3 million footsteps

Wood's Hole

2009-07-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

Here we are at our last stop before Floyd Fest; Wood's Hole Hiker Hostel! It's a gorgeous hiker hostel that has been in the same family since 1932 but recently re-opened as a year-round hiker hostel. It is run by a wonderful young couple (Michael and Neville). We've decided to stay here for a few days to rest our bodies and do some small day hikes. It doesn't hurt either that the food is FANTASTIC and they have several lovely pets to play with.

A bat that Emily rescued from the Wood's Hole porch.
The view from a day hike near Wood's Hole.

Goodbye to our dear hiking friends

2009-07-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Sadly ever fun journey must come to an end. Here we are with Robert & Andrea (middle) and Bryan & Megan (with Otto and Macy), the friends that we hiked with the longest. They are off to do some beach camping for a week before heading home (B+M) or back to hike the Shanandoahs (R+A). We're going to miss them, and all the rest of the ATF crew, but hey, that's what facebook is for right? Happy Trails everyone!

A trip to the 'Settlers Museam of Virginia'

2009-07-22T08:34:00.001-07:00

Here we are having some old-timey good times at the Settlers Museum of Virginia. This museum, as it turns out, is practically right on the trail and is FREE for hikers! What could be better. History, convenience, and thrift. I (Matt) know that this is making my fort friends jealous. Wish you were there gang.

Above you'll see 'rules for teachers' from 1872. Click the image to enlarge (and make sure to check out the courting one). Again, sorry about the sideways pics.
Setting and springing a small mammal trap. It was actually tight and useable for trapping (unlike the FWHP beaver traps which have been made child-safe).
YEAH!!! Usin' my draw knife!

She's still got it!

Sunsets, fences, and shelter pizza

2009-07-22T08:14:00.000-07:00

Beautiful sunset seen from one of the high-elevation shelters in virginia.
Lots of fences in Virginia brings lots of fence-crossing devices. (not as nice as the Zetteks).
This is the 'Partnership Shelter'; one of the nicest shelters on the trail and the only shelter that you can order pizza too (or more correctly to the Mount Rogers Recreation area office nearby). Hikers tell tales about 'the-shelter-that-you-can-order-pizza-to' all up and down the trail. You'll notice that we have our tent shell up (just the fly attached to the footprint). This is because the previous night Emily woke up to the feeling of water dripping on her sleeping bag. Several hikers were in the loft above us so she assumed that one of them had accidentally put something on the bite valve of a water bladder and caused it to leak. She wiped the water off with her hands and upon shining her light at the ceiling was shocked to see, not a leak..... but one of the many bats that live at the shelter! The bat had PEED ON HER!!! Ewwwww..... This prompted us to put up a bat-pee barrier.

Ponies!!!!

2009-07-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

One of the best parts of the Grayson Highlands! Feral ponies roam the land here. Every spring the ponies are set free in the highlands to graze and wander as they will. Before winter they are apparently rounded up again (or as many as they can find). The ponies love to hang out with hikers and look for snacks (kind of like cuter bears). Here I (Matt) am getting attacked by three ponies trying to eat my backpack.

This is called 'Fatman Squeeze', the only part of the trail where you have to actually walk through a short cave.
Sorry about the sideways pics. We're on a computer that doesn't want to let us rotate them. You'll just have to look at them sideways.

The Grayson Highlands

2009-07-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Grayson Highlands, one of our last stops on our trip. This place is renowned among hikers for its rugged beauty and its four footed inhabitants (more on that later)

2009-07-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

2009-07-20T18:57:00.000-07:00

A piney campsite (turn head sideways)
Grub time with some fellow hikers.
Toad not shown actual size. Photo actually taken by Em (not from google image search or nature magazine)
Otto, our protector from bears and shelter mice. She belongs to Bryan and Megan. She did about 3x the miles that the humans did but got very skinny from all her running.

2009-07-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

If you flip back to the very first post in our blog you will see this same sign, sent to us by Dan and Heather on a bike trip on the Virginia Creeper Trail. We made it!!
Watching fireworks in Damascus on the fourth of July
POW! ZAP! WHOOSH! (just like the old school batman)

Our last hiking day

2009-07-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

After a few rainy days and some soggy shoes we have finished the hiking part of our trip. Our bodies are sore and we're tired but we're having feelings of nostalgia as we leave the trail. It has been a fantastic trek but we're excitited to soon sleep in our own bed and just have to make the short trek to the fridge for food.

