Wednesday, May 4, 2011

A Rainy Day: A good day to hike

A pre-trip report (in sorts)

 September will soon be upon us. Yep, September...why would I write a blog about September in May? Let me explain. This coming September, I intend on thru-hiking the Long Trail in it's entirety. 275 miles of glorious Vermont over a 30 day period. This has been a life-long dream and now I am finally in a position to actually make it happen. I never realized that the logistics of planning a thru-hike could be so time consuming, tiring, and at times, frustrating. Strapping on a backpack and placing one foot in front of the other seems to me like it will be the easy part. My brain is actually quite knackered trying not to forget the smallest details.

As I write this blog, it is raining. Not a downpour nor a light mist. Just a steady, cold, damp rain. I hate rain. Don't like it. Never did. I stay out of it as much as possible.Would it ever be possible for an Autumn month in Vermont be precipitation free? I doubt it so I should accept the fact that I will be trudging through the rain at some point during this adventure. I love the snow. Isn't rain just warm snow? I could think of it that way. 

With April being a washout and I didn't get out as much as I wanted to, I figured I ought to start May out right by getting the feet moving. So I thought to myself, "Self, you spend a lot of time trying to plan this hike among others. Why are you avoiding the rain? It's going to happen whether you like it or not. You have the right gear to be in it. Your not going to melt." It all seemed good enough for me to make the decision to plan a quick, spur of the moment over-nighter in the rain. Besides, I just picked up a new tent and sleeping bag that I am itching to check out.

Why did I call this a pre-trip report or why would I even write one? Simple enough. Now I'm obligated to pack up and git....regardless of the rain. Actual trip report to follow in a few days. Happy trails!

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