I am starting at Mt. Katahdin at Baxter State Park in a few days! Today I moved the last of my belongings into the garage at my Dads house and vacuumed up the dust bunnies from under my bed in my apartment, I’m all set to go. I just ate a giant pizza with my two buddies Laura and Nathan. Gonna miss those two.

I have almost everything I need for my trip now, just food left to buy for my first 10 days. I’m a tad worried that my pack will be too heavy. Just last week it seemed to still be light and have room in it, but tonight it looks really stuffed and over filled and heavy, that’s without my food or water! Well… I’m going to say it… I’m NERVOUS!!!! This is probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done, and maybe that I’ll ever do.

Laura just checked the weather… looks like rain on Sunday and Monday… 45-50mm!! (Hope there’s room in the shelter that night)

Keep me in your prayers!!  🙂

Here I go!

Thank-you to everyone who wrote words of encouragement in my little purple book of inspiration. It really means a lot to me and I can’t help but think that of everyone on the trail, I will be the most loved and have the strongest support system cheering me on from home. I really feel loved by my friends and family. I haven’t peeked in my book yet, I will save it for the trail when I need it, but I am sure that I will keep it with me long after I leave the trail for times when I need to remember that I am loved.

Some inspiration for my dear friends:

Be you. Be who God made you to be. Don’t copy anyone else because you are an original. Don’t be afraid to be you. Take risks and learn from them. Enjoy your life, if you aren’t enjoying yourself, do something about it! Life is short! Take ownership. Love what you do, do what you love. Its not to late to try something new or to make a change.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Last night I spent about 45 minutes surgically removing all the tags, toggles and patches from everything I could with the tiny scissors on my Leatherman and a seam ripper. I think I saved about 1 ounce… Whoopee… I don’t know if it was worth it. But who needs toggles when you can just tie a knot? And why would I want all these tags weighing me down? The other day I had my friends boyfriend saw my spork, knife and tooth brush handles off (Thanks Jordy!). Somehow that felt more rewarding, although; since the cut off, somehow it seems like I’m eating slower.

My pack still has all kinds of straps hanging off it, and a small divider used to separate the sleeping bag compartment from the rest of the bag. I am debating cutting them off too, but am worried that I will regret it some day. What in the future I get chubby and my waist belt is too small because I cut all the extra webbin’ off? Or what if my sleeping bag and my tent get into a fight and need to be separated?

Psh. Tonight they are all getting cut off too. Snip snip!

Well folks, I’m leaving in 2 weeks. Here’s what I still have to do before I leave:

• Find a fleece jacket
• Top up my first aid kit (mostly with Advil, blister pads and sewing kit)
• Pack my first 10-12 days worth of food (extra light because the first 12 days is the longest stretch without hitting a town, its called the 100 mile wilderness)
• Pack up my apartment (this is going to suck…)
• Cut off all the tags, zipper pulls, extra webbin’, toggles and anything else that is just dead weight from my clothes and back pack
• Cut tooth brush handle off and shorten spork handle
• Pack my back pack and weigh myself with it on
• Take everything out, cut back on heavy stuff, put it on and weigh myself again…
• Eat all the food in my cupboards
• Clean out all the freezer burnt foods from the far corners of my freezer.
• Brainstorm cool trail names in case I don’t like the one I get
• Stop using shampoo so that my hair will be used to being unwashed…
• Hike around High Park with my pack and boots on
• Say bye to all my friends, family and church people 🙁
• Finish up work stuff
• Hug my cat one last time
• See if there’s anything else I can steal from my brothers room while he’s gone that I might need for the trip (Thanks Nik!)
• Sleepover party! Eat Amatos pizza and drink beer with my roommate (on my last night)!

I think that about does it. Its going to be a busy few weeks, but when it’s all over I’ll be livin’ it up on the AT. Walkin’ in the Woods. (I hope that for some reason the bugs forgot to come out this year. Fingers crossed!)

Some people are talkin, I don’t know what they are sayin, but the truth is, yes, for the next 5-6 months I’ll be walkin in the woods. I’m headed to the Appalachian Trail. Hiking from north to south, Maine to Georgia. That makes me a “Southbounder” or “SOBO” in trail speak. I hope to leave on my hike the first week of June and be finished by  the beginning of November.

The other rumour I would like to clear up is… Yes, I am walking alone. No one else is “crazy” enough to come with me I guess. I’ve asked around, told a few friends, but no one will come with me. So I guess it’s just me, my pack and harmonica, walkin’ along for the next 6 months.  Well, I guess that’s not entirely true. I have people who are coming to hike with me for a few sections. My mom is flying across the ocean to hike with me (well maybe that’s not true, she’s coming for Dan’s graduation, and then making a side trip out to Maine to see me for 2 days). But my best friend Laura (crazy girl) is coming to meet me in July or August and will hike with me for a week! That’s definitely going to be a highlight of my hike. I’m already looking forward to it and I haven’t even left yet.

I would like to make an open invitation to everyone to come meet me somewhere between Maine and Georgia and hike for as long or as little as you’d like! Just imagine all the fun we’ll have walking up and down mountains and sleeping with the bears. Think about it!!

Although I am technically hiking on my own, I won’t be alone. I will be hiking with many other SOBO’s. I plan to start on the first week the trail head opens in Maine along with lots of other crazies. There is a whole culture that develops along the trail, and I’ve heard it said many times that you end up making a “trail family” as you get to know fellow hikers. So no need to worry about me, I’ll meet my new trail mom and pops soon and make sure they take good care of me. 🙂

So please join me on the trail, whatever way you can. Keep me in your prayers and I will try to keep you up to date with this crazy blog. If you know me, you know that I’m not a techy girl (and that I even consider blogging to be techy), but I’ll try my best. I’m really looking forward to this hike.

See you on the trail!

Jules