Where's The Next Shelter?
[posted by Katie, Gary's Trail Boss]
Gary has spent the last five days in a very remote area without any cell phone service, and will spend the next five days in the boonies as well.
It's a good thing he and his trailmates are far from civilization. Saturday, June 21st was the summer solstice, also known as Hike Naked Day...
Thank goodness for the strategically placed hat.
Starting tomorrow, I live outside.
I've spent the last week obsessively packing and repacking, weighing gear and clothing, studying maps, running from bears, planning meals, and trying to streamline my off-trail life to the point where it doesn't matter that I won't get my mail for six months. I've also somehow managed to fit in a few hikes just to keep my legs ready.
One thing that's absolutely blown me away during the past week is how well the kickstarter for the publishing project has gone. In one week, we reached 80% of our goal, which is amazing! A huge thank you to all my friends and family who helped to spread the word. Another big thank you goes out to the wonderful listeners at The Morning Stream - you guys are like a second family, too!
Mt Katahdin
The biggest thanks of all however goes to my wife, Katie. She's been working every waking hour to help make this a reality, too. She's my "Trail Boss," and in addition to keeping me alive and sane while I live outside, she's also taken on a huge role in managing this website (she added the email subscription feature you see below...USE IT!)
Tomorrow morning (Saturday, May 10th, 2014) I'll get to Springer Mountain, GA somewhere around 10AM. (It's about 3 hours from my house, so this time may or may not hold true.) My good friend Mark will be joining me for the first two days, and after that I'll just walk north until I get there.
I don't really know what else to say right now, so I'll just answer some of the many questions that have been sent in, in no particular order: No, I won't carry a gun because I won't need one; If it rains I'll get wet; I'll see Godzilla in the first town I reach after May 16th that has a theater; the atomic mass of beryllium is 9.012182 u; I am bringing an old Kindle which is okay if it gets demolished; I don't have a dog; 25 pounds not counting food; blue.
See you on the trail.