Wednesday, March 27, 2019. Getting my equipment ready.

Today I spent all day getting my equipment together and determining what I needed to buy. I got a lot done, but it took all day.

Tonight I am trying out doing a blog using only my iPad. I am using pages and will figure out how to post pictures to the blog from my iPad.

I am concerned about being only able to open one app at a time. I will figure it out. 🙁

Monday, March 25, 2019. Starting preparation for my AT hike.

March 25, 2019.

Great day for me in getting ready. Up to today I haven’t worked on my preparation for my hike. Today I went and bought food at Costcos. I called Dixon Low to ask him if I could stay with him and get a ride to my starting point on the trail.

I was very excited after setting that up with Dixon. It made me feel like I am really going to get back on the trail. 

Tonight I wrote in my blog for the first time in over 2 1/2 years. I am hoping this week to get most of my food and equipment ready. That would give me all next week to fine tune and do stuff in the yard and around the house, which need to be done.

In working on my Blog I am trying out using Apples pages program. When I hiked before pages didn't work on the iPad. It does now. It will make it much easier to write at night on pages at my camp sight, and then post when I am at a hotel with WiFi. It will be much easier than the blog posting app I had to use last time.

Saturday, December 8, 2018. Start up of my AT blog after 2 1/2 years. New Boots.

December 8, 2018

After two and half years I get to start my blog again as I begin to get ready to hike and finish the Appalachian Trail in 2019. I am excited to start to get ready.

My first step in preparation was to buy some boots. I bought a full upper leather boot in hopes that they will last much longer than my previous boots. My previous boots were pretty much worn out at 400 miles. They started leaking at about 250 miles. I managed to drag them on to 500 miles. I then tried a couple different type of light weight shoes which didn’t do the job and caused my planter facetious to flair up. I hiked 808 miles before coming home. The new boots are heavier, but I hope they last longer. I would like to get 800 miles out of them and then buy another set of the same boot to finish the last 400 miles. We will see.

I bought my boots at Cabela’s. They are the Perfect Hiker D. They cost $260.00. They are made in Germany. I bought size 11 which is 1/2 size larger than what fits when I try them on. I learned that my feet swell when hiking so many miles each day and that I need a larger size. My 3 middle toes on my left foot are still partial numb from my last hiking on the trail.

I am actually writing this blog on March 25, 2019. I have used my new boots and loosed them up, broke them in. I did a weekend hike with Nathan down in the Grand Canyon. It was a very tough hike. I am glad the AT is just trail and not river bottom hiking like that was. I did get a blister on my left foot at the top inside of my ankle from the boot. I have 4 weeks for it to heal before starting to hike the AT. I believe it will be okay. Except for that the boots and my feet did well. Though heavier, I think these boots will do a good job for me. 

Here are some pictures.