Our Worldly Possessions for the Next 5 Months

This is the gear that we'll be carrying and using on our trip:

General personal items:
backpack, REI Halo 25 degree sleeping bag, silk bag liner, foam sleeping pad, top and bottom long johns, hiking pants and hiking long-sleeved shirt, 2 pairs of underwear, 2 pairs of hiking socks, 1 pair of sleeping socks, wind/insulated jacket, down vest (Maya gets cold more easily!), rain jacket and pants, buffs, wool hat, gloves, sunglasses, sun hat, food stuff sack, sleeping bag stuff sack, trekking poles, spoon, origami bowl, toothbrush, headlamp, crocks, and water bladder.

Shared items:
Tent, pocket rocket stove, fuel, pot, bear bag rope, first aid kit, bleach (for water purification), ipood trowel, guide books, small journal, constellations guide, compass, camera, and Spot satellite communication device. We'll also use these items for sections of the trip: bear cannister, and microspikes.


    

Our First Trail Angel

We met our first trail angel on our first day here in California. He is our biggest fan yet! We were minding our own business while shopping for our first two weeks of food at the local Trader Joe's when one of the friendly sales associates come up to us and asked us if we were finding everything okay. I guess by the look of what we were buying he asked if we were going camping. When we told him what we were doing, he reacted like he had won the lottery; he was so excited. He had just decided that day to hike the John Muir Trail so he had a LOT of questions for us which constantly distracted us, thus prolonging our shopping experience to almost a painful state. This didn't just happen once, he came up again, and again, and again with more questions and massive amounts of excitement for us. Excitement is contagious and, well it did really bring our spirits up. In fact, he was so excited he brought over flowers for us to enjoy before we started our adventure. That's right, we got flowers from our Trader Joe's fan! Trader Joe's--You're Awesome!

Made it to California

Yesterday we woke feeling as though we had been victims of inception.  Our crazy idea has come true and now it is time to start the adventure.  We landed in California with no incident, though layovers officially suck.  Our California welcome was an old friend's big smiling face.  After a long day of travel we met up with more friends and soaked up the last rays of the sun for the day (its not raining!!) as we ate dinner. The next few days in L.A. will be spent taking care of the last preparations for our trip and enjoying the finer things of civilization, like showers!   

First Donation for the Highlands Conservancy!

We were notified today that the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy received their first donation: 1 cent per mile ($26.50)!
Thank you on behalf of the Highlands Conservancy.
Be the next!

Countdown--10 days 'til California!

It is coming up soon! Just 10 days left until we fly to California. We've still got a fair bit of prep work to do before we are ready, but it is all coming together. A lot of friends and coworkers have had a lot of questions about the upcoming trip that we'd like to share so you know the answers too.
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Here's a typical conversation: 

Q: Are you going to sleep in a tent the whole time? A: Yes, aside from sporadic visits to civilization to resupply on food...
Q: Are you going to pack heat (or a knife or bear mace)? A: No. (If I were going into the inner city, then maybe...)
Q: Aren't you worried about bears and mountain lions? I've heard of a lot of attacks in California. A: No. We are taking precautions as necessary and know what to do if that situation arises.
Q: Are you at least going to carry a cell phone? You know, just in case something bad happens, like an attack from the aforementioned bear/mountain lion? A: No. But we will have a device that can send out a signal just in case...
Q: Now how did you say this was going to take? A: 5 months if all goes well. 
(By this point in the conversation I think the inquirer begins to think we really are off our rockers! )

Just to clear the air though: Both Garrett and I have put in a lot of backpacking adventures together and Garrett is an outdoor professional, so he literally has spent just as much time sleeping in a tent over the last two years as he has spent sleeping under a roof.
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Thank you everyone for all of your warm wishes! We are excited to start this special experience together. Stay Tuned!

The PCT is designated as a National Scenic Trail by the U.S. Forest Service and crosses through several types of federal lands including:

33 federally mandated wildernesses
24 national forests and
7 national parks
3 national monuments

Total miles: 2,650 miles
Average miles hiked per day: 20 miles