We’ve had some epic snowfall here in Eugene, OR this past week… over a foot, which shuts this town down. In Colorado, that’s nothing, but without plows, and trees that break huge branches off under the weight, the roads are impassable and the power is out for much of the city. So far we’ve been lucky, but rather than training, I’ve been doing research for the hike. On the plus side, I put on ALL of the clothes I am planning on taking and went tromping around in the snow and found myself to be comfortable while not very active and overly hot while exerting myself. It was good to validate the layers I’ve purchased.

After getting my old sleeping bag back from getting the zipper repaired, I’m down to the final punch list on equipment. Some trekking poles are the last big purchase I’m planning. Over the last 6 months or so my knees have been creaking a bit, so I’ve been icing them, stretching, and trying to get my strength up before I face the dreaded stairs on the approach trail. Some good poles will be very handy, and anything I can do to take the weight off until I’ve built up the muscles will help out my knees. While there are many factors that could cause me challenges, my knees are the ones I’m most aware of at the moment. The best I can do is plan to take it slow at first.

I’ve started planning some resupply drops to send to myself. While I’ve seen people on both sides of the spectrum, from planning literally dozens of packages for themselves to literally depending entirely on resources along the way, I’ve decided to put together 6 to 8 boxes to send to strategic points where resupply is limited or expensive.

I’ve been dehydrating a lot of food and packaging it with oxygen absorbers in vacuum-sealed zipper lock bags to preserve freshness as long as possible. I’ve made probably 10 lbs of jerky so far (dries down to less than 2 lbs maybe), including a wet marinade and dry rub. I’ve dehydrated several bags of frozen peas and other veggies just to supplement all the mashed potatoes, couscous, pasta, and other carbs. They’re not very calorie dense, but super lightweight and I think I will enjoy having them. I’m planning on making a big pot of chili and trying my hand at dehydrating that. Some dried apples with brown sugar and cinnamon will be awesome to snack on or add to morning oatmeal. I’m definitely getting my money out of this food dehydrator!

That’s all for now. Next post I hope to get all my equipment together in one spot for a photo.