Ursack

My $80 bullet proof bearbag arrived today. Thankfully, it looks like I am now set with all of my major gear purchases. My food situation is just about resolved. Just a few minor adjustments here and there, and it will be ready to be shipped out via the mail. I tested out my new water filter today and it seems to work just fine. I packed up my pack with most of the bulky items just to see how it feels. I am a little worried about the amount of weight I am carrying. I really hope my foot can handle the constant pounding it will surely endure on the trail.

Hopefully it will be a non-issue. I remember when I hiked the Long Trail, I was really worried about how my lower back was going to handle the trip because I had never done a long distance hike before. I distinctly remember the parking lot where I parked my car and it was over 90 degrees when I arrived. I tried to scarf done two peanut butter sandwiches in the parking lot and I remember feeling like I couldn't swallow, my mouth was so dry. I ended up drinking most of my water before reaching the trail head. I remember walking down the neighborhood streets with my pack on concentrating on the feeling of my lower back, trying to get a sense of what, if anything, was happening to my disc. As soon as I reached the trail head, that was the least of my worries. I basically was out of water and as soon as I entered the forest, I was swarmed by mosquitoes. I remember feeling like I was getting eaten alive. Soon I was feeling dehydrated as well. I must have looked like a sorry sight to 2 girls who were just finishing the trail hiking the opposite direction. When I saw them I basically begged them for any water they might have had. They were so excited to be finishing they gave me what they felt they could spare. Temporarily relieved, I continued on in the 90 degree heat. Again I was thirsting for water. I remember having to hike another six miles before I finally reached my first stream. Never in my life had I felt so excited, relieved, and on top of the world as when I heard the water trickling down the stream bed a few hundred feet away. It was the best water I had ever tasted. It was also a moment when I realized that I was going to be OK, and I didn't even notice my back. I still had a lot to learn. In fact, that night, I ended up camping in the woods off the trail because I couldn't find the shelter that was supposedly on the map. When I woke up the next day and started hiking, the sign for the shelter was only a couple hundred feet down the trail.