Appalachian Trail

Society

June 11, 2010 6:05 pm

Crazy Indeed! Leaving for Portland Maine.

[youtube fGKVpTRe8GM Society]

Final Gear List

June 10, 2010 10:53 pm

Don’t have time to shoot pictures of all of it but here’s the final gear list. Looks like a lot but many items are small. Will get a shot of the loaded pack up soon.

Hammock
Backpack
Stakes
Nail clippers
Water Filter, Iodine Tablets & PA Neutralizer
Water reservoir
Water bottles 2
Rope
Hooks
Trowel
Knife
Fire starter & waterproof safety matches
Penny Stove
Denatured Alcohol
First aid kit
Head lamp
Bug net
Rain poncho
Shell (jacket wicking layer)
Hat
Towel
River/Camp Shoes
Bandanna
2 t-shirts
1 long sleeve shirt
1 Fleece
3 heavy duty socks
2 liner socks
1 Pair of pant/shorts (legs zip off to make shorts)
Data book
Ziplocks
Blister prevention/treatment (second skin)
Toothbrush
Tweezers
Toothpaste
Bug
Sun
Glide (anti-chafe)
Soap
Ibuprofen
TP
Sanitizer
P38 can opener
Goddess pendants:)
Phone
Camera
Zen mp3 player
Charger (one for both phone and mp3 player)
House keys
Debit card
Drivers license
Plastic bags (for hauling out garbage)

Technology

June 10, 2010 10:53 pm

While today’s camera phones are getting better I have higher standards, especially for a trip like this. So I have to bring a good point & shoot camera. One of my main concerns was how to get the photos from my point and shoot up to this site.

My droid uses micro SD cards. My camera standard SD cards. I found a adapter that will now let me take pictures using the point and shoot and save them to a micro SD card. I can then take the micro card, insert it into my Droid phone and viola! 12 mega pixel image stabilized photos uploaded to this site via my phone but shot with the camera! I am sooo very happy this worked out. Hope you enjoy the photos!!!:)

P38 Can Opener

June 10, 2010 10:53 pm

I’m not to big on canned food (preservatives and chemicals yuk!!!) and I’m sure they won’t have Whole Foods Wild Caught Salmon at a small grocery store in the woods, but inevitably I will at some point have to eat canned food.

So I picked up a couple of these P38 can openers. They were developed by the military during WWII. Super light and tiny:)

T-Minus 1 Week

June 5, 2010 12:13 pm

I leave for Maine in 1 week now. I am filled with a mix of emotions.

Due to certain events in my personal life the last 2 months have been somewhat hellish and I at one point decided to cancel the hike all together. I have pushed through all of that though and I am now almost ready to leave. Nervous something will go wrong, confident I can totally pull this off, excited to start the “Journey of a lifetime”, and somewhat anxious.

I am not at all in the physical shape I had hoped to be but I am getting better the last week or so. I will take it slow at first and rely a little on the saying “The trail will get you in shape”.

Things regarding the hike have been going very well. There were a few things I had either procrastinated on or wasn’t sure about. Everything is coming together quite nicely actually. I had an equipment order that at the time of ordering I wasn’t sure would be ready in time, but it should be here by Tuesday at the latest. Its the last of my gear.

I was a bit unsure and nervous about how I was going to get from Bangor, ME to Baxter State Park where the north end of the trail begins but I have found a shuttle service. I could save some money and take a bus to Medway, ME and then get a ride from Medway to BSP but the bus doesn’t get into Medway until 7:30 and the park closes at 8:30 so its cutting it to close. Better to pay a little extra for a ride than have to stay in Medway or Millnocket a extra night.