100 and More Miles Preparation

It's time to get my ass in gear - both literally and figuratively.  My Dad, Cheyenne, and I are setting out to do the 100 mile wilderness of the Appalachian Trail at the end of this month.  It's time to finalize my gear list and acquire everything I'll need.  So here it is:

Gear I have:
Tent - Tarptent Rainbow (2.25lbs)
Pack - Deuter ACT Lite 70+10 SL (4.5lbs)
Stove - BioLite Campstove (2.5lbs)
Headlamp - Petzl Tikka RXP
Camera - Canon EOS Rebel T5
Water Filter(s) - Sawer Mini Squeeze filter, and LifeStraw
Sleeping Bag - Enlightened Equipment Revelation 
Sleeping Pad - Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite
Boots - Saloman Ultra X mid 2 GTX

With all the gear I have so far (with the exception of my camera, but including my boots and some other random little things) my pack weighs a little over 17lbs.

Gear Cheyenne has:
Pack - Wolfpack Banzai
Sleeping bag/bed - Noble Camper
Bowls - Generic collapsable bowls
Treats - TurboPUP Superfood Snacks

I did get some more gear tonight, so I'll post an updated gear list soon.

My dad's gear list and other information about our hike can be found on his blog.  He's just as (maybe even more!) excited as I am for this trip.

I'm definitely in shape, I walk, climb, bike, and dance as much as I can.  Cheyenne with her fairly recent knee surgery is my bigger concern.  We'll be going on long gentle hikes these next couple weeks to get her ready.  We only have two more weeks until we leave.

We leave around the 27th for 10-14 days, it'll be my first real backpacking trip.  I'm definitely nervous, but also very excited.

Thru-Hike Update December 2015

About a year and a half left until my AT departure date, only 6 months away from my original date.  I got a bit of gear for Christmas, but there's still quite a bit to go.

Leaving either May 31st, or sometime in June of 2016 I plan to hike the 100 mile wilderness, which of course I planned to do this past summer.  This time I'm making sure I plan a date so I can get off work ahead of time.

As for the gear list.  Not only have I been checking things off, I've also weighed all the gear I have so far that I will be carrying.

Gear I Have:
Enlightened Equipment Revelation  - 1.25lbs.
Tarptent Rainbow - 2.5lbs.
NobleCamper 2-in-1 Dog Bed and Sleeping Bag - 2lbs.
BioLite Campstove - 2.5lbs. (Christmas gift from my super cool, super supportive parents!)
Deuter ACT Lite 70+10 - 4.5lbs.
LifeStraw - <.25lbs (Another great gift from my parents!)
Basic First Aid Kit - .25lbs (Another gift, I'm going to alter it from just bandaids and alcohol wipes)
Bugspray, Sunscreen, Hand Sanitizer - <.5lbs
TOTAL - ~13.5 lbs.

• Because I'm a n00b when it comes to backpacking gear (I really just started researching gear, I haven't even done a real backpack trip, yet, be nice!) I bought a camping quilt instead of a sleeping bag, not realizing they aren't the same thing.  I have been sleeping in it as a normal sleeping bag though, and I think it'll work just fine.
• I still need to seal the seems on the tent, but I'm still really excited about it.  Everything about it, it's weight, how easy it is to pitch, even how much space inside (more than enough for me and Cheyenne), it's amazing!
• The NobleCamper is another thing I'm stilled psyched about, and it's not even for me! Cheyenne sleeps in hers pretty much every night, she does get nervous if I unzip it though, so that's something we're working on.
• The BioLite Campstove is actually way cooler than just any camp stove.  First of all, it's only 2.5lbs.  Second, it uses twigs, leaves, cardboard, and stuff like that as fuel so I don't have to carry around a heavy stove PLUS heavy fuel.  Third, it has a USB port on it so I can charge things like my phone, and when I order them, my camera, headlamp, and GPS.
• Dexter ACT Lite is pretty neat, I've been packing all my gear as I get it, for practice.  I'm still learning all the compartments and such.  It's a super comfortable backpack, and I'd highly recommend it.
• Ahh LifeStraw, it's a really cool thing for sure.  The only downside I've found to this filter (in weight, and convenience it wins against most other filters) is that I won't be able to save filtered water, and I won't be able to filter water for Cheyenne.  Unless I use my Dad's suggestion of spitting the filtered water into a container to carry with me, or give to the dog.  Sorry Dad, I'm not sure about that...
• The first aid kit I carry around on a day-to-day basis is more full than the one I have for the trail so far.  My eventually kit will include: My Emergency Inhaler, Bandaids, Ace Bandages, My Knee Brace, Tweezers, Alcohol Wipes, Gauze, Medical Tape, Q-Tips, Arnica/Icy Hot or similar Pain Relieving Gel, Athletic Tape (possible overkill, but better safe than sorry), Tick Key, and probably more once I think of it.  
• Bugspray is definitely a must, however I'm considering getting permethrin also.  I don't use sunscreen often, only to cover tattoos really, but I figure I should bring some along just in case. Besides, Cheyenne might need it, too.  Hand Sanitizer I use a lot of.  I've used like 1oz in under a month before, I don't get sick as often since I started this habit though!

