Two Weeks To Go

Just a short entry as I try to get all the things in my real life in good order so that I can be gone for a month on the trail. My daughter and her family are coming for a visit next week just to add to the fun. Anyway, even though I purchased a new very expensive tent for the journey, I have decided to leave it at home and go with my tried and true hammock setup. I was reminded of how much I like the hammock as a shelter and bed by my recent trip to the Gila Wilderness. So I will forgo the new tent and take a 9 oz net-tent to keep the mosquitoes at bay for when I have to go to ground. My hammock tarp can do double duty for the hammock and the net-tent. A seven ounce air mattress will complete the net-tent setup, giving me a ground option for just 16 oz. total. 

I have purchased, organized, and sorted all my food for the trip. I will be resupplying via boxes from home for the most part. It is a way to keep the weight and cost down. I will be seeing my wife, Nancy, a couple times during the trip and so she can deliver supplies. In the end I may have to only mail one box of food for one section of the hike.

My training hikes have reached 15 miles a day, and I feel pretty good. I did another test trip to the coast and practiced walking on the sand, which is pretty hard if it’s dry. So parts of this hike will be a physical challenge, but then I already knew that. 

I have reservations at a number of motels along the way. Mostly at the end of each major section, where I can take a zero day and rest. The long term weather notes seasonable temps for July with a little less rain than average. So that is a favorable report.

Well, my next blog will be at the start of my trip on June 30th and will be daily while I’m on the trail. As usual, although I will blog everyday, the posting will be up to the whims of the internet connections I can make. Also, I am having some issues with the Postholer website, making it hard to email my posts, so my posts may be more delayed than usual, but they will eventually all get there.