Yukons Quest: What, is your quest?

Yukons Quest: What, is your quest?: *to post a comment click on the title^           I would like to thank you for taking the time to visit my website and I hope you are ins...

Backpacking not hiking

This is a raining night in Georgia that is nothing new it rains here all the time.  But hiking in the rain is different  setting up your tent, cooking, and trying to sleep in your tent. Waking up the net morning packing up your wet gear and moving on hiking again for 10-12 hours a day. For 6 months everyday. Well that's me I will be hiking the Appalachian Trail. Some of you will say  again, yes  again.


I have learned a lot  in the last 3 years of my backpacking life. I am not a hiker. I am a backpacker. I will carry all my needs on my back for 6 months. When I get home I will do some major downsizing. Who needs all this stuff. On Wednesday I will leave Springer Mountain the southern terminus of the Trail. 2,179 miles long Not including the walk to the shelters and to water sources and walking around town or to town. So it is many more miles.

 Why? I say its just a training hike for me. I will do all the long distance trails I can find. I love the planning part. This year I will send myself food boxes to places that are hard to get resupplies. We will see how that works. Food is so far the heaviest part of my pack. It does go down in weight as soon as I eat. Then gets heavy again as soon as I get my resupplies. And all the towns are in gaps. Which mean I have to walk up and out to get back on the trail.


This year another thing I am doing different is I have support. I have a family of 40 women I have met through Facebook we are all hiking but at different times, We are called the Summit Sisters. And a very good friend is hiking with me. Susan Logue, she also has  hiked part of the AT and knows how to live off the land. She has promised to cook me a squirrel dinner with wild onions and potatoes. We will see.
I have no doubt that she will cook it, I do have doubt if I will eat it.

I am more determined to hike the whole trail then ever before. There is so many wonderful trail all over the world. And this one will get me in shape  to continue on. This is no dream. I have read one book on the AT. That did not inspire me to hike. Backpacking you have to live it, breathe it and just do it. Some go out to find something. I am going out well lets see. For me. Nature I love it.

Home

Off trail for a little bit.

The Red Handkerchief

Red handkerchief has saved my life today. You never know what piece of equipment you have in your pack that will become the thing that you need the most. Last night the weather was cold and rainy. Made the trail very sloppy and I had to hike slow. Each footfall was carefully planned. I didn't want anything to happen so early into my Appalachian Trail Hike. This trail will lead me to Maine and then if the weather is suitable to hike in I have plans to keep going on the International Appalachian Trail. I have printed out all the information and I have my Passport in the last food drop box to be mailed to me in Maine.

Since it was  cold  this mornings I  had oatmeal with bananas  and hot coffee. I had a snack about 10. A Delicious Cliff Bar. Pumpkin Spice. I hiked on. I have seen two hikers out for a couple of days they were very nice and we chatted about the trail conditions and maybe a chance of snow. I love to hike in the fresh snow the air is so crisp and clean and the quite in the forest is so almost Eire. Almost spooky. I can scare myself so easy. I finally got through the spooky part and kept going.

I was surprised at how fit I was. The elevation changes didn't bother me as much as they did in the past years I have hiked the AT. Or maybe I just knew what was coming up. As I walked along the now really wet and slippery trail I was starting to look for a camp site with a fire ring. I know everything is wet but I was wanting to try this a new way I read about starting fires with wet wood. And  it was about 3:00 by now and I had enough for today. 

I remembered a sweet spot (haha) to camp but wasn't sure how close I was to it. As I started to worry about setting up camp in the cold and dark I came around the bend and there it was. The perfect place for me to spend the night. I looked around to make sure no one had already claimed this perfect place and I was good. I took off my pack and started to set up my tent get it all ready so all I had to do is get in to bed. I got a fire going which was really tuff to do. Everything was so wet. I couldn't decide what to have for dinner, Since it is only the second day on the trail I have plenty of food. I poured myself a hot toddy and had some hordervers. Sat by the fire to get warm. Just like home. My home for the next 7 months.

This crash and rustling noise was far away I was listening but not to concerned and then it sounded like it was getting closer. I paid more attention now. I quickly hung up my food bag. Which is so easy to do I just have never figured out why some people just cant do it. After that I went back to the fire thinking what ever was out there would not come close to the fire. Well I was wrong.

My first aid kit and ditty bag.

http://youtu.be/G_1vvoqjFJ8

I am ready.

           My new journey into the wilderness will be nothing like I have experienced before. I have some trails under my belt and I have experimented with gear. All kinds of gear. I now have 3 cooking kits, 2 tents, 3 backpacks. The pack I really want to carry well I cant fit all my stuff I want to bring in it. Yea I know. At this point in my backpacking life I am not ready to downsize again. Now, maybe while I am on the trail, I will find some of my equipment that I brought might go home or be given away to another hiker. But for now I feel like I have just the right amount.

I have been looking into the Gila Wilderness for a backpacking trip. I want to be in the true wilderness, I just don't want to hike in it I want to live there. I want to go were there is a challenge. Were not to many people are. Maybe a few other backpackers here and there would be fine. Not be in hurry to get to a certain place by a certain time. Of course my food supply would have a lot to do with the amount of days I could be out without resupply. And as always I have a tendency to carry to much food. I will jouneal my whereabouts as I wander around. 

Wilderness the wisdom of the wilderness you must be open to hear her talk to you. She will tell you. Just listen.

I do have a trail planned for this year. It is the APPALACHIAN TRAIL. From Georgia to Maine  There is hundreds of books written about the trail, people who have hiked the trail, equipment you need, food to take, shelter, Everything you could possibly think of. And if you need more information there is hundreds of UTUBE Videos. You can learn everything you need to know between the books and the videos. 

What you cant learn. Is the....Well I cant tell you. You will just have to get out and hike. No, not hike. Backpack. I am not a hiker.

I will see you on a trail somewhere in the world.

"Sweetspot" wandering the American Trails: FOOD FOR A DAY

"Sweetspot" wandering the American Trails: FOOD FOR A DAY: FOOD FOR A DAY. See here I go again food ,food ,food. I have to get over that. One day. BREAKFAST 2 packs of Oatmeal with Nildo Mi...