Post #27: Lists

• Inspect water bottle, hammock, and rain fly
• Buy reflective cord, groceries, toothpaste, shirt, AAA batteries
• Replace screen protector, update blog, invoice customer
• Apply permethrin to clothing, fluff down quilts
• Take tools out of truck, renew truck registration and pay insurance
• Download an e-book and audio book

Yep, its time to take care of the unfinished business I have with this trail. I’ve avoided scheduling work during August and September so I’ll have time to do this. I made a list – a list that seems to grow longer every time I mark something complete. You all know what it’s like when you plan for a trip.

Technology has made it a lot of easier to stay in touch with home when traveling. Of course, since I will be in the back country much of the time, I won’t often have cell service. Its kind of like living in the Adirondacks; the small communities may have cell service, but between those villages are lots of dead areas. We have to travel either a mile up the road or down the road from our home to pick up a solid signal. A while ago I looked at Verizon’s map of their cell coverage of the 14 states I would be hiking through and it wasn’t hard to figure out where the AT was; I could trace a line up the map with the least amount of cell coverage and know that’s where the trail is. When hiking last year, I discovered that I needed to take advantage of the reception I had while up on the mountain ridges in the middle of the day, because if I tried to wait until I got to camp in the evening, I wouldn’t have reception. Most AT camp sites and shelters are in gaps or lower elevation areas where there is a water source and lots of mountains between me and the Verizon tower.

Here is a little known fact that I learned from a podcast that could save your life: If you have an emergency and want to call 911 but your phone says you have no service, dial 911 anyway. Your call may reach another cell service provider’s tower and federal law now requires all cell providers to forward all 911 calls to the authorities, even if it is a signal from someone who is out of network. And the authorities can usually determine the location of the caller.

Anita will be taking me back to the southwest border of the White Mountains National Forest in New Hampshire, where my journey north ended last August. She has rented an AirB&B for the week and will help me to slack pack through the first half of the Whites. This means she will pick me up at the day’s end and drop me off at the same spot the following morning. I won’t have to carry all my camping gear and food which means my pack will be much lighter! During the days, she plans to relax by reading, walking, viewing some local waterfalls, and even visiting Hannah one day. YIPPEE!

Some would say that by the time NOBO (Northbound) thru hikers reach the Whites, they have walked 80% of the length of the trail but have only expended 20% effort required to hike the entire trail. Yep, the White Mountains and Maine are tough, but most NOBO thru hikers are usually in good shape by the time they arrive in NH. So it’s unfortunate for me that my original NOBO plans didn’t work out, because try as I might, I’m not in the same physical condition I was in last October; I’ve done a fair amount of hiking this summer in addition to eating too many snacks. Oh well. That means I need to lower my expectations regarding how far I can go in a day. Once again, I’m not real confident that I can do this, but I’ll give it a go…I’m not going to let the fear of failure stop me.

So I’m loading my pack, donning my trail moniker, crossing “update blog” from my list, and am looking for the next resupply. I will keep you updated. The attached photos are from some of my Adirondack day hikes. Thanks for following me.