If you've already contributed to our Feeding America virtual food drive -- thank you! You're the reason we've already reached over 60% of our $2104 fundraising goal!! :) If you haven't yet contributed to Feeding America, then please consider doing so.
We continue to prepare for our upcoming JMT hike. Though, since this was my pay-your-taxes-month, new gear purchases will have to wait until April. We still need: one ultralight sleeping bag, one water filter, plane tickets (I won't buy those until June), food resupply (I won't buy those items until July), and updated clothing for the girls (which I won't buy until the last possible second, since Alex and Sage tend to outgrow things quickly). I will post a full gear list, with candid reviews of each item, after we return from the JMT in September.
One thing I recently realized -- most of this blog won't be created until after we return from California! Unlike in Spain on the Camino, I won't have cell reception every day on the John Muir Trail. Therefore, I'll keep a paper journal while we hike, take a slew of photos, and blog each day after we come back. There will be a full report of our trip with plenty of details about every aspect of our adventure, but it will all be posted after-the-fact.
I hope everyone is handling the weather. I woke up to over a foot of heavy snow in my driveway this morning...and it's the first day of spring! Gotta love living in the Whites.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Monday, March 3, 2014
Resupply and Zero Days
We're hiking the JMT to raise money for Feeding America; we're just over halfway to our $2104 goal. Please help if you can -- every cent goes directing to Feeding America, and your donation is tax-deductible.
We've booked our reservations at Red's Meadow Resort, Vermilion Valley Resort, and Muir Trail Ranch. We'll spend two evenings and a zero day in each of these locations. I'm not sure we'll need that many rest days, but I'm sure we'll enjoy that many rest days. Part of the fun of thru-hiking is hanging out with other hikers, and I can't think of anything more enjoyable than three backpack-less days of R&R with PCT and JMT folks. Plus, all three resorts look wonderful and I'm sure the girls and I will love staying at each.
As for resupply -- we'll send a bucket to Muir Trail Ranch...and I've booked an on-trail resupply with Dee Berner of Sequoia Kings Pack Trains. This is a pricey option, but Dee has a solid reputation and years of experience. If I was doing this solo, then I could manage hiking from Muir Trail Ranch to Whitney without needing a resupply at all...but with two kids, I definitely need a resupply option. I can't carry ten days worth of food for myself and the girls during the southern half of the JMT. We COULD leave the trail and hike down to Onion Valley to resupply, but that's a detour of 18 miles roundtrip, and we'd lose at least a day...hence my decision to book a resupply date/arrangement with Dee. I enjoyed speaking with her on the phone and I'm grateful for her service -- this is well worth the price, for now my kids and I will not have to labor under the weight of too-full backpacks during the last half of our trip.
We continue to hike weekly for training. No photos for today's post, though -- our last hike was five miles of hills close to our home. We had to do this instead of going up a mountain since the temperatures were below zero (F) and the wind speeds were dangerously high. Hope to hike something substantial this Friday. Once June rolls around, we'll hike mountains at least twice a week with full JMT packs until we leave for California.
We've booked our reservations at Red's Meadow Resort, Vermilion Valley Resort, and Muir Trail Ranch. We'll spend two evenings and a zero day in each of these locations. I'm not sure we'll need that many rest days, but I'm sure we'll enjoy that many rest days. Part of the fun of thru-hiking is hanging out with other hikers, and I can't think of anything more enjoyable than three backpack-less days of R&R with PCT and JMT folks. Plus, all three resorts look wonderful and I'm sure the girls and I will love staying at each.
As for resupply -- we'll send a bucket to Muir Trail Ranch...and I've booked an on-trail resupply with Dee Berner of Sequoia Kings Pack Trains. This is a pricey option, but Dee has a solid reputation and years of experience. If I was doing this solo, then I could manage hiking from Muir Trail Ranch to Whitney without needing a resupply at all...but with two kids, I definitely need a resupply option. I can't carry ten days worth of food for myself and the girls during the southern half of the JMT. We COULD leave the trail and hike down to Onion Valley to resupply, but that's a detour of 18 miles roundtrip, and we'd lose at least a day...hence my decision to book a resupply date/arrangement with Dee. I enjoyed speaking with her on the phone and I'm grateful for her service -- this is well worth the price, for now my kids and I will not have to labor under the weight of too-full backpacks during the last half of our trip.
We continue to hike weekly for training. No photos for today's post, though -- our last hike was five miles of hills close to our home. We had to do this instead of going up a mountain since the temperatures were below zero (F) and the wind speeds were dangerously high. Hope to hike something substantial this Friday. Once June rolls around, we'll hike mountains at least twice a week with full JMT packs until we leave for California.
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