six more weeks

alien circles in the middle of myakka

rooted area from the wild boars

another sunday hike at myakka. my father-in-law and i took the same 5.5 mile round trip as last weekend. i loaded up 36 pounds in my backpack and we did the 5.5 miles in an hour and fourty minutes with a 10 minute break at the halfway point. we kept a fast pace the entire time. all of the previously dry creek beds were now full of water since the summer rains started. we saw some deer, hawks, and squirrels. i started the hike trying to use my new trekking poles, but they were useless on a level surface, fast pace hike. i feel comfortable at this weight and this distance, but this hike represents half of a typical day on the wct and the wct has beach/sand walking, ladders, mud, hills, etc. that i'm not experiencing.

more gear

i received my Eureka Backcountry I solo tent and Kelty Light Year 40 sleeping bag from internet purchases. also armed with a $25 of $1o0 coupon from Sports Authority, i bought Columbia Titanium convertible pants, Columbia long sleeve fleece shirt, seam sealer for my tent, and Frogg Togg Dri Ducks rain gear.

i am trying to finalize my gear list and look at food options. i will need to consume 3,000+ calories each day so i need to find the lightest, semi-healthy options. i am thinking about cereal premixed with dry milk with added dehydrated fruit in individual zip locks (just add water) for breakfast with some VIA instant Starbucks coffee, Cliff bars and trail mix for morning and afternoon snacks, bagels, peanut butter, sausage, and instant soup for lunch, and a combination of dehydrated meals and ramen with the chicken in a pouch for dinners. i need to start doing some taste testing to make sure i will be satisfied during and after a grueling day of hiking.

roots-I rich-I

i went to myakka park sunday with my father-in-law. i loaded the backpack with my new platypus and some weights and came in at just over 30 lbs. it rained for seven days straight this past week so i thought i might be sloshing through some mud, but it was pretty dry. we saw several wild boars and there was evidence of them everywhere. the trail and the surrounding land was rooted-up pretty good. we got a scare when something jumped in 6' tall prarie grass as we passed. it was about 15 vultures dining on something. they had stirred a bee hive and we had to run past this area. my father-in-law was a little nervous about our "wilderness hike" at this point and brought out his swiss army knife.....only this knife was two inches long and thirty years old. it might have buttered bread but that's about it. we went 2.7 miles to a remote campsite, had a cliff bar, and came back. 5.5 miles round trip in an hour and fourty minutes and i felt pretty good....i even managed to keep my feet up and avoid the roots this time.

eight weeks to go....

i received my boots and backpack in the mail this week. the boots are huge but fit good. my size 14 weighs 1 lb 2 oz more than the listed size nine (3 lb 4 oz vs. 2lb 2oz). i got in a 45-minute run midweek. my company had their annual fishing tournament saturday and we had a birthday party on sunday..... so i didn't make it to the trail this week but loaded the pack with 30 pounds of erin's dumbell weights and headed to the gym. i walked an hour on the treadmill and 10 minutes on the stairclimber. the weight was overwelming at first and was the only thing i could think about. i'm not sure i completely understand all the adjustments on my backpack but, once i do, i should be able to wear the pack better. soon i tuned it out and the time when quick. it has been three hours since this hike and my lower back is feeling it. we will test it out on myakka trail this coming memorial day weekend.

i found out this week that the trip will require a passport (travel to canada requires a passport starting 6/1/09). i submitted my application on friday.

roots-I rich-0

i went to myakka park saturday morning to get out of the gym and onto a real trail. my new pack and boots won't arrive until next friday, so dug out my old jansport college backpack and loaded it with 12 pounds of water and towels and headed out. there are 39 miles of trails with stops at 6 camp grounds. i decided to hike to the mossy hammock campsite and back. the trail was awesome....it wove through a forest of old oak trees with a few brief diversions through some old florida prairie. i saw deer, turkey, eagles, and roots....the old oak trees' roots snaked across the trail and didn't seem very threatening, but after about 30-40 trips and stumbles, they got my attention. i hiked about five miles in 1 hour and 40 minutes and felt good. i'm looking forward to getting my gear this week and exploring more of myakka's trails.

new boots

i ordered my new boots today from moosepaw.com (Vasque Breeze LT GTX). the listed weight is 2lb 2oz but is based on a size 9....i wonder what a size 14 weighs. i can't wait to start breaking them in...

my new backpack.....

i just purchased my backpack, sleeping pad, and platypus water storage online and should have them next week. i am going for lightweight comfort, if that is possible, so i selected one of the lightest ~60L internal frame backpacks (Osprey Exos 58 L = 2lb 10oz)....but i went with the Big Agnes Air Core L inflatable sleeping pad (22 oz) for a comfortable night's sleep.

quote from wct alum

"Just did the trip (N to S) in July. WCT is one tough trail. Heading N to S the first 50 K (out of 75) are fairly reasonable. Lots of beach walking, ladders, cable cars, mud and scenary. Those 50 K put you 1/2 way through the rigors of the trail and could be hiked by an experienced lightweight hiker in trail runners etc. (probably only get sucked off your feet 3 or 4 times over the 50 K). The last 25 K (N to S) are a different animal. Mud holes the size of footballfields, marsh crossings on collapsing wooden boardwalks, 65 degree clay bank climbs using ropes to pull yourself up, 300 ft Sitka Spruce roots that rise 3 ft. mid trail, a mile of beach boulders the size of VW's covered with seaweed and green algae, ladders, ladders, ladders, surge pool leaping, tide poolo skirting, 7 ft mid trail waterfalls requiring class 3 climbing tech., and a couple hundred thousand wet rocks to make sure the footing is NEVER flat or evenly placed."

Training - Day One

i made it 1 1/2 hours on the treadmill with an 8-15 degree incline and felt pretty good. i read somewhere that you should complete 5-10 hikes from 2 to 6 hours wearing 50 to 110 percent of your pack weight.....which will be alot of time at the local gym wearing a backpack on a treadmill.... since there isn't a ton of close hiking options in florida.

later we went to a local outfitter to start looking at gear. i need to get my boots and backpack quickly so i can start breaking in the boots and start putting weight on my back. i tried on three different boots and two backpacks, but am still searching online reviews and options. i want to go as lightweight as possible on the hike.....comfort is #1, but weight of the gear is a close #2. the outfitter shared with me a trail map of myakka state park....there are over 39 miles of trails within a 30 minute drive....who knew....this gives me a better weekend option than the gym.

Reservation Complete

a month ago my friend chris mentioned that he would be unable to go to vegas as planned for our yearly fantasy football guys weekend. he said the other members were bailing and he had a better plan....the west coast trail (wct). i googled the wct and found youtube videos and blogs of trips and instantly fell in love with it. the west coast trail is located on west coast of vancover island and is 75 km long. there are forest trails and beach trails that parallel one another and your team has to pick their route based on tide tables and weather condition. it is only 52 hikers are allowed on the trail per day (26 start in each direction). reservations are released three months in advance on the 1st of the month, so the entire month of july was released on may 1st at 8 AM PST. chris and i called for 60 minutes before chris got through. we reserved five spots for july 11th starting at the south end (port renfrew) and going north (bamfield). the south end is the tougher end to start with tons of mud fields, climbs over fallen trees and twisted roots, and tons of ladders. let the training begin.......