A Glimpse Into The Mind Of A Future Thru-hiker (Final Countdown)

This will be my final entry before embarking on my journey. Time is running out and I still have so much to do. Just yesterday it seemed like this day would never come… Now its coming at me like me a freight train. It’s only 3 weeks before my start date and things are actually starting to fall into place. I have managed to save approx. $2,500 for my trip, and to be completely honest, I’m dying to quit my job and hit the trail!

A Serious Case Of  “Short-timers” Syndrome…

I have never been more ready for anything in my entire life. Working as a server for the past six months has caused me to lose all faith in humanity. When I’m not getting $3 tips on hundred dollar checks, or forced to run around like an idiot because somebody called out, I rather enjoy being stalked and slandered by one of my psycho coworkers. It’s made for an interesting pastime. She just about had an aneurysm when I got awarded “Employee of The Month” before she did… Oh wait… She hasn’t got it at all yet 😉
Truth is I’m used to it. Nobody likes an overachiever… but I just so happen to wake up every morning and piss awesomeness. Lately, I been trying to pinch it off so I can save some of that awesomeness for later… It’s gonna be a long journey. ( This is all sarcasm btw… I’m way too shy in real life to actually be conceited.)
Aside from ending my job I have been wrapping up the details. Thoughts of planning my first stretch, making bump boxes, packing up my life, final second gear swaps, testing gear, making videos, and networking are all running through my head at warp speed.

Got Dat Social Networking On Lock…

Very excited to be sharing my story with all you awesome people at Thetrek.co , I also plan to vlog my journey on YouTube! You can find my channel by clicking the link to the video. At the end of the trip I will use all my footage to make a documentary.
Even biggers news: Bloggers at Thetrek that also plan on vlogging, may have the opportunity to have their footage shown in a miniseries! So there may be some very exciting stuff going down this year!

Meet The A-Team…

It turns out that not all my friends are as reclusive as they appear to be. My friend Jonathan and his son Caid have decided to step away from the comforts of their suburban lifestyle, and join me in the adventure of a lifetime!
I must admit that I am kinda worried they won’t be able to keep up. Jon was military police, and his son was a boy scout, but neither of them have much hiking experience. If they are experiencing too many delays, and being held back by heavy dysfunctional gear, I will have no choice but to press onward. Worst case scenario… I can wait for them at TrailDays lol.

 

Final Gear Changes…

– Astral Sandals ( too heavy)
– Northface Fleece Lined Shell (not needed)
– Mini-thermos (save weight)
– Primus Stove (Too Heavy)
– Ozark Trail 0 Deg mummy bag (only good to 30Deg and heavy)

+ Outdoor Products 40Deg Ultralight Bag
+ MSR Pocket Rocket 2
+ DollarGeneral men’s cordaroy mochasins
+Wakawaka power plus+ Solar panel (size of a cell phone)
+20,000 mAh Anker (With quick charge 3.0 power port)
+ Blog/ Vlog Gear
* RCA 7in Tablet
* Vivatar Waterproof Life cam
* Vivatar Clip-on Spy Cam
* Various Small Mounting Devices
* Anker 20,000 mah
* Cords and memory cards
Final “fully loaded” pack weight (Includes water and 1 weeks food) Approx: 37 lbs

 

Already A False Summit…

Somehow, despite having not left yet, I’m already very proud of myself. I’ve never really tackled anything of this magnitude before. To be able to say I put this all together in less than a year is a big deal for me. I didn’t just plan a trip… I became an adventure blogger, I kicked off my own YouTube channel (and people are actually subscribing!) , I have become public figure, I have sponsorship’s, I might be appearing in a mini series, I buckled down and saved money, and best part of all is that I’m just getting started!
Most importantly… Thank you all so much for all your support! You have no idea how much it means to me. I hope our paths cross one day soon so that I may personally express my high level of gratitude. 

Happy Trails,
Vermont

(Edit:) The Straw That Broke The Camels Back…

I couldn’t take it any more… I quit my job 1 week early. JD, Cade, and I have decided to get a jump start! We leave for Georgia tomorrow April 1st, at 9am! DUUUURRRAANNAMOOOOO!!!! BTW… The Government stole my refund check! My budget has been sliced dramatically 🙁