But before we return it's off to Floyd Fest to hear some great music and then to colonial Williamsburg. Yay! We will post more photos soon if we can:)

-- Post From My iPhone

Clearing up the controversy

2009-07-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

Just to clear up any misunderstandings, the leg pictures shown perviously were not actually us. Kudos to Derek and Paisley for their witty retorts in the comments section.

Here are some pics of what our actual legs look like. Just picture us taking these to have a good laugh.

Checking in

2009-07-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

Hi folks. We just spent the day at the Settler's Museum of Virginia (very similar to the Pioneer Village in T-Bay). It is right on the trail so I (Matt) was able to get a good history fix without going too far off the AT. They even had these tiny steel traps that I set and then collapsed on my boot.

Last night Macey (the dog belonging to Brian and Megan) went missing from camp (she turned up eventually) but as Robert and I climbed one of the hills to shout over a ridge for her we stumbled into some of the most lush blueberries I've ever seen. Sadly the ridge was a steep slope and had been burned over a few years back so after picking a zip-lock full we were covered in tree soot from head (actually head) to hiking boot. Good berries though.

We wanted to put up some pics but seen to be having some computer trouble. Hopefully we will be able to post some more pics before we return.

Slack Packing

2009-07-04T10:01:00.001-07:00

We stayed for a few days at the hostel of Bob Peoples (pretty much the kindest man on earth). He had just returned from a 5 week trip to the Pilgrim's Trail in Spain and basically stepped off the plane and started shuttling hikers around. He inspired us to do lots more hiking and dropped us off for a few days of "slack-packing" (hiking with only a day pack). We went REALLY fast. A 20 mile (32 km) day and a 21 mile day. Now my (Matt's) leg hurts... Imagine that! I get sore when I have no pack on!! All's well though. Back to hiking soon:)

Hills called Big and Little Hump

2009-07-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

Pics from the best day so far (according to Matt at least). We went up over Big and Little "Hump". A dominating hill when you first see it looming. Some pics are from a rock outcropping 1/2 way up.

Back to the Farm

2009-07-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

We stayed at an AT shelter made from a converted barn with covered sleeping platforms. The view you see is what we fell asleep and woke up to! The legs are Emily's healing sunburn (ouch!)

2009-07-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks:)

We don't have much time on the computer so I'll just post some pics. We've hit a patch of great weather and some amazing views! We're having a great time and have only been rained on twice in the past 2-3 weeks:) The trail is treating us well.

2009-06-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

Wrong Turn

2009-06-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

Imagine our surprise at finding a pathfinder in the middle of the A.T. on top of a remote ridge.

Looks like someone drove up a remote ranger access road and turned on to the A.T. No sign of the owners and the plates had been removed! The doors were open so Andrea looked in the back and found doughnuts! Still (sort of) fresh.

Robert's Birthday

2009-06-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

Fellow hiker Robert had a birthday on the trail so Emily made him a cake from peanut butter balls, nutella, and m&m's. Fortunately Greg (a friend who also carries a hula hoop) was packing some birthday candles for just such an occasion.

2009-06-23T19:33:00.000-07:00

Tree eats sign!

Note the electrical outlet installed in one of the shelters (as a fake - guess how many hikers have been faked out by that one! "Hey, my cell phone never charged last night!")

Tubing fun

2009-06-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

We've made if safely into the city of Erwin and spend a fun day tubing. We had a choice of doing a 2 hour or 4 hour tube ride down the river (complete with rapids!) and long after choosing the 4 learned that it was more like 7. Tomorrow, sunburnt, we return to the trail.

2009-06-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

Lots of people have been asking about how muscled our legs our getting so we've decided to include the following picture taken this morning. Try to guess who is who.

The most interesting bear poop ever

2009-06-15T13:05:00.001-07:00

What happens when people don't take care of their food bags.

The Famous Max Patch

2009-06-15T13:00:00.001-07:00

What Max Patch normally looks like

What it looked like when we got there

Standing Bear Hiker Hostel

2009-06-15T12:54:00.001-07:00

From Gatlinburg we stayed the night at a hiker hostel in the country called Standing Bear Farm. It was a cute bunkhouse/kitchen/resupply place just 300 meters off the trail. The owner greeded us with a "What you want boy?" which was a little at odds with charm of his Hostel.

