LEAVING HOME

Hello Everyone,

This is Sally posting an update while Dan finishes packing.  The photo below was taken on Sunday (Easter) evening.  He says that we will be ready to go about 2:30 p.m. today (4/1), and he does look farther along now than in the photo!  We are driving to Amicalola Falls State Park in Georgia to stay at the Amicalola Falls Lodge there for two nights in a "dog-friendly" cabin with all three of our dogs.  We will celebrate our anniversary there on Tuesday, April 2, and then Dan and Rocky will begin the AT on Wednesday, April 3.

Scroll below for a list Dan put together of frequently asked questions and his responses.  Wish us luck!  

Common Questions and Responses

1.      Am I going to carry a gun, machete, big knife, portable thermo nuclear device?

o   No.  There is a lot of extra weight associated with these items that I don’t need to carry.  Carrying extra weight for 2,000 miles is my biggest enemy or danger.  It can lead to fatigue and injuries.

 

2.      Where are you going to sleep?

o   In my tent or in a shelter, inside my sleeping bag, and Rocky will sleep beside me.

o   There will be times when I go into town for a food drop (pick up food/care packages mailed to me), need a break from hiking, to meet friends, when we will stay at a lodge, hostel, or motel.

 

3.      Do you hike in the rain and what happens if you do?

o   Yes, we will be hiking in the rain.  Both Rocky and I have rain gear.

o   We get wet.  Either from the rain or from the rain gear.  Rain gear doesn’t breathe very well, in spite of manufacturer’s claims, and it makes you sweat.

o   In real bad weather we’ll ride out the storm in the tent, shelter, or hotel/hostel/lodge.

 

4.      Dogs aren’t allowed on the hiking trails in the Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah, or Baxter National Parks.

o   That is correct, unless the dog is a service dog like Rocky the Backpacking Dog.

 

5.      How much of the load will Rocky carry?

Rocky’s vet told us that he could carry up to one-quarter of his weight, which would be about 15 pounds.  I am keeping his load at about 10 pounds, however, and he generally carries a portion of his own supplies.  Rocky is pictured here on a training hike.

Rocky seems to like his pack and will stand up on his own to have it put on and adjusted.  He is a dog who likes to have a job and appears to have embraced this one fully.

The vet prepared a first aid kit for Rocky and ran a full laboratory work-up to be sure that Rocky was as fit as we believed him to be.  Rocky passed with flying colors and is ready for his big adventure!

6.      Where do you eat and what do you eat?

o   We eat what we carry, what’s sent to me, or what I buy during a town/lodge visit.

o   We freeze dried a lot of meals, including dog food, in preparation for the trip.  We are packaging these and then mailing them to drops along the trail. The mail drops are generally post offices, outfitters, lodges, and ranger stations.  We’ve been preparing mega-sized meals when we cook and freeze drying the “leftovers” for the mail-drop packages.

o    On the trail, I cook my meals using my mini stove and pot.  Sometimes we eat energy bars, dried fruit, crackers or jerky in place of a hot meal.

7.      Where do you go potty?

o   I’m a guy, need you ask.

o   In some shelters there are outhouses or a designated potty location.

o   In the woods behind a friendly bush or tree requiring fertilizer.  Hikers carry small shovels, mine is titanium, for burying their waste.

8.       How did you prepare?

Gear:  I’ve read a lot about ultra light backpacking gear.  What I’ve discovered is that no one can agree as what ultra light hiking gear really means.  First, let’s define what base weight is.  Simply, it’s the weight of your backpacking gear minus food and water.  What I’ve seen is that there is a wide range of base weights claimed, ranging from 10 to 30 pounds.  My base weight is about 23 pounds.  Add food for a week and water and my pack weight jumps to 35 pounds.  I might add that this is far less than what I carried in the 80’s and 90’s. 

Rocky and I have been regularly hiking with fully loaded backpacks for several months.  This has precipitated changes in gear to ensure better fitting and lighter equipment.  For example, we changed Rocky’s pack to one that fit him better, and I changed tents for a lighter model.

I decided to splurge on tent, pack, and sleeping system.  I figure if these items are going to be home for six months I should at least be comfortable.  And yes, Rocky has a down sleeping system and coat. 

Food:   We purchased a freeze drier and have been preparing just-add-boiling water meals for two months.  We’ve been preparing mega-sized meals when we cook.  The “leftovers” are freeze dried and placed in individual meal-sized plastic boiling bags with about five days worth of food packed into each drop box for mailing.    

Books:  Sally, here, we have read (or listened to) many, many memoirs of AT thru-hikers, and that has been one of my favorite parts of the preparation.  The classic is AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by David Miller, who thru-hiked the AT in 2003 and went on to author a trail guide that is updated yearly.  My favorite is Northbound with Theo by Soren West, a retired attorney who thru-hiked the AT in 2016 at the age of 75 with his 8-year-old golden retriever, Theo.  A memoir by a blind hiker who hiked solo with his guide dog (a German shepherd named Orient), Blind Courage, by Bill Irwin (the hiker) and David McCasland, is fascinating.  And, yes, of course we have read and listened to Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods!