black bear waddle

Soo as we promised ourselves, we've been hiking more.  Over the weekend, we headed over to the mainland for a change in scenery: the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, where we hiked 14.5 miles on a gravel road (I'm telling you...the options are limited in these parts!).  Anyway, it was quiet and beautiful and great, and it toughened up my feet a bit, I think.  It was a gorgeous day and we didn't hear any gunfire, and really only saw a few cars roll through. 

Believe it or not, this area (mainland Outer Banks/Dare County) has the largest concentration of black bears on the East Coast.  We were really disappointed that we didn't see any bears while hiking, but we saw plenty of bear scat and tracks.  We decided to drive the route after we had hiked it, to confirm our mileage and have one last look for a bear.  Well whatya know, we saw two fatty bears who appear to have been eating well this winter!

Here's a glimpse of this big 'ole cutie waddling around and munching out...enjoy!

shakedown, wake-up

Overconfidence,  presumptuousness, egotism; call it what you will, but it is, perhaps, a thru-hikers worst enemy.  Lesson learned last weekend, as we both ate a large serving of humble pie. We completed our first (and possibly only) shakedown hike before the real deal.  A shakedown hike is a  practice hike, during which a hiker tests out his system, works out all of the kinks, ensures that gear selections are on point and the body is up to par.  We packed our packs just as we would have if we were setting out on the PCT, and drove 3 hours south to the Neusiok Trail (this is the closest proximity trail where backcountry camping is permitted).  The Neusiok Trail is a 20.4 mile trail on the coast of NC; therefore it is relatively flat, and extremely wet.  We intended to hike the trail out and back in 2 days, totaling about 41 miles; we thought that we would sail right through.  I must include the fact that we have not been on a backpacking trip in about 2 years.





one of the more scenic sections of the hike

After a Friday night including some adult beverages for Moonshine and a less than desirable night of sleep for me, it's no wonder we got a bit of a late start; we arrived at the trailhead around 10:30.  We hiked about 19.5 miles on day 1, which was less than we intended, but we were happy with the day's progress, considering we hit the trail so late in the morning.  We were dragging ass, though, and our bodies were telling us to stop long before we actually did.  We loaded up with ibuprofen, setup our Tarptent Double Rainbow, cooked dinner, and hit the hay.

Day 2, we got an early start.  I had a great night's sleep, while Moonshine was kept awake by the pleasant sound of pistol-fire.  My feet were feeling tender; through my Merrell minimalist shoes, my tootsies felt every rock and root.  The 5 mile road walk did not help matters, and the condition of my feet continuously deteriorated.  Other than that, and the aches and pains that we expected, everything was all good.  Unfortunately my feet caused us to abort mission after about 12.5 miles on day 2.



neat longleaf pines

I won't bore you with the remainder of details of our weekend, which we termed a reality check hike, rather than a shakedown hike.


Here are some things we learned on our reality check hike:
-We are not necessarily in "trail shape".  We plan to amp up our training regimen. (And I renege my statement made in last post regarding my excellent physical condition.)
-We will probably not be making it to Lake Morena on day 1 of our PCT hike, which was our original plan (at mile marker 19.4, and likely the first water source on the trail)
-Minimalist shoes are not OK for thru-hiking.  Therefore, I need to buy some new shoes.
-Our packs could stand to be lightened.  We're working on trimming down our base weights by making some minor gear modifications (base weight = weight of pack contents less consumables [fuel, food, water])
-Backpacking is more enjoyable when one is not traipsing through scenery-lacking bogs and over roads with piles of shotgun shells on the shoulders, accompanied by the sounds of gunfire.

Off to do some much needed hiking...
Thanks for reading, happy (gunfire-less) trails to you!

PS-Moonshine's backpack didn't fall apart (yet)!

how PCT prep hijacked my brain and wrecked my spare room

Four years ago this time, we had just set out on the adventure of a lifetime: a  thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.  We were young, not too long out of college, and apparently pretty damn care free.  Reflecting on those weeks and months leading up to our big adventure, most of our time was spent at our favorite watering hole, pounding pints, stuffing our faces with bar food, and making fuzzy memories with our friends, with which we would soon part ways.

