AUontheAT » Prep Work

T minus 3 days!

admin — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:58:52 +0000

We are getting close to the guys departure date. They are making their final arangements and are anxiously awaiting the trail. I am going to be going with them to see them off. I will be bringing my video camera with me and am trying to get up some questions to ask them just before they leave. Do you have anything you’d like to ask or say before the communication gets more difficult? If so leave a comment below and I’ll be sure to ask them.

Practice hike for the AT

ricky — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:49:00 +0000

So this past Tuesday and Wednesday Brandon and I went on our practice hike to test out our equipment. We hiked a portion of the Bartram trail in north Georgia near the North Carolina state line. We didn’t hike far maybe 7 to 8 miles in and the same out, but distance was not our concern. The weather was a bit on the chilly side and it was accentuated by the wind. This was especially so at our campsite Windy Gap. Maybe not such a good decision looking back but we did surprisingly well in our two man half dome REI tent. We got a chance to use our cookware and water-filtration as well. The stove can boil up a pot of water pretty fast 4-5 minutes or so (MSR international) and has the luxury of burning just about any fuel imaginable. Some things that we decided we need to carry for the real deal in ten days is a waterproof bear bag, some warm socks, warm clothing in general, and some more stuff sacks for our equipment. All in all the hike was a success and we found a few things we would change.

Brandon and I also stopped by a used bookstore yesterday and picked up some books to mail to ourselves on the trail. The books we found were: The Hot Zone, The Last of the Mohican’s, Robinson Crusoe, Crime and Punishment, Catch 22, Lord Jim, Old Man and the Sea, and Mosquitoes. If anyone has suggestions for books we have to read let us know.

Grocery Shopping

Brandon — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 05:52:59 +0000

Richard and I went grocery shopping the other day. We did most of it at Kroger but ended up having to get a few things at Wally World. Our plan is simplicity and obviously light weight. Carbs aren’t really that hard to get on the trail. We will definitely be eating a lot of pasta (yes ramen) , rice and couscous. Those are simple things that you just add water to. We tried to pick up some packets of stuff that will have different flavors. Salt and Pepper and Tabasco are pretty much our only condiments.

The difficult things that your body needs are fruits/vegetables and protein. Protein will mainly come in the form of tuna packets and nuts (peanuts/trail mix/ and peanut butter) with the occasional summer sausage. As for avoiding scurvy we are trying out these little fruit cups in jello and whatever nutrients come from jelly and pop tart filling. When we do go in town we will try to eat as much red meat and vegetables. We figure we will be able to carry a day or two worth of fruits like apples, bananas and oranges. If your thinking about how we are going to eat our pb&js since all forms of bread will most likely get smushed; we think we have it figured out. Tortillas. Yes it is another bland dry food but it should help and it will at least be better than squeezing the pb&j into our mouths.

To get keep the worry warts at bay (our mothers and grandmothers) we will be taking a multi vitamin even though Ricky thinks it makes his urine smell funny. I’m sure the days if not weeks of extensive exercise without a shower will produce fowl smells and this really shouldn’t be a worry. On a side note I am getting over an illness and Ricky just got over one. We are planning a short one night hike for Tuesday and Wednesday so you’ll hear about that.

-Brandon

Preparation

Brandon — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:15:22 +0000

Well Richard and I are in the final stages of getting ready. We have most of our equipment (only lacking a few odds and ends), medical supplies, and clothing. What we mainly have left to do is plan a couple of mail drops and work out the timing a little better. We plan on doing a pretty big grocery shop this week. Not to buy a bunch of stuff but to get more ideas for eating than my normal regimen (pop tarts and ramen for as many days as possible). 16 days to go and no matter what we do I’m sure there will be last minute preparation.