Tore's Travels - Report 2 & 3

#2

The last 2 days have been busy with final preparations.  How should the pack be packed?  Do I put the sleeping pad inside or outside the pack?

Will I have enough room with the tent inside?  One of the weaknesses of the golite pack is that there are not enough pockets on the outside for the small stuff.  That means that I need to decide what needs to be at the top of the pack for easy access.  I have waterproof bags where I am packing like items in each bag, ie rain gear in one bag and cold weather gear in another.

All of the food shopping have been done.  One is for the first 2 days when Rick will walk with me and teach me everything that I need to know to keep me alive till I get to Maine.  I bought an additional 5 days supply that will be delivered when Rick leaves the trail.  The third day I will be at Neels gap where there is a camping supply house for anything that I forgot or want to ship home.  We bought a variety of dehydrated foods at Walmart that are light.  If we had bought the same number of meals that had been packed for back packers the cost would have been triple.  As the hike progresses I will see what I miss the most.  I have included a photo of 2 days supplies for 2 people.

The pack fits well.  The weight is approximately 25 lbs. With the food and 1 qt. of water.  The only items that I am carrying outside of the pack is the sleeping pad along the bottom and a pair of sandals for the evening.  The sandals are plastic and weigh very little.  I found them at Walmart and they were cheap.

#3
Today is the day when the adventure starts.  I was hoping for at least 2 days of nice weather before rain or snow.  No such luck!  Overcast today, rain/snow tomorrow, rain/snow Saturday, rain/snow Sunday.  The gods are having a good laugh at my expense.  Make it hard in the beginning and everything else will be easy.

I spent the last days waterproofing my gatters and rain jacket.  I had sprayed water on the gortex  and it wasn't beading.  REI sold me a spray solution that should help keep me dry.  I have been visiting friends and costantly stopping in stores to buy some little object that I need.  An example is a pedometer so i will know how many steps I am taking.

The next update will be on the trail.  Weather may be a factor on when I can open the galaxy and get an update out.  Rick will be walking with me for the first 2 days.  He has arranged to be picked up at a road crossing.  At the same time I will get a food delivery and hopefully a bottle of wine.