New Gear for Christmas!

So, mom and I both had backpacking gear on our Christmas lists this year! I got the Campmor Goose Down 20 Degree Mummy Sleeping Bag Regular, Pacific Outdoor Equipment X-Lite Thermo 72 in. x 20 in. x 2.5 in. Inflatable Pad, Platypus BPA-Free 3 L Hoser, and a great aluminum water bottle with a sipper straw that I'll use on practice hikes (but I probably won't carry this on the AT). Mom got all of these things too, but she also got some rain gear and some clothes. I'm hoping to lose some weight before the hike, and I figured I'd get some clothes when the time gets closer. I also picked up a grease pot from walmart for boiling water for our food. We're going to try the freezer bag method of cooking while on the trail, so I hope this pot is large enough to boil all the water we need. My husband picked up a mini flashlight for me and got one for mom too, her's is a bit larger. He also got me a Light My Fire Mini Swedish Firesteel.

So, I think we are well on our way to collecting a lot of the major price tag gear that we will need.

Practice Hike #2 - Dunes

Well, mom and I did our second practice hike in November. We hiked trail #9 at Indiana Dunes State Park. It was a lot of hiking in SAND!!! I had forgotten my boots, so I had to buy new hiking shoes, which I actually love more than my boots. They are much more comfortable on my ankles. The weather was warm, especially for November. The sand took a toll on my body, I was exhausted and really had to push myself to keep going. We took some sweet/savory chex mix with extra raisins added in, it was good, but I think we can come up with a better mixture. We also picked up some jerky at Bass Pro Shop while I was picking out my new shoes. The Maple Ham jerky was AWESOME, and the traditional beef was good too. I think jerky will provided a good source of protein on the trail. When we got home, we made our first meal in a bag... Knorr Chicken flavored rice with a bag of diced chicken. We boiled water in our walmart grease pot, but on the stove! It was strange eating out of a ziplock bag, but I'm sure we'll get used to it. I think having some sort of structure, like a cozy, will help. Instead of a cozy, we used oven mitts! The rice could have cooked longer, it was a bit chewy and too watery. The bagged chicken tasted a lot like tuna, so I'm going to have to get over that. I think if the chicken tastes like tuna, I'd rather just have tuna! We're going to need to get a good idea of what meals we'll want to eat on the trail, so hopefully next time, we can try our alcohol stove and do some more cooking.

Practice Hike #1 - Eagle Creek Park, Indianapolis

Mid October, mom came to visit for the weekend so we could do a practice hike. Saturday morning, we woke up, bundled up, and headed out. After stopping at McDonalds for bagels and cream cheese, we headed to Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis. We parked near the soccer fields across the street, thinking if we walked in we wouldn't have to pay a fee... boy were we wrong. It was $3 per person or $5 for the car, so we actually paid $6, and now we know. I've only hiked at Eagle Creek once or twice before, so I was unsure where we were headed, but we picked up a map, hoping to find our way. Let me just state that the trails are not marked well and the map was not really helpful at all. Luckily, we just kept walking, knowing we couldnt' get too lost. There were a good number of people out on the trails and we often crossed roads. Luckily, we found the restrooms near the beach that were open, so we made a quick pit stop before heading back towards the car. We ended up hiking about 3 hours and I assume we did about 5 miles. I carried a small backpack (an old one I used in college) with a few items in it (water, snacks, bandana, and extra gloves). Mom decided to carry her new backpack and load it up. I have no idea how much weight she carried, but I was impressed. By the end of the hike, I was getting tired. The next day, I was sore, but that could have been because I also helped a friend that evening at a fundraiser and walked on concrete floors for about 7 hours... that is never good for my body!

Our plan is to meet up once a month to practice and test our our gear. Mom's been hiking after work too, so she'll be in better shape than I will, for sure!

Gear List, so far...

In order to keep track of the gear we've collected and plan to use, I'll be updating our Gear List as we accumulate new items.

Mom~
Pack: Mountain Hardwear Women's Nepali 50 in Cypress Green
Boots: Columbia

Me~
Pack: GoLite Women's Odyssey in Coriander/Thyme
Boots: Merrell
Trekking Poles: Outdoor Recreation Group-Double Trekking Poles with Twistlocks

Shared Items~
Tent: Alps Mountaineering Zephyr AL 3.0

Welcome Home.

Welcome to Following Thru, a blog my mother encouraged me to create in order to share our newest endeavor. Last month, while visiting my mom, a local hot air balloon festival was taking place. My daughter spotted the first balloon out my parent's picture window early Sunday morning. As luck would have it, one of the balloons had to land right across the street from their house, in the neighbor's yard. My mom expressed her interest in riding in one... she said it was on her "bucket list." You know what I mean... the list of things you want to do in your lifetime. So, mom and I walked over to the balloon and we finally worked up the courage to ask to go up. We both got in the basket and up we went... not too far up, we were still being held down by the crew on the ground, but we could see the tops of the houses. It was a thrilling Sunday morning, to say the least. After coming down from that "high," my mom asked if I had any interest in backpacking part of the Appalachian Trail with her. Once again, she said it was on her "bucket list." I've always enjoyed camping, although, I admit, I'm not much of an active outdoorswoman. I was intrigued and said sure, why not. Once I was home, I started my research on what I had gotten myself into. This blog will serve as a journal of our research, preparations, and adventures that will lead us to the AT.