This one goes out to the Kingfisher Staff

2009-06-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

Gatlinburg - Disneyland meets Vegas

2009-06-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

We spent a strange day in Gatlinburg. Home of Ripley's Believe it or Not, a fantastic aquarium, and other fun and peculiar theme park like things. After camping for so long the noise and lights felt strange.

The end of the Smokies

2009-06-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Since the last post we've been up to the highest point on the trail, Clingman's Dome and since, while there, I (Matt) was the tallest person around there was about an hour when I had the highest elevation of anyone on the whole Appalachian Trail!

Clingman's Dome is very good at faking out hikers. Hiking up the hill you think, "I'm here this must be it!" only to come over the hill and realize that there is a larger one behind it (which happened more than once).

There is a road that leads up to Clingman's and a beautiful viewing tower so lots of families were up there enjoying the view. Most people, though, don't seem to know that the A.T. cuts through there or are not sure what the A.T. is and must be surprised to meet so many scruffy, dirty, smelly people at the lookout.

One family started hiking down the A.T. and asked some friends of ours, "How far does this trail go?" They were quite surprised to hear that it is "200 miles the way you are going and a little under 2000 miles the other way."

Sadly, as we summited the hill a fog rolled in so our view was a little limited.

With the weather turning sour and Megan and Bryan needing to pick up their dogs and leave the Smokies we decided to fast forward ahead to Gatlinburg and jump back on to the trail just outside Great Smokey Mountain National Park. This would give us more freedom too as we would not be forced to camp at shelters (although we like to as it means that we don't have to rig up our own bear bag system).

We met a fantastic family on a biking vacation who were heading down to Gatlinburg who kindly offered us a ride. Before we reached the parking lot, one of the people that we are hiking with realized that his girlfriend had left her trekking poles on top of the tower, so he sprinted back up the 1/2 mile of hill. Upon reaching the tower he was panting hard and a woman commented to him, "Well, somebody isn't in very good shape." HA!!

2009-06-10T12:26:00.002-07:00

After crossing Fontana Dam (pictured above) we were into the Great Smokey Mountains. No dogs allowed in the Smokey's so Bryan and Megan had to send the dogs to the grandparents. In the Smokey's you are only allowed to camp at shelters but they have some pretty nice stone ones with two rows of bunks and excellent bear hanger systems. Sadly, they do not believe in building privys and concentrating human waste so they also have something called the "toilet area" which is basically a direction down a hill where it it encouraged that you dig a cat hole. All in all very beautiful and home to the highest part of the A.T., clingman's dome in the middle of the park.

Link to our Rafting Photos

2009-06-10T12:26:00.001-07:00

http://noc.digitaleventpics.com/SC/index.cfm?fuseaction=dspImg&iCnt=16&PageCnt=1&tpg=1&CFID=1966&CFTOKEN=15D8CD30-1629-7230-25669AC03DA24B23&rand=D7FA216B-94AE-171F-20DFF5EC3D1E1321

2009-06-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

We made it to Fontana Dam, the largest dam with an elevation higher than ....... uh... something or another..... It seemed like a fake record to me at the time.

The A.T. Shelter near Fontana Dam is known as the Fontana Hilton. It sleeps 24 people, has running water, hot showers, flush toilets, the WORKS! Best of all, almost no mice. We spent two nights there.

We went into the little Fontana Village to get supplies and fuel up on fresh vegetables and pulled pork sandwiches. YUM! At the village we met a whole bunch of hikers who had been behind us for about two weeks and had been reading our journal entries. It's strange on the trail because you know many of the same people but can only keep up with hikers in front of you. Those behind are a mystery. We actually had one hiker, after hearing me say "EH" respond "Hey, are you part of the Eh-Team?" HA!

The day was capped off by 18 holes of disk golf. Remember to click on the images to inlarge (and critique Em's throwing form.)

2009-06-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

An amazing tree with two completely separate trunks and root systems.

An amazing tree with two completely separate trunks and root systems.

A Dung Roller w/ Dung Ball! Soon after this picture another, larger, dung roller came and stole the dung ball!!

