An official Appalachian Trail update.
Item: I have an official tentative date to start: March 7. It's a Monday. I might start a little later since my friend Kirsten (a cagey trail veteran) is going to be my guide for the first couple weeks and I need to coordinate with her schedule.
Item: I've decided to probably go off my meds when I take to the trail. I'll be too busy to be depressed, and will probably have minimal insurance anyway. I'm meeting with my doctor Friday and we'll talk about it.
Item: I now have a pack and a sleeping bag. My sister bought me the bag and my father got the pack for me at goodwill. The pack has a nice light frame and is small enough for lightweight hiking, which is what most people try to do for the trail. It may fall apart after three days, but what sort of AT hiker would I be if I didn't have at least one major equipment failure? The bag is only rated to 35 degrees, which might be too cold, but if I can get a liner or vapor barrier for it, I might be okay. Coincidentally, even though they haven't spoken for years, each decided to buy these things in the most shockingly hideous shade of Kraft-macaroni-and-cheese yellow. Psychic connection? Oh well, at least if I die in a snowbank my corpse will be easy to locate.
Item: Like a dumbass, I still haven't bought my boots. Those things need to be broken in, moron! Get started! Also, I'm undecided as to tent vs tarp and sterno vs propane stove. Anyone have any recommendation? Sterno doesn't burn hot, but it's cheap, light, and easy to carry. Propane burns hot and clean, but you have to carry those massive coleman tanks for it. Plus propane stoves are larger than sterno ones, and there are more parts to malfunction.
Well, that's all for now kids. I promise something more interesting after this weekend. It's a long one. I'm using my two float holidays that I got screwed out of on Christmas and New Year's. Those plus MLK day makes a five day weekend! Maybe I'll go see some music or paint something. Write me some comments. I get lonely easy.
Item: I have an official tentative date to start: March 7. It's a Monday. I might start a little later since my friend Kirsten (a cagey trail veteran) is going to be my guide for the first couple weeks and I need to coordinate with her schedule.
Item: I've decided to probably go off my meds when I take to the trail. I'll be too busy to be depressed, and will probably have minimal insurance anyway. I'm meeting with my doctor Friday and we'll talk about it.
Item: I now have a pack and a sleeping bag. My sister bought me the bag and my father got the pack for me at goodwill. The pack has a nice light frame and is small enough for lightweight hiking, which is what most people try to do for the trail. It may fall apart after three days, but what sort of AT hiker would I be if I didn't have at least one major equipment failure? The bag is only rated to 35 degrees, which might be too cold, but if I can get a liner or vapor barrier for it, I might be okay. Coincidentally, even though they haven't spoken for years, each decided to buy these things in the most shockingly hideous shade of Kraft-macaroni-and-cheese yellow. Psychic connection? Oh well, at least if I die in a snowbank my corpse will be easy to locate.
Item: Like a dumbass, I still haven't bought my boots. Those things need to be broken in, moron! Get started! Also, I'm undecided as to tent vs tarp and sterno vs propane stove. Anyone have any recommendation? Sterno doesn't burn hot, but it's cheap, light, and easy to carry. Propane burns hot and clean, but you have to carry those massive coleman tanks for it. Plus propane stoves are larger than sterno ones, and there are more parts to malfunction.
Well, that's all for now kids. I promise something more interesting after this weekend. It's a long one. I'm using my two float holidays that I got screwed out of on Christmas and New Year's. Those plus MLK day makes a five day weekend! Maybe I'll go see some music or paint something. Write me some comments. I get lonely easy.
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I think my mother would have been happy if I had been having sex. She always let my boyfriends sleep over and would encourage me to kiss them. One memorable occassion, we were eating ice cream, and he had some around his mouth and I noted it, and my mother said "why don't you kiss it off?" I was appalled. Mothers don't say things like that. Plus, most of the drinking I did before I was 21 was done with my parents at my house. If I refused wine at dinner they would get all confused and pushy. It was kind of funny.
Anyway, yeah, I am kind of picky about my friends, but it's only because I don't want to have a huge list of people I don't talk to or don't really like or can't remember. But you're also right that we've talked, and I think you seem like a cool guy, so if you ask I'll accept you.