Gear I've Ordered:
Banzai Dog Pack
LupinePet ECO Collar and Matching Leash

• I've heard great things about "wolf packs" so I'm pretty excited to try it out.  Cheyenne is just about old enough to start training her with weight in the pack (She's about 9mos right now).  I'm definitely going to make her wear an empty pack for a couple of short hikes, and then she can start carrying things like her favorite snacks, and a light toy.
• I'd never heard of LupinePet before I order the leash and collar.  The main reason I chose to go with their company is because of their lifetime "even if chewed" guarantee.  I also really love that they have a recycled option for collars and leashes! Maybe all of my family's dogs will get things here :) Plus, they're a New England company.  Personally, I can't see a reason not to purchase their gear.

Gear I Totally Want But Will Definitely Be Made Fun of For:
Pocket Shower, come on, it's so cool.  Plus, one of the biggest problems for some people on the AT is going without showering for a while!
Scrubba Portable Washing Machine, it's only 6oz, I could totally do that.  I mean, clean clothes is another tough thing on the AT.  I won't have to pay for laundromats, I won't have to be scared about polluting water sources by dipping dirty clothes in, and it's just as good as a washing machine apparently.  Win, win, win!

Other than all that I'm pricing out the rest of my gear before I purchase it.  That way I'll be able to see exactly how much more I'm going to spend on prep (not including food!).

Thru-hike Update, October 2015

I have ordered my sleeping bag, and received my sleeping pad, and Cheyenne's dog bed!

Also, I am considering waiting a year.  I didn't get to do any camping, or difficult hikes over the summer.  My puppy is still young, I can't start backpack training her until she's a year old, and I don't know how big she is going to be, so I can't purchase the correct size backpack.

I'm going to set dates for camping, hiking, and backpacking trips to do next year.  Instead of starting the whole trail maybe I'll do the 100 Mile Wilderness on my departure date.

My biggest fear with putting it off a year is if I put it off one year what is stopping me from putting it off another year?  Then another?  This is my biggest concern with waiting.  My biggest concern with not waiting is that I won't finish it.

This decision is not 100% final, but it is most likely.  I will, of course, continue blogging and preparing for other adventures!

Cheyenne, Not the Mountain!

Today I crossed off another thing on my list, and added to my family!
80. Adopt a dog from the animal shelter.

I officially adopted my 5 month old, Golden Retriever/Australian Shepherd(?) foster puppy.  Her name is Cheyenne.


Honestly, out of all the foster dogs I've tried to convince my parents to let me adopt (there have been probably five or six by now), she is the most perfect.  She has medium-length fur, but it doesn't seem to mat or get dirty too fast, and while she is probably going to be a little smaller than I wanted for my thru-hiking partner her intelligence and agility makes up for her lack of size.  I've been taking her hiking pretty much everyday, and she's a wonderful hiking partner.  She walks well on leash (for a 5 month old puppy it's better than "well"!), she enjoys walking through the woods, likes jumping over things, or crawling under them, and it's pretty easy to regain her attention after she sees a squirrel or chipmunk!

I have a long plan for her training.  It starts now, with daily hikes, very basic obedience (sit, stay, down, her name, etc), socializing her with other dogs and people, and - as soon as I get my tent - sleeping outdoors.  That's all we'll be working on for the next month at least.  She isn't going to need a ton of training.  My beagle required a lot of training sessions just to be able to "sit" on command, and he still rarely does without getting a treat for it! Cheyenne already will sit for no treat, and I don't need to work with her on "heel" because she already does, without being told.

