Forty-Eight Hours Left at Home

Last week I went back to my old High School again, this time to go rock climbing with some of my old chums and my Biology teacher. I ended up on belay duty all day but it was still fun -- beautiful day too. The short hike out the cliffs felt great!

Then earlier this week I went to EMS with my Dad, Fly By Mike, to get him all suited up for a week in the Smokies. I got a few items -- a down vest, a new headlamp, and a belt strap for my nalgene, among other things. We also got a bunch of Mountain House meals on sale, which will be tasty. We had been planning on leaving today and starting to hike tomorrow, but we couldn't fly due to weather (I was slightly miffed but there was nothing to do about it). We're leaving on Saturday now, and Dad and Domino will only hike with me for the first day. I've already packed up my pack with food for two people for 4 days, so I've got enough to get myself all the way to Standing Bear Farm without stopping in Gaitlinburg if I so choose. I guess we'll see how I feel.

I'm starting to get anxious. My pack is sitting in the corner of my room, all loaded up, beckoning me. "Let's go Happy. We've still got 2,000 miles to walk. What are you doing sitting you your ass?!"

In other news, I saw a nutritionist. I apparently react poorly to carbohydrates, specifically processed ones. It will be difficult to change my diet much on the trail, but I'll be staying away from really bad stuff like little debbies. I'm also allergic to hops, which means no beer for me. I guess I'm safe from a freshmen-15 next year, though after being emaciated on my thru-hike I'll probably need an extra 15 pounds.

As much as I want to go back, the more I think about it the more I realize I made the right decision. Actually, the right decision would have been to just start in mid-late february, not January, but hey, that's okay. Coming home now I've been able to completely reanalyze my gear list based on my experience, come to terms with my personal goals and my reasons for doing this, and also get a little work in to make up for all of those nights in hotels.

In about 48 hours I'll be in Robinsville eating a last supper before heading back into the wild. I can't wait.

P.S. I'm working on uploading more pictures, but the internet is very sketchy. I'll post again if I get it to work before leaving.