Megan and Bryan on an observation tower

HAIL STORM!!

2009-06-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

We stopped into the Natahala Outdoor Centre for a day to resupply and relax and ended up going white water rafting! (not really white water rafting.... more like Grey water rafting... very small but still fun rapids).

We got a four person boat with Bryan and Megan.

The next day we had to climb out of the river valley and, from the weather channel, expected 30% chance of showers. Instead we got a blistering hot day of hill climbing, until the skies opened up and it started raining... then hailing a little... then hailing marble sized hail. We tried to hide it out in a Rhododendron bush but got too cold (and painfully pelted) and had to hike up a steep river (formerly the trail) to the next shelter.

The posted photos are from the safety of the next day. The forest was (quite literally) white with 3cm deep hail. Incredible!

Our New Hiking Buddies

2009-06-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

When you long distance hike a popular trail you tend to fall into groups moving about the same pace, while passing the slower groups and getting passed by the faster ones. The best part about the trail is the camaraderie. No matter how different you are you will always have a common connection to anyone that you camp with at a given shelter at night.

For the past two weeks (maybe more) we've been hiking with a really great couple from nearby Ashville; Bryan and Megan. They're about exactly our pace and besides being cool people they also have some adorable dogs hiking with them (Otto and Macey). Bryan and Megan are out for a long section hike (like us) but with a little more time. They've got the attitude of "We'll see how far we get, and enjoy the hiking" which is in comparison to "We WILL finish in 90 days!" or "I think I'll just stay in town so I can watch TV and not smell"

Hitting the Balds

2009-06-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

We've passed into the section of the trail famous for its balds (meadows on top of mountains) which has provided us with some breathtaking views. It also seems to be the habit here to build regular observation towers, some with roads leading near them, some not. It's a funny thing climbing up a mountain for four hours and, upon reaching the top, running into families out for the afternoon, or bus tours at the top. They are all very interested in us stinky, dirty, long distance hiking folks though:)

A trail name at last.....

2009-05-28T10:32:00.001-07:00

For those who have been inquiring...we have finally been given a trail name! For a while we were simply being called "The Canadians" but our new good friends Mike and Jarrod, who we met along the trail (there is a picture of them in one of our earlier posts) decided that "The 'eh' Team" was a better fit! Now all we need to do is choose which one of us is going to be Mr. T (I pity the foo)!

Tormented By a Mouse

2009-05-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

One of our fellow hikers has been famously tormented by a mouse. First - at a shelter he discovered mouse feces on his SPOON in his dishes bag.

At the next shelter, the sound of a mouse chewing on something above his head drove him from the shelter in the darkness, only to have the sky open up above him and have him, his cell phone, his ipod, and everything in his tent get soaked.

In a picture below you will see a wanted poster that he produced for the mouse.

GOOD HUNTING MR. DAISY!

2009-05-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

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Rain, Rain, Rain...

2009-05-28T09:59:00.001-07:00

Signing back in, now in the town of Franklin - just 10 miles off the trail. We've now passed the 100 mile mark (maybe 107?.... something like that).

The last four days have had more than their fair share of the bad weather part of hiking.

Saturday - Heavy rain. Tent and packs ended up in a puddle and had to be dragged to higher ground.
Sunday - Rain all day. Slept in the shelter. HARD rain throughout the night.
Monday - Rain for much of the day. Slept in the shelter. Good idea because we had two HARD downpours and one particularly loud thunderclap in the night.
Tuesday - Rain most of the day. Hard rain before coming in to camp. Shelter was too small to accomodate everyone there so we tented and it rained HARD all night.

I'm trying not to sound too sour, but four days of being wet will put most people in a slightly "damp" mood so we felt due for a day to dry out.

The great part about the last few days, though, has been the company. We've fallen in with a very fun group of people with a few coming and going all the time. Everyone experiencing the same joys and wet-ships, helping each other along, and laughing together at the end of the day.

Mostly we've hiked with a young couple and a good friend of theirs who are out for several months, like us, and (like us) taking their time and enjoying the hike. They have two dogs along with them which has brightened up camp life - especially for Em. Another couple out for two weeks with their dog has also joined our motley crew of sopping adventurers. As we've hiked we've run into many people going slower than us and many more going faster than us. One couple, a group of "Ultra Lighters" passed through camp one morning trying to AVERAGE 24 miles per day. A ridiculous number, but made easier by their ultra light packs (ultra light means wearing only tights, running shorts, and a T-Shirt and carrying a 15 pound pack!).

