I loaded up the pack this weekend, laced up my new Merrill Moabs, and headed down to the rolling TN hills on my Dad's farm to give my legs a little workout. I'll admit that I got a little winded up the first hill and started wondering if I would be able to haul myself over endless mountains for six months. It didn't take long to get into my stride though and I'm feeling pretty good about my pack weight. The cattle were very curious about my pack and before too long I had a whole heard of longhorns following me around. Thankfully, the wildlife on the AT doesn't have horns and weigh 2,000 lbs!
It was great to get out and haul my pack around for a bit and I'm confident that I'm in good enough shape to start my hike. I did have some trouble with the Merrill Moab trail shoes and ended up returning them to REI today. The sole is a little narrow and protruded into my heel. It HURT! That's the last piece of gear I need and I'm running out of ideas.
** 2/21/11 UPDATE: I ended up with a pair of Patagonia Drifter AC trail shoes and absolutely LOVE them. They're quite possibly the most comfortable shoes Ive ever had on my feet... Looking forward to logging A LOT of miles in them.
Correction... There ARE horned animals that way a ton on the AT and you'd better have a camera ready if and when you see one.. Moose are cruisin' around the north from Vermont up :)
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to following your adventure here. Hike safe and have fun. See ya in 6 months!