Potential Credentials

I'll keep it a buck, I have sensitive skin. My reactions to bug bites are impressive and I burn easily. I'm currently sporting a rash of unknown origin. Benadryl and a quarter tube of hydrocortisone I scooped from a hiker box. The trail provides. See above the top of the approach trail hike at Amicalola  By late February, everything was packed -my hiking bag and a 2 day duffel for the trip down. My base weight was over by 20%, and my knee was stiff. Hopefully just the cold Buffalo air. The night before leaving for Chattanooga, I stayed up late to watch tv and eat ice cream, and thought about the distinct possibility of failure. Are ideal conditions unrealistic expectations? The hiking routine has symmetry, which pleases me. Wake up, eat, pack up, hike, set up, eat, sleep. My body speaks to me in many ways, and I acknowledge these voices out loud when I'm hiking alone. The blogs and books don't talk about the joint pain nearly enough. If I validate my pain ma...

About a week out from departure, I woke up from a 12 hour nap, and things felt a little more...serious Maybe it's because I've passed the time horizon of my normal Buffalo stay. Maybe it's because my "final" to do list has only grown. Maybe it's because I realized just how cold it's going to be in Tennessee (well below freezing). I know from experience that freezing in your tent overnight is a bad time. I upgraded my sleep system so I don't fall on my face right out of the gate, but I have no choice except to welcome the uncomfortable situations I'll find myself in.  Otherwise, this is not going to be fun at all. For 11 months, I've made list after list of what to do next in order to be as prepared as possible. W hen I got back home, I made what I thought was a final list of preparatory tasks. Predictably, but to my annoyance, that just exploded into more things to do. Dehydrating food turns into buying a vacuum sealer turns into buying boxes t...

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