T Minus Eight, Seven, Six

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It's been a busy three days. This past Friday, I launched a kickstarter project to offset some of the costs associated with self publishing. Much to my amazement, we reached nearly 50% of our goal over just the weekend! I'm humbled and awed, and I want to thank you all from the bottom of my reasonably healthy heart. Thank you!

On Saturday, after a quick practice hike on a local trail, Katie and I made a trip to REI and I also bought a spare set of glasses. In addition to mottoes such as "Hike Your Own Hike" and "No Rain, No Maine" thru-hikers also frequently advise, "Every Item You Bring Will Be Destroyed." This includes your pack, your shoes, your knees, e-readers and in many cases your will to continue walking all day and sleeping in tents and shelters. 

Waiting for dark

Once we returned home my best friend, Travis joined us for dinner and then an evening of one of my favorite activities, stargazing. For Christmas of 2000, Katie surprised me with a small telescope, because it was one of those things I'd always said I'd kinda like to have someday. The first time I put my eyeball on the eyepiece and saw amplified starlight, it was an instant and overwhelming obsession. For the past decade, one room in the house has been a constantly refreshing showroom of tents, sleeping bags, and telescopes of ever increasing size. My largest scope, a beast known as the Lightbridge, is so inconveniently massive that visitors have asked, "Why do you have a hot water heater in your living room?"

Travis and I both share this obsessive love of the night sky, and he's the only person besides occasionally my wife who is willing to stand out in the driveway with me until well past midnight pointing large hunks of glass at the sky and then cheering at planets and galaxies. This is precisely how we spent last night despite each of us having busy schedules this morning. 

The moon was a thin crescent with Jupiter nearby. Mars rose in the east just past dark, and Saturn, the crowned jewel of our solar system was not far behind. We saw more galaxies and clusters than I could count, and spent just as much time simply looking up. The temperature was very agreeable and there wan't a drop of dew anywhere, which makes for excellent viewing conditions. Had I not been physically exhausted at 2:30, I would have gladly stayed up all night. It will be a while before I get to do this again.

Travis and Gary build a telescope

T Minus Nine Days

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I've been waking at five each morning, which is unusual for me, at least so far this year. For the past week I've been "heads down" working out logistics, and things you don't normally associate with hiking like insurance and other grown up stuff. I've been getting up so early because as soon as my eyes open I immediately get excited about this thing that I'm planning. I leap out of bed and start looking at maps, reading forums, and weighing things. 

I tore myself away from the computer this afternoon and put together a good estimate of what my trail load will be. With water and food for two days, the whole pack sits at just over 25 pounds. I carried it up Mount Pisgah, which I can see from my porch here in Hominy Valley. The round trip is only three miles with 750 feet of elevation change (each way, not total.) I've been hiking all winter with a much heavier load, so this felt very comfortable and stable. 

Cold Mountain as seen from Mount Pisgah

I'm trying to wean myself from using a camelback, as many accounts I've read suggest that most thru hikers switch to a pair of Gatorade bottles early along the trail. 

I'll probably do a few more shakedowns with increasing mileage between now and next Saturday. I still have much to do, such as preparing mail drops and gear swaps, so I'll still be busy for the next nine days, but nevertheless my mind will be racing!

Give me something to think about (and write about!) and let me know what questions and answers you would like to know about this hike. You can use the comments section below and you don't even have to register!