in the machine.
The third part of my system was a real trick. I'm doing this whole thing on a budget. Probably a budget of a quarter of what a standard through-hiker normally spends. So I've been constantly adding a little bit of gear here and there, when it was on sale or when I could find something on close out.
When it came to my pack, however, I was in trouble. I and everyone involved was leery about ordering a bag online. Plus, new bags, good ones, are expensive. But it turns out I happened to have a really excellent bag left over from my sisters backpacking trips years ago. It is a Glissade from Eureka, and though its old it still had a lot of fight left in it.
I'll get some better pics up soon.
All the other little essentials soon fell into line. And I've come to love wool socks in a way I've never believed possible.
I promise to start posting at a frenetic pace. Upcoming posts... My kitchen that is smaller than a kitten, pictures of my Pinhoti section hiking, more gear more gear and some thoughts about adding my dog to my trip
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And to Matt, sorry I was late getting to the response, feel like the Smokies??? I'd love the company, it'd be epic. Drop me a line at the hushmail address and we can figure something out.
-Josh
