ajcajonel

For the past eight years, I have worn a military uniform, but come 1 May, I am a free man bound for Washington, DC - and believe me, I'm counting the days. On my back, I will carry the gear that I have researched and acquired over the past calendar year. Within days of my arrival, I will start my thru hike of the Appalachian Trail.

I had planned to begin a traditional thru-hike starting in February or March, but things in the Army never pan out as anticipated - consequently, this delay provided me the time and intellectual space to resource a large portion of my food along the trail. I plan to walk it in the spirit of Earl Shaffer and Ray Jardine - one, to walk the Army out of his system, and the other, to enjoy nature without frills while still eating simply and nutritiously.

I plan to allocate myself 4-5 months to hike the Trail: north to Maine, flight to DC, south to Georgia - I'm a junkie for logistics, and an endurance athlete / adrenaline junkie (that's logistics).

I believe I have all of the gear I need and am currently testing my gear and modifying it as necessary. I am taking a Gossamer Mariposa pack and associated lightweight / UL equipment.

My problem set now is one of sufficiently resourcing food. I have perhaps an overly ambitious goal, which is to prepare all of my own meals from scratch. I've purchased a dehydrator and keep it running around the clock on fruits and vegetables. I plan to use it to dehydrate cooked beans of all varieties too, and have an abundance of rice and grains coming my way too. I just need to figure out how many boxes to send and when... I'm constrained by the fact that my husband will ship my packages to the trail from his military post office in Germany, which adds substantive time to deliveries.

I plan to leave 10-12 pounds of pack weight for food and water, but will have my total weight allowance sorted out within the next few weeks.

And a few questions - how much preparation is too much preparation? Are my ambitions too ambitious? Is relying on food drops every seven days unfeasible? I suppose I will find out.

Whatever happens, I'm very excited to return to America and begin the Trail that has so long captured my aspirations. It's about time.