Amicalola Falls, Georgia

We've arrived! No, no, that's not us hiking the Appalachian Trail
just yet... we are just taking a leisurely stroll up the Approach
Trail to check out this awesome view of Amicalola Falls. We have a
few loose ends left to tie up tomorrow, and since the weather forecast
calls for severe thunderstorms with a bonus tornado watch, we figure
we'll take the extra day and start hiking with the sun on Tuesday.
We did get to weigh our packs today at the Visitors Center - 27 lbs
each! Not too bad, but we are definitely scrutinizing our gear
looking to toss any extra weight!

It’s the FINAL countdown… (da da da dum, da da da da dum)

Wow!  I can not believe that we are leaving for Georgia tomorrow!!!  Its hard to imagine that in less than 2 days I'm going to show up at the beginning of a 2,175-mile trail and start to hike it… its unbelievable and I am so excited!!! 

 

Today has been a day of packing, mailing, weighing gear, and recovering after a great night out with some old friends from Unilever!  Here is a photo of things that will be in my pack as I hike and a list of a few other items in case you were interested in what we are bringing along.

 

Leki trekking poles

North Face Cat's Meow sleeping bag

Thermarest sleeping pads

Pocket Rocket stove – literally smaller than a pair of glasses

Fuel canister

GSI Dualist cookset

Sweet Sea To Summit ultralight flatwear courtesy of the Arch Man

Gregory pack covers

Outdoor Research gaiters

Gregory Deva pack for Aly

Gregory Baltoro pack for Jeff

First aid kit

Journaling material

ShamWows!

Sierra Designs Velox 3 tent

Water purification system

Grandpa's travel cribbage game – oh yeah!

Waterproof bag for food

Clothes… yes, I gave in and I'm taking my down jacket! (for now)

Sweetest fake crocs EVER!!!

Merrell footwear courtesy of our sponsor, Merrell Footwear & Apparel, Inc.

A bunch of other stuff… lol

 

That's all for now folks!!!  Next Stop, Amicalola State Park, Georgia!!!

~Aly

Colusa Sun Herald Articles

This article is a little fuzzy, which makes sense, because it is a scan of one printed in the Colusa Sun Herald back in 1989. Some of you probably recognize the little girls in it but may not remember the story. At the time there was a little girl, my grandfather Milt Bruhn's granddaughter, who was afflicted with Leukemia and needed a transplant. As fourth-graders we decided to try and make a difference by washing cars, selling baked goods at LaLonde's and having a yard sale. This is probably one of the first things I thought of when we decided to do this hike for a cancer charity. Cancer seems to touch everyone I meet in some way or another and it makes me feel really good to be a part of helping out and making a difference in the fight against it.

There should be an article coming out this week (~wednesday) in the Colusa Sun Herald about HikeStrong 2010 and what we are doing with the hike --- check it out if you can!!!

Also, if you would like to make a small donation to our cause in memory of someone you've lost or in honor of someone who's fighting, you can do so securely at our donation page, http://www.livestrong.org/grassroots2010/hikestrong2010

~Aly

Boxes, more boxes and Uhaul's... oh my!!!

Driving down the freeway just outside of Houston... figured now is as good a time as any to catch up on the madness of the past several days.  Only one of the pictures came through from my visit home, but that's ok because it was the most important one... the one with the best mom in the world packing resupply boxes at her house! 

I really had NO IDEA how big a pain in the rear it was trying to guess what food, toiletries and other miscellany we will need a month from now when we hit the trail.  Our plan is a hybrid approach, resupplying in towns and with a dozen or so maildrops from mom with all-important things like vitamins, protein powder and random carb-loaded foodstuffs.  I have to hand it to my mom for being such a champ because it was literally 4 days of non-stop chaos interrupted by me being cranky every so often.  Seriously, my mom is awesome and I thank her so much for all the help and support.

Sooooo, I left home yesterday.  After being stuck in the Denver airport for 5 hours I finally made it home to San Antonio... pretty late at night, which was terrible because that's 5 hours of Mario Bros Wii I didn't get to spend playing with little Philip before I left (don't worry... he woke me up bright and early today to play before school.)  Anywho's, today was a rollercoaster of emotions and a flurry of packing.  After Michelle and Philip left for work the rest of the day was a blur.  Packed my room up, got a Uhaul trailer, found Jeff wandering around the airport, and proceeded to watch his amazing Tetris skills as he magically fit all my earthly possessions in this tin can we are towing down the road.

So, I'm headed up to Connecticut for a bit... then off to hike.  Today was definitely bittersweet... can't stop thinking about my 8 month San Antonio sleepover and how absolutely grateful I am that it happened.  I miss you guys. 

Quote Michelle: "hike? Are you still doing that?"
Lol...
~aly

2000milestogo

Yesterday, I stopped by Walmart to buy a few totes to pack up my stuff for storage.  On my way inside, I noticed a couple fundraising at the entrance.  When I checked out their sign, I could not believe my eyes...it read "A long walk for a good cause. Hiking the Appalachain Trail".  What are the odds of running into another group of Appalachian Trail Charity Hikers outside a Walmart in Guilford, CT?!?  How cool is that!!! 

 

Doug and Stephanie will start their hike on April 4th, just a few days after Aly and I set off on our journey, to benefit the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.  The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp was founded by Paul Newman in 1988 in Ashford, CT to serve children and families coping with cancer and other serious illnesses and conditions.  I wish Doug and Stephanie much success in raising funds for a great cause, and I hope that we'll run into one another again on the trail!   To learn more about Doug, Stephanie, and their charity hike, check out their website:  2000milestogo.com

 

Jeff

Seriously....

We have so many blog posts we want to make!!!  BUT, let me begin with another big "THANK YOU" to the awesome crew at Alamo CrossFit in San Antonio, TX.  You guys changed my life and really made me a believer!  You also gave me a sweet shout-out on your website today.  To check it out go here: http://www.alamocrossfit.com/?p=1446

Thanks again!!!  T-minus 3 weeks until we hit the trail!!!