Yesterday we decided to take one of the "Cheater's Trails" - a side trail that cuts out some of the AT - and were treated to a wonderful walk down a cascading river. One of the hightlights so far (and made 'more cascading' by all of the recent rain).

Dry now, we are taking a day to rest and then hit the trail again. The weather reports are calling for thunderstorms every day for the next week but we have confidence that weather reporting is a tricky business!

Lots of Love,

-Matt + Em

The Shelter Setup

2009-05-22T09:23:00.001-07:00

The AT is an incredibly well maintained trail. Spaced along the trail, all about a days hike apart, are shelters built and maintained by trail volunteers.

We haven't been sleeping in the shelters but it is always nice to camp nearby because of the excellent bear bagging system. A long steel cable is strung between two trees with four bag hooks on pulleys along the cable. Bears can't reach it (I try every night to jump and touch our food... while doing my best bear roar of course) and can't bite or tear through the cables attached to the tree. Very clever indeed!

Mouldering toilets are another great feature. The waste is kept above ground and is composted.

We made it to Bavaria!

2009-05-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

Ever notice how it looks like we're wearing the same clothes in every picture? There's a good reason for that. Em is actually down at the local laundromat as I type this, so that we can, at least temporarily, remove the cloud of odour that follows us. We've noticed that we don't smell sweet but you get a fuller appreciation when you've showered of how rank the clothes that you've been sweating in actually were.

We've made it to our first drop box (and rest day) in the lovely town of Helen. A fellow hiker (Barry) asked us, "why are you going to Helen? Do you need a T-Shirt? Helen is, indeed, a tourist trap, but a lovely one at that. It is a faux-bavarian village (south east germany as I learned) with tubing, mini-golf, and shops selling knick-knacks and fudge everywhere. A real bed and a shower felt heavenly, and a day to organize our new supply of food dearly needed.

The woman at the desk in our hotel told us that, "you're the second group of Canadians that I've seen hiking the AT in the past two weeks. The last two just up and quit. Left most of their hiking things in a box and just went home." But fear not! Your brave adventurers are prepared to continue onward and upward! (or downward... depending).

Tomorrow, refreshed, we'll hit the trail again:)

2009-05-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

May 18-20

2009-05-21T17:29:00.000-07:00

Woke up at Woods Hole shelter after a VERY cold night. I was warm enough but Em didn't sleep well because of the cold. Mice are a big problem at the shelters (we tented away from the shelter so no problem for us) and the four hikers sleeping in the shelter were kept up by the little guys running around looking for food. In the morning we saw the cutest little mouse trying to climb up the edge of the shelter to safety. Two of the hikers that we stayed with are young guys about our age from Cininatti named Mike and Jarred. They were sleeping on tiny foam mats to keep pack weight down and were very jealous of our Big Agnes sleeping mats. They dubbed us "The 'Eh' Team" so now we officially have trail names.

Most people here are not good at building fires. My (Matt's) merely-competent fire making skills make me look like a professional arsonist compared to many. Most will just gather some wet needles and leaves and are quite impressed with things like blowing on the coals or finding a dead-standing-not-rotten tree. Those hiking trips that Dad took me on years ago are really paying off now.

Ran into a series of warm sunny days that coincided with some great views. I can't post pics on this computer but perhaps tomorrow. Saw a small bear that high-tailed it away from me as fast as possible. They are scared of humans but love campers food. A few campers that stayed at a shelter without cable bear hangers had the clever ursines break the ropes holding their bear bags and make off with their food. YUM!!

Knees hurting less... that's good right?

2009-05-21T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks:)

We've been going up and down hills like crazy but the pain at the end of the day is starting to turn into the good kind of sore instead of the just-painful-kind.

Em's left knee (same leg that has the bad ankle) has been bothering her a lot on downhills but she's been feeling a little better each day. Also, the top of my calves are no longer feeling like they are always in a vice. We are going to be so buff when we get back.