This is a picture of my puppy on her first hike!

Appalachian Thru-hike Update 8/21

I figured I'd update you all on my AT Thru-hike details.

First of all, I've chosen a tent, the Tarptent Double Rainbow.  I actually have had this tent in mind for a while.  It's lightweight, fast to pitch, and not too expensive, as far as good tents go.  Plus, there's plenty of room for me and my dog! Outdoorgearlab's price for the tent is off by a couple dollars according to the tarptent website, but it's still not a bad deal.

Next things on the list are sleeping bags, sleeping pads, a backpack (I know, that maybe should have been first?), and doggy backpack.

For sleeping pads I'm thinking the Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest SOlite.  One regular sized one for me, and possibly a small one for my dog

Sleeping bags I've been looking at are the Enlightened Equipment Revelation Bags, the short(5'6")/Slim option for me, and The 2-in-1 NobleCamper for my dog. If I go with the NobleCamper I won't have to get a sleeping pad for my dog either, because it's a bed and sleeping bag in one!

The backpack I'm looking at for myself currently is the Deuter ACT Lite 70 + 10 pack

A great article about hiking with dogs, which is certainly a good thing to be reading up on.  I should be getting my dog very soon, so be watching for a post about that! It will be knocking something off my list, too!
80. Adopt a Dog from the Animal Shelter.

As soon as I get my dog I will start purchasing things for it, such as

• A dog pack
• Food/Water dishes
• A coat
• Booties
• Leash/Collar/Harness
• Flea/Tick collars or medication
• First aid supplies!

Doggy supplies is a whole other post!

Paw Print Tattoo + Animal Shelter Fundraisers

Today, as promised, I got my first tattoo!

For those of you who haven't read my last post I'll give you a brief backstory to the tattoo.

Today (August 15th, 2015) was the "#clearthesheltercampaign", and the fundraiser at Fianna tattoo in Portland for the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland.
   The Clear the Shelter part went well, 84 animals were adopted today! I was going to get my Appalachian trail dog, but the puppy I'd been looking at yesterday got adopted by someone ahead of me in line.  Unfortunately, there was not another dog that would work for me.  My parents have agreed to allow me to adopt a puppy as soon as I find another perfect one, though!
   The tattoo fundraiser went really well also.  Apparently, there were some people lined up before the shop even opened! They also had so many people that I went and signed up (to guarantee my spot) and went back two+ hours later and still had to wait over an hour to get my tattoo! I didn't mind, of course, it was for a good cause, I was expecting a wait, and the artists were amazing.  That event was supposed to end at 7PM, but now (almost 10PM) my Mom just got done with hers, and I know a couple of people had signed up after her.  The dedication of the artists for this cause was amazing, one of them said he'd be there until 2AM if he had to be, though he didn't want to be.  I honestly hope he isn't!

So, the tattoo I got is just a small dog paw print on my upper left arm just below my shoulder.  It was $60, as I mentioned in the other post, all of the money from everyone's tattoos is going to the shelter!

A bunch of the shelter staff and volunteers came in to get tattoos.  Quite a few of them, including myself, first timers.  Many of them even brought in their dog's paw prints to be tattoo'd on them.  A wonderful reason to get a meaningful tattoo.

If you're planning on getting a tattoo I highly recommend the amazing artists at Fianna Studio in Portland, Maine.  They're friendly, they know what they're doing, it's a welcoming environment, and the art is beautiful.  Definitely worth the visit.

I got to support an awesome organization, found a great tattoo studio, and got to cross something off of my list, truly a win-win.  Hopefully I'll find the perfect puppy within the next couple of weeks, too!

Area Spotlight: ARLGP

This may seem like a strange area spotlight.  It's an animal shelter.  The animal shelter where I volunteer to be exact!

The Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland in Westbrook, Maine, helps almost 4,000 homeless animals a year! They have a very small shelter currently, and have been fundraising in order to expand to be able to help even more animals.

Instead of my usually area spotlight I'm going to tell you the upcoming events the ARLGP is doing.

On August 11th 2015 at Otto Pizza in South Portland, some people from the ARLGP will be hanging out, and a portion of all food sales will be going back to the shelter.  A great time to talk to some of the staff, eat some pizza, and help out a worthy cause!

