All goes well I should be on the trail in less than three months!
Here's a few updates on how everything's been going in planning world:
GEAR!!! Pretty much nailed it all down, with a few non-essential exceptions.
Pack: Gregory Deva 70L
Sleeping bag: Western Mountaineering Alpinlite
Tent: Mountain Hardwear Lightwedge 2
Clothes: Smartwool mid-weight base layers, nylon shorts, tech t-shirt, tech long sleeve, rain pants, Marmot Gore-tex jacket, Patagonia down sweater, Darn Tough socks, Smartwool beanie, gloves, Headsweats cap, Smithoptics sunglasses, Gore-tex gaiters, Buff headwear, and an optional micro fleece and nylon pants if snow/rain gets bad in the High Sierra and North Cascades
Shoes: Salomon XA PRO trail shoes (men's size 10.5! Woah big feet!), and my Chacos for camp shoes
Stove: Jetboil Zip
Water Purification: Aquamira drops
Sleeping Pad: Therm-a-rest closed cell foam pad, extra long for tall people!
Poles: Leki trekking poles, cork handles and anti-shock technology, and a HUGE thank you to my wonderful boss Keith for hooking me up with those! You da bomb K-dog!
Technological allowances: my cell phone, and a solar charger from Goal Zero to charge it
Misc other items: Black Diamond Cosmo headlamp, army grade paracord, a couple of Sea-To-Summit waterproof stuff sacks to keep things dry, a cup and spoon, first aid items, a Swiss army knife, a bug-proof head net, a compass/thermometer/whistle, a trowel, a journal, a waterproof pack cover, a couple of carabiners and a Nalgene or two! I'll also be carrying an ice axe from Petzl and a bear canister in the High Sierras.
I am so excited to have everything I need for this adventure!
And my pack isn't even that heavy when I put it on! I haven't weighed it officially yet, but it feels great to me!
I could only possibly wish for one more thing, it would be a camera, a really good one, so that I could attempt to properly capture all the amazing things I'm going to see!
Other than that, I may add a small Sawyer Squeeze water filter to supplement my Aquamira just in case water sources get kinda spotty, and maybe upgrade my sleeping pad, as it's a little worn down, and likely to disintegrate beyond recognition over the course of this trip.
In the meantime, I'm working a ton to save up the final remaining funds I'll need. Between my two jobs, I don't have a lot of time to hike right now, so I joined the gym next to the shop I work at (Planet Fitness y'all. $10/month, on staff trainer, what a steal!)
I'm in there training several days a week to build up some basic muscular endurance. It's going really well!
T-minus 82 days till feet touch trail! Woohoo!