I've got 9 days worth of facial hair which translates into a pretty wicked neck beard and some patchy face hair too. Happily for me I don't need to look at it:) (Em is not so lucky).

Strangely enough it has been COLD here. 12-20 degrees each day with a pretty good wind chill on the hill tops. Each night at the shelters we have been wearing our fleeces and wishing that we hadn't shipped our jackets ahead. The views, however, have been everything as advertised and more. Standing on top of a hilltop and gazing out at the green rolling hills below (many of which we have walked) is deeply satisfying. Each agonizing footstep up and knee-twinge down becomes well worth it.

2009-05-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

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4 Days Down...

2009-05-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

Hi folks:)

We're finally back at a computer after four days on the trail. Oddly enough, we're back at the hiker hostel that we used as our staging point to begin the the journey. Not a bad thing; it just so happens that if you follow the trail you come very close to it!

A few stories:

We got into Atlanta just fine and were clearing customs with lots of time before we both realized that we'd left our "bounce ahead box" (a mailed ahead resupply box) on the baggage conveyor belt. Thankfully we had the help of some very kind airport personell and got everything through. We stayed our first night in the Hiker Hostel (where I write this) and after a night of trimming our pack weight down and a hearty morning breakfast including gravy and sausage bits over biscuits (a normal breakfast food here in Georgia) we were off.

Since then we've made decent time hiking but paid for our lack of being-in-shapedness. Em's ankle injury kept us (her) from doing training before going so our legs and backs have been paying for it. The first day was a little tough, the second day much harder, and the third more gruelling still but we have been walking through beautiful forest and and finding a lot of joy in not being at work:) On this part of the trail it is usual to stay in regularly spaced shelters and so we got to spend several evenings with many of the same folks. The trail brings all types. We got a lot of great advice from Barry (trail name Bare-Bear), a trail vet who through hiked in 2006 and has spent lots of time before and since on the trail. His best advice, "take time and enjoy what you're seeing". Also we stayed with a young guy, just out of law school who had brought his dog on the trail so we felt like we had a pseudo-pet for a few days (of course, the dog carried his own pack).

Some of the highlights so far: The enormous trees! We've seen bigger trees than I've seen since in the BC old growth forests. The Big Agnes! (which have been like sleeping on clouds! Thanks B and M) The totally different ecology (Em has been loving, figuring out what everything is). Em accidentally flinging some kind of poo into the back of her shoe, and me making fun of her... until discovering that my shoe was also covered:(

All things considered, we are tired and sore but getting stronger and fitter. The hiking has been beautiful and we're ready to hit the trail again tomorrow:)

I'll try to post pics but it may not work. If not now we'll happily show them later:)

Love, Matt and Em

Our Route

2009-05-01T18:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a map showing our proposed route!

Beloved Relatives Beat Us There!

2009-04-28T18:41:00.000-07:00

Dan and Heather sent us this pic from their biking travels. Looks like we'll have to hike quickly to catch up!

I watched a program about the history of the Appalachians last night on Detroit Public TV. Lots about the civil war, logging, coal mining. Really interesting stuff. The coal mining bits made me really appreciate labour unions and environmental laws these days. (well, practically everything about history makes me appreciate the now).

Food Packages Away!

2009-04-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend we drove down to Ryden's to mail off our food packs. 9 boxes in total. We were expecting to pay about $500 and were pleased to discover that it topped out at about $150. Apparently FED-EX loves us. No trouble getting through the border as Em was smart enough to call ahead and have them expect us. The Ryden's folks were very kind and patient as we hauled in two months worth of food boxes and went a little crazy with the packing tape.

Here you'll find pics of us doing food prep. The vacuum bagging machines that we tried didn't work too well so it ended up being me trying not to inhale too much icing sugar as we removed the air with a straw.

Delicious Dehydrated Delicacies (aka Fighting with the Dehyrator)

2009-04-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

Emily has been slaving night and day over the dehydrator and can be seen, pictured above, on one of her therapeutic "throw the dehydrator off the balcony" sessions.

Yesterday we racked up $750 worth of groceries by tearing through the bulk zone. Yay for dehydrated skim milk!!! The food might not be the most delicious but, for long distance hikers, we will be eating well. We even managed to find some salmon that doesn't need to be refrigerated, which should make an exciting treat.

Our First Foray...