On the 12th WGME and FOX23 are hosting a day long pet food drive for a couple of the shelters in the area.  If you're interested, food can be dropped off at the studio!

The 15th they are participating in the national #ClearTheShelters campaign.  This is a big one, so I'll come back to it. 

Also on the 15th Fianna Tattoo Studio in Portland is doing a fundraiser.  $50 for a paw print tattoo, or $100 for a custom paw print.  All the money raised goes back to the shelter, I plan to do this one if I have time! I'll be knocking something off my list, and helping out my favorite charity.

The 26th is annual Martinis for Mutts fundraiser.  $25 per human, each human is allowed a doggie +1.  The price includes admission, valet parking, a "signature mutt-tini", and hors d'oeuvres.

That's not all of the events either! Check out the others, too, you might see something else you'd like to attend.

A bit more about #ClearTheShelters.

First of all, this is not the only shelter doing it.  It is sponsored by NBC, and NECN.  NECN is going to be broadcasting live from the event!

It will take place August 15th, 2015, from 9AM-3PM.

There will be more than 150 pets to be adopted just at the ARL.

The fees are going to be by donation, so you get to pick your own adoption fee! Though $0 is not an option, that isn't an adoption fee.

The goal is to clear the shelter, and raise awareness for pets in need.

No pets can be placed "on hold".  If you are interested in a specific animal get there as early as possible!

It is a wonderful organization, the staff are all amazing, and working with the animals is beyond rewarding.  I have been walking dogs there for almost a year and a half, and fostering dogs for a few months, I highly recommend volunteering, whether at this animal shelter or another.  Personally, t's probably the most rewarding volunteer work I do.

Appalachian Trail: Beginning Planning Priorities

Hello there!

On my question "To dog or not to dog" I have made a decision.  I will dog.  I'm hoping to get a dog between six months and three years old within the next couple of months.  Ideally, I'd like a year to train and prepare my dog and myself for the trail.

Now I've already started a gear list of important things such as tent, sleeping bag, backpack, clothes, etc., I'm shooting for December to have all my plans finalized.  That being said, my test run is going to be this summer, likely in August, if possible.

So I have started making a list of which supplies I need first.  I thought I'd share with you my first steps towards my summer test run.

• Finish creating my basic gear list.
• Adopt a dog, and begin training.
• Complete finished gear list for first 100 miles.
• Collect basic gear list.
• Plan out route, pace, approximate stops, etc on maps.
• Acquire items 100 mile gear list.
• Obtain supplies for the entire trail.
• Prepare care packages for along the trail complete with dog food and maps for the next section.
• Get a high-quality camera.
• Buy a new lightweight laptop/notebook for picture editing and blogging while on the trail! (For when I stop, of course)

Purchasing a laptop is the last step because it is the least important.  I can blog from my phone, however, the posts will be shorter, and the pictures will be terrible iPhone photos... Nice for family vacations, not so nice for photo journals about the trail that I intend to put  together.

That's all for now!

Appalachian Trail: To Dog or Not To Dog?

I've been gathering my gear list for the AT, and I've hit a bit of a roadblock: Should I get a dog?

I don't want to hike the trail alone, but I'm not sure I want to go with another person either, so a dog seems like a good idea.  However, there are obviously potential problems with that.

So my Pro/Con list! I wrote the Cons first, and the Pros afterwards, so read them in that order.

    Cons                           |   Pros

• Need more gear                       |  Dog can carry some gear
• Another mouth to feed         |   Protection from animals (won't need bear bag, etc)
• Can't go on some sections       |   I won't be alone
• I'd have to get a new dog         |  Another dog will have a good home!
• Training the dog                    |  Training the dog
• Can't stay in Shelters               |  No fighting over pace/where we stop
• People don't like dogs on AT  |  They don't mind/like well behaved dogs
• Can't stay in motels/hotels      |   From what I've heard I don't want to
• Dog will get dirty                    |  It'll help my anxiety

The last pro is one of the biggest selling points.  The reason training the dog is both a con and a pro is because I will have to teach it a lot, and I don't have experience with all of the command it will need to know, but dog training is one of my hobbies, and I enjoy it!

If you were to hike the AT (or are thinking about it) what are some more reasons you would, or wouldn't, take a dog?  Let me know!