Two weeks from tomorrow is still my target date to start the AT despite the recent return of nasty weather. I hope winter is blasting itself out and things will be mild come the start of spring. Today I did my first complete gear check to see what I may still need before I go. I think I'm ready. The first picture is all my stuff and the second picture is what it looks like when it's all packed. Pack weight before water is 32 pounds which is not bad with five days' of food plus winter gear. I will shed a couple of pounds when the weather is warmer but I'm not sacrificing comfort (such as it is) for a pound or two of savings. Thank you to those of you who have offered recommendations for my trail name. I think I'm going to wait until I have been on the trail a few days before I settle on one. Give myself a chance to shift into "wilderness" mode and see what resonates then. Keep those suggestions coming, though.


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