AT: Here we come!

Tomorrow Chuck and I start the Appalachian Trail. Right now we are in the oh-so-comfortable house of my friend, Jill. It's been a great weekend so far. Lots of laughter and fun, Scrabble games, good food. We have packed and unpacked the backpacks several times now, trying to figure out how to make it all fit. What can we do without? The sleeping bag liners? Shorts? Have we got too much food?

Earlier today we took our last trip to Wal-mart to get food and any last minute equipment. It's easy to get overwhelmed with so many choices, and I find it difficult to try to figure out what I will feel like eating several days from now. I do much better with "just-in-time" shopping - buying what I need the day I need it. But, that's not an option on a trail. I'm mostly worried about how to get enough protein while hiking. One of the easiest (and lightest) ways seems to be packets of tuna. Unfortunately, tuna, or fish of any kind, has never been something I liked. In fact, it's more than dislike, I'm not sure there is a situation in which I can stomach tuna. And, I'm not much of a fan of things like chicken salad. Ready-to-eat food is usually not my favorite, but taste or preference may need to be sacrificed in favor of things that are easy to prepare and don't weigh a lot.  So, I've stocked up on a variety of bars, trail mix, dried fruit, some cheese, and even some little chicken salad-y cans.  Hopefully, it will be enough to keep me fueled for the journey.

We are a little nervous about the start of the journey because we have been awakened the last two nights by thunderstorms.  Lightning in a little tent with aluminum poles would be scary.  It's also been quite cold. Our experience in England taught us that I get cold quickly and easily once we stop hiking for the day. So, with the recent weather in mind, we've decided to ditch the warmer weather clothes and keep as many things for warmth as we can fit in our packs. The fleece bag liner will have to come along for sure, despite its bulk.

Last minute packing and dithering completed, we settle in for a last game of Scrabble with Jill and her husband, Rick, and then off to our last night's sleep in a bed for quite a while.