Taking the Hike

  We got out on the AT for the first time this season! We started our weekend by traveling a few hours to the nearest REI for gear that has specific fit. My husband found a pair of used hiking shoes for a great price! I chose Brooks trail runners for now but will probably switch between trail runners and hiking shoes, depending on terrain. I got Injinji socks to help prevent blisters and hot spots. I also chose a pair of trekking poles. I figured between the variation in elevation on the trail and my lack of both balance and coordination, they will be really helpful!  We also got fitted for backpacks but plan to hold off purchasing them until the REI sale next month. Perfect timing for our first weekend trip! John just got measured, but I tried on two models, including walking around with the packs weighted. The first pack was a Deuter Aircontact Lite 45 +10 SL . This fit really nicely and it was comfortable wandering around the store for a good 30 minutes. It fit snug to my...

The dream is taking shape!  Last week, we each read How to Hike the Appalachian Trail: A Comprehensive Guide to Plan and Prepare for a Successful Thru-Hike . This book was written in a conversational tone, so it was fun and easy to read. But, at the same time, packed full of useful information, tips, and gear reviews. This book, more than anything, helped give us confidence that we can do this, together or solo. John, Mickey, and Donald trying out the tent! I ordered a few more planning books to get ready for overnighters, weekenders, and some section hikes for this summer. Last night, my husband and I roughed out where we plan to hike for our 10-14 day trek. The dogs will come with us, too! We used the Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers' Companion 2021  and the Appalachian Trail Poster Map  to decide where we would start and finish. The plan for this section hike is to drive down to SW Virginia, drop one vehicle in Damascus and then drive to our starting point about a hundre...

I've always enjoyed hiking and outdoor activities. When I was a child, most of our vacations and weekends were spend in the woods, canoeing, camping, hiking, and later skiing. In fact, I remember staying in a hotel just once before I was married. I took a backpacking class in college and loved it! Then marriage and family soon followed, so it was a few years before we got back out there. We did, though. My husband and I took a few overnight trips with borrowed equipment from our college, sometimes with our young daughters. We lived too far from the mountains to do it often, though. Then we started traveling the world with the army. We continued hiking in Alaska and Germany, but  not backpacking.  Here we are in Dolly Sods last year. We carry one daypack and take turns. My husband retired from the army and three years ago, we bought a house in the mountains. Since then, we've done day hikes of varying lengths several times a month from March through November. Thru-hiking the ...