2009-04-10T14:51:00.000-07:00

White dudes and gang signs.. G-G-G Gang Signs! (inside joke... or just see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKTDRqQtPO8 to get the joke).

A beautiful day in Thunder Bay found us loading up our packs with 40 and 30 pounds apiece (that's 18 and 14 kg) and taking a 3 mile (4.8 km) jaunt around the city. Mainly we wanted to try our packs out and enjoy some sunshine. We mounted the stairs to hillcrest park and then down to the marina. Lots of people outside enjoying the sunshine, and the change in season is certainly getting us excited to be active. The packs felt great and so did we.

Turns out Em is an all-star healer and is moving around perfectly, with just a bit more stiffness and tiredness (is that a word?) in her left leg.

Get out there and drink up Spring people!!

P.S. Right near the main dock at the marina they seem to have some pumps that agitate the water, likely to keep the ice at bay. Anyone know the purpose?

The Packs Arrive!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-10T14:30:00.000-07:00

The 2nd most exciting part of our trip! (The first being something to actually do with hiking ((or for 1/2 of our daring duo, something that rhymes with Wolonial Cilliamsburg)).

We went to the Chaltrek/Ostrom Outdoors store to pick up our new packs for the hike. Very exciting! I've been using nothing but Ostrom packs since about grade 10 but I've never lived out of one so this will be a bit different. Bill put in some extra pouches for our camel packs so no hauling out the nalgenes for us! We got the staves bent to our back shapes and a helpful lesson on how to properly pack the mass (Mass being a better choice of word then weight, because mass means "matter" and weight means "force" - that's a take-home lesson right there folks).

Emily chose a gorgeous combination of teal and pink for pack colours inspired by 80's workout spandex. At least our packs can't be mistakenly picked up by anyone else.

(Note: Yes, I am eating properly, and I don't have a tapeworm. I'm just built skinny like that.)

iPod practice

2009-03-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hi all! Writing this post on my new iPod touch Device. We plan on using it for blogging wherever we can get wireless access. Works well but typing is slow.

A Minor Setback

2009-03-08T10:11:00.001-07:00

Most have probably heard this already but Emily had a "slight" accident during her BASE jumping class that she was running. You should see the person that she landed on!!! (and by base jumping I mean volleyball). After several trips to the hospital we now know that no bones are broken but the ligaments have been treated like a prisoner on the rack. Em has been icing with care and now has an "aircast" (aka the greatest invention in the world). This might push back our hiking start date a little but we'll see. The biggest impact will be in our training that we planned before the hike (Thoughts about not being able to start training a month in advance? Emily: sad, Matt: ELATED!)

Next week is March Break where we'll be prepping like crazy. More posts to come then.

Trip Planning Starts in Earnest

2009-02-24T10:04:00.000-08:00

It really feels like we're going now. A box of goodies has arrived from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy with maps, guidebooks etc, although we are still waiting on our membership package apparently sent out months ago. We've also dug out all the books and most maps sent from family. Lots to read and do. The food prep and mailing of packages will be the most daunting parts. Em is an excellent planner and has started logging probably daily stops and mileage for as far as out current maps take us. She's also had her first trail anxiety dream which must mean that it's really happening.

Matt Makes a Trip to M.E.C.

2009-02-24T09:49:00.001-08:00

This past week I was in Toronto for a variety of reasons (job fair the weekend before, visiting Sky-Wendy-Elli, friend's wedding, visiting with my good friend Chris Bosh etc) and made the pilgrimage to the MECca of outdoor gear (good pun hey?). Sky and Wendy gave Em and I the best Christmas present possible; a gift certificate for trail stuff. Excellent because we don't need more "stuff" with the lone exception of cool gear! I got a sleeping bag, tent footprint, hiking boots, and a camp pillow.

And so it begins...

2009-02-24T09:43:00.001-08:00

First official blog post! That must mean that the trip is coming up faster than either of us expected. So much to do and ... um.... a fairly reasonable amount of time to do it in (2 months and a bit). This is more than enough for Efficient Emily and far less than enough for Procrastinating Matt (I tried to keep the alliteration going there but thesaurus.com tells me that there is no synonym for "procrastination" that starts with "m"... sigh). Hopefully between the two of us we will have everything ready to go in time:)

More posts to come soon.

-M.