Russ&Suzie

Trip Log
2009-08-17 12:46:08 (UTC)

Preparations for 78 mile hike in Pennsylvania Appalachians

On Saturday I acquired a new backpack, replacing the
external frame one that I had and that does not fit that
well. My "short spine" was immediately assessed at REI by
the person waiting on me who has similar size. He noted that
"you'll know" when you find the right one and I did. Also
bought a new tent, one that erects quite quickly (Susie
points out I could have rented but it was too late, or
rather, though I could take it back, I feel glad for the
acquisition and sense some other other camping in my future
I suppose.

This coming Friday I travel to New Jersey where the next day
(leaving 4:30 am) my grandson Vinnie (daughter Beccy's
oldest son) will give us one of us a ride to the place where
the other one will leave a car: Blue Mountain Dome where
the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) crosses highway 309. Then he
will take Beccy and me to the more southern place of Clark's
Valley where the A.T. crosses highway 325. We will then walk
the 78 miles between these two points over a seven period.
Compared to Beccy's hike of a year ago with her oldest
daughter, Christa, water sources this year seem (on the map)
to be plentiful. Vinnie who won't be participating in this
hike feels also very interested in hiking and has hiked the
highest Massachusetts mountain and more besides.

I hope I can endure this one so that I can do Mt. Decker in
the Sawtooths eventually, arthritis not withstanding. I will
interrupt my fasting regimen for this period, not wishing to
exhaust my glycogen supplies and reduce muscle mass
(yesterday at the fitness club I'm 153 lb, a few hours after
dinner). I hover these days around 150.

On my first hike involving the new backpack with added
weights on Saturday (2 days ago), I pleasantly found that my
foot pain (right arch) seems to have disappeared. Had
deliberately rested it by more time at the gym where
variations in foot position are part of the exercise machines.

Will be doing more preparatory hikes with it loaded and also
work to figure out the tent. May have to buy a
tarp/footprint if they have it in stock by next Wednesday.

Yesterday Susie and I went carefully over other needed trip
materials, mindful of Nicholas Kristof's recent mantra of
shed useless weight (in his NYT column that I somehow missed
but Susie had seen. This morning we worked out the
glasses-sunglasses issues. My old sleeping bag -- of which
I'm fond -- may be too heavy; I may shop for a new one one
of these days. I think I'm squared away on socks, liner
socks, underwear, etc.

I had acquired our dinners at REI so that the two of us are
equipped on that front. Susie who is planning ahead for my
trip with Beccy like she does our trips aboard together is
thinking through the daytime granola bar snack issues.




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