First Posting: Preparations Continue

Hi Everybody, and thanks for paying a visit to my hiking journal.

Preparations continue as I divide up my food and jam my backpack with clothing and equipment. I'm still thinking of little things that I might need and the shopping list is getting longer again with only about 48 hours to go until I take my first step in Williamstown, MA. I still have not weighed the whole load, so I may change my mind about some of the "extras" if my pack is getting too heavy.

Thanks:
Very special thanks go to my dear wife, Liz for all of her help and support (she's measuring out breakfast in the second photo). Soon Liz will be doing all of the postings to this blog, since I'll be miles away from a computer. There were several times when I became somewhat overwhelmed with the details but Liz was always there to help me continue in the right direction. She'll be "holding down the fort" back home and doing countless other tasks on top of her already busy schedule. Thank you soooooo much Liz! Thanks also go to my family and friends who have offered to help with supply drops and other moral support.

Itinerary:

I'll try to post a more-detailed itinerary soon, but here's the basic plan for my supply drops (photo shows some of my food stock):

Sept. 01 - Begin Hike - Williamstown, MA
Sept. 05 - Supply Drop #1 - Routes 11 and 30, Winhall, VT
Sept. 09 - Supply Drop #2 - Route 4, Mendon, VT
Sept. 14 - Supply Drop #3 - Route 17, Appalachian Gap, Buels Gore, VT
Sept. 19 - Supply Drop #4 - Route 15, Johnson, VT
Sept. 23 - End Hike - Canadian Border, North Troy, VT

Of course these dates are subject to change due to weather or other circumstances that may slow me down (or speed me up). Basically, I'll need to hike 10-12 miles (about 8 hours) per day on average to maintain this schedule. I think this is a reasonable goal and allows me some time to enjoy the experience.

I'll probably try to include some cumulative information in each posting to help show my progress. The format should be something like this:

• Day Number: minus 2
• Location: At home, Winooski, VT
• Total Trip Miles: 0

Well, that's all for now. Please check back for more updates.