Fast forward to now, and my, oh my...how things (or we, or I?) have changed.  For the past several months, I have been incessantly preparing for our upcoming hike on the Pacific Crest Trail.  Here's a quick glimpse into a regular day of my current life...don't be jealous.

This is the ex-spare room turned PCT staging area.  After clearing a path to the sewing machine, I began putting the final touches on Moonshine's backpack.

My life revolves around lists: in my purse, on the coffee table, on the desk, by the bedside (for when I awaken with some profound thought or task), in my head.  EVERYWHERE, there are lists.  Lists of things to do, things to buy, recipes and meal ideas, resupply points, tidbits of information about the trail I'd like to not forget, and the list goes on....

Our training regimen prior to the Appalachian Trail included lots of pint glass and chicken tender curls (I was at my largest ever when I departed for the trail).  My point of view was that on trail, I would not have access to my favorite delights, and I was going to lose a lot of weight anyway, so why not?  I have taken a different approach for the PCT, because my methodology for the AT did not make the first few weeks of the hike too pleasant.  I have actually been trying (pretty unsuccessfully) to lose a few pounds. Since most hikers obsess over ounces when it comes to items in their pack (true story, and I am guilty), then why would one start the trail with 10 extra pounds around the waist?  I am participating in an aerobics class through the local community college: three 1-hour classes per week, and I think it's been very beneficial, as the classes provide a full body workout. We have been doing training hikes weekly with about 20 pound packs, walking anywhere from 8-12 miles through a dune-filled maritime forest, or on the beach.  I'm feeling pretty darn good about my physical condition at this point -- I'll let Moonshine speak for himself.

When I'm not working up a sweat, I'm shopping for and shuffling through trail food.  Our food strategy on the Appalachian Trail was simple: we bought as we went, ALWAYS.  For the PCT, we are preparing about 1/3 of our meals ahead of time (about 50 days worth), to be mailed to specified locations.  We ate complete junk on the Appalachian Trail (candy bars, little debbies, pop-tarts, lipton sides, all day, every day); consequently, we felt like junk.  Thru-hikers will burn 5,000-6,000 calories daily - so we need to consume a lot.  I am finding it pretty difficult to assemble nutritious, lightweight meals that are calorie dense, but I am getting there.  I am busy dehydrating veggies and beans and sauces, soups, and other concoctions.  We live in a pretty remote area - no health food stores, no bulk stores, no Trader Joe's - that has also presented a challenge. I think our shift in food mentality to a more quality-based strategy will vastly improve our well-being on the PCT.

 

Let's get excited about BARS!

And then there's the gear.  I have been obsessing over gear, pack weight, and clothing choices. By this point, most everything is nailed down.  In preparing for the Appalachian Trail, I just bought the stuff and went with it; I didn't buy 5 pairs of shorts on 5 separate occasions and return them all, still in search of the perfect pair of shorts (I still haven't found the perfect pair).  Back to that whole rural area thing, there's nowhere to buy backpacking gear (also, we live on the coast).  I've never been to the desert, I've never hiked at elevations over 10,000 feet - even though I've read and researched, I really feel like I don't know what to expect.  It's like every little detail is the biggest deal ever.  I want everything to be perfect, but in reality, I know it will not be.  Things will not go as planned, gear and clothing will fail and tear; it's all going to be alright (just please, remind me that when it actually happens).

We actually have an itinerary!  That word didn't exist in our vocabulary during AT preparations.  The window of opportunity to complete a PCT thru-hike is much shorter than that of the AT.  Additionally, as I mentioned, we are having packages shipped to us on the trail.  SO we needed to establish some sort of timeline (it's pretty loose and flexible), but it took some work (Craig's PCT Planner was a very helpful tool).

Resupply bags

Anyway, I think I've rambled enough by now.  If it appears to my friends and family that I have dropped off the face of the earth, hopefully this has provided some insight.  I didn't really prepare for the AT.  I am consumed by preparing for the PCT, and have had many near-sleepless nights because of it.  Maybe it's because I'm older and more responsible, or more of a worrier.  Maybe it's because I am intimidated and/or afraid.  I do believe I have some control issues.  Maybe everyone else prepping for the Trail is having this same experience?  It's all good though, I am just considering it all as part of the journey.  It gives me some sense of purpose, and a feeling of accomplishment at the end of each day.

Happy prepping, people.
And even happier trails!