Thursday, March 31, 2011

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Just a Sample of how we have to adjust things

When we got back this weekend and organized everything we realized our wrongs. We keep on having to tweak our gear here and there. REI is going to official hate me for all the stuff we have returned here in the last few months though none of this stuff in this post was ever used.
This time it was our pots and gaiters. We originally we had rei Ti pots http://www.rei.com/product/764178, but after reading the reviews and seeing the weight we worried about their durability in the field. It wouldn't be a pleasant evening if we scratched the ceramic coating off one night because it stuck to the bottom. AND they were over a POUND!
So we quickly ordered SnowPeak Ti http://www.rei.com/product/668927. A supposedly non-stick but with no coating and only 11 oz! Though I still think we would have gotten away with using a solo kit like this one http://www.rei.com/product/668926. But having our own big pots pots means we also have our own bowls and we also have the option to fry things if we wanted too.

Next were the gaiters. Due to the fact we didn't try them on in the store we found that James's gaiters were to big, and though mine were an okay fit they were extremely expensive and I started to realize they were not what I was looking for. http://www.rei.com/product/801461

We asked around and decided on these http://www.dirtygirlgaiters.com/. I got the run till you dye color and James got giardia (hopefully he didn't just jinx himself!). Great reviews and less then half the cost! And of course we get the perk of being fashionable on the trail!

So after all that debate in the store, probably 6 to 7 hours just on Saturday before finally making a decision, we came home to debate for another 3 to 4 hours before changing our minds again. We scrutinies every piece of gear and my new estimations is that each piece of gear gets two hours of personal one on one decision time from hat to sock!

Today, Monique from the NewsTimes is coming over to see our progress. Pretty sure if our story gets in the paper it means we have to do it!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Fruition


"I guess the most important person I'll be planning things with is the person I chose to hike the pacific crest with me. Man, I've been thinking about that like no other. It appears that if I get my degree done by the fall of 2010, I can start the hike March of 2011 which means there isn't much time to find someone that wants to set aside 6 months of their lives to disappear into the woods, but hopefully I'll find them. I know they must be out there somewhere." Ashley Lowe 9-11-09

I read this post to James last night and we both chuckled since it appears I had a hidden agenda this whole time. All those subtle things I did last year before finally asking if he wanted to go on the hike with me. It amazes me that I was pretty much able to make this paragraph come to fruition. I maybe bad at planning my day to day, but I guess I can plan years ahead!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Wait.....how much food do we need?




This weekend we made our last big buy. we bought our trekking poles, sleeping bags, ice axe, desert cloths and so much dried food we could hold up here in Newport for months if there was a zombie uprising, about 6 to be exact! Planning a thru hike is stressful. I thought leaving my home to work up in Alaska was hard, but boy was I wrong.
Every few days I panic a little more...Did I buy the right shirt?...Are these shoes going to work?....Can we boil water in the mountains with an alcohol stove?!!


I don't know what pushes me to move forward, fear, excitement or just the fact I said I was going to do it. Either way we keep moving the project forward.
These weekend we went to an REI gear sale to look for good deals and pick up our awesome sleeping bags (REI Sub Kilo) that have mating capabilities.

Next we went to Next Adventures to talk to Dandy (trail name) Andy who helped us with our hiking poles and ice axe. For food we went to Winco. They have an amazing variety of bulk dried foods like refried beans, cheese, milk! and much much more. And last but not least Costco.

Now that our big buys are over we are looking for small things to fill the holes in our diet. We hope to find some companies to donate a few small items here and there.
This coming weekend we take James's nephew and nieces to Harris Creek and then the following weekend we will train on the Rogue River. This will be our big test. Not only will we rely mostly on our alcohol stove but we will have our new tent, a Henry's Squall 2, our first traptent!! At a mere 2 lbs we will own our first single wall tent! I fear condensation but it looks like its our best choice.
So much has changed since I took off in the woods on my first solo trip to the Valley of the Giants in 2008. I can't believe my dream is really unfolding!!!!!!