Happily Unemployed

I up and quit my job. I was going to be leaving in a week and a half anyhow, but I wanted the extra time off. I won't be looking at another paycheck for 6 months. Fortunately I still have my tax return in my future.

Now I have to focus full time on taking care of all the details around planning my hike. Planning is not my forte, and details are gremlins to me. I have to think not just about the hike - where to send food and maps, but also think about other things like registering the VW now because the official time to register it will be while I'm still on the trail.

I recall the natural high I'd get when I was in grade school and I'd get out the last day for summer vacation. That trend carried right up through college when I was in my early 20's. It's a pattern that's hard to imagine doing without later in life. The 1-2 weeks of vacation most jobs offer is really only a tease. It's never enough for me.

I've been asked when I leave. I don't have a hard date set. I'll be heading out when I get everything done. I know that I'll be starting the trail on April 24. I'll be spending time with friends as I make my way to the Left Coast.

Fully Loaded and Half Cocked

I have finally found the right backpack for the next long-distance hike. I loaded it with every bit of gear I need to make sure it would actually all fit.

Here's the stats:

Base weight: about 21 pounds

With food and water: about 37 pounds

I'm including 2 quarts of water in this measurement, but there will be many sections where I carry twice that amount or more.

At present, the loaded weight is about one quarter of my body weight which is a reasonable amount to carry. As I loose weight the pack weight will creep up to about one third my weight which as a rule of thumb is about the most one should carry. I'm not quite sure how losing fat around my waist means that I should carry less in my pack, but that's the rule of thumb.

Life On The Farm

I'm farm sitting for Nate while he's in Texas with the Mrs. visiting her family. They go once a year about this time because when there's been nothing but cold and snow for months on end she gets homesick for the warmth and sun of Texas. Ironically it was snowing there last night. It was probably warmer here since it was raining.

Taking care of the farm entails feeding and providing water for all the animals - pigs, goats, rabbits, chickens, and cattle. The thing that requires the most time is milking one cow, Isabelle. It's not all that difficult, it just takes time. The most remarkable thing though is how hard it is to get the smell of "cow" off my hands afterward. I've washed them about 6 times now and need to try again.

A side note: The bulls name is Isabull.

Tired of Shoveling Snow

For those of you that aren't in NH, we are about 10 inches away from setting an all time record for the most inches of snow to fall in a winter. That means a lot of shoveling. I shoveled and used a snow blower for 7 hours yesterday. The banking beside the driveway is so high now that I had to knock it down a bit so the snow blower could get the snow over it. It's the first time this year I've resorted to using the snow blower. I don't want to pollute for what can be done by hand. But after pulling the snow off 2 roofs I had a 4-foot deep cone of snow in the driveway of packed snow.
Today I shoveled the roof of a large home with many dormers, valleys and a wraparound porch. It took me 6 solid hours of shoveling to remove the snow. I'm exhausted. I'd be OK if I don't have to do this again this winter.

The Date's Been Set

I now know what day I'll begin hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. The annual kick off gathering will be held on April 25th thru 27th at Lake Morena County Park. The gathering is held 20 miles north of the starting point on the Mexican border, so I'll be starting on the 24th.

I plan on driving west and visiting people along the way so I'll be leaving at the end of March. I don't have a date set in stone for that yet.

I have most my equipment and only a few more things to get.

Went Skiing Today

My sister, Beth, and I went skiing at Attitash today. It was on the cold side, but the conditions were great. The mountain was practically deserted, so the snow didn't get skied off and there was never a wait at the lift.

Fun With Flickr

I've been spending more time uploading my photos to my flickr account lately: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7663945@N05/ . I've been having a good time getting the photos on-line but it's harder than I thought to get them viewed. Hopefully things will change and more people will find them of interest.

Snow Snow Everywhere Is Snow

I don't recall the last time I saw it snow this often or this much. It reminds me of when I was a kid. I've got to go out and shovel it some more. I think I'll be shoveling all day tomorrow at work.

I took the opportunity to wander around a bit with my camera two days ago. I'm hoping that this new snow will provide even more photo ops.

This was frost on the inside of my bedroom window up until a few weeks ago. It seems that the storm windows aren't up to the task of blocking cold. I had to put a plastic barrier inside as well. It's better, but still plenty cold. At least there's not ice on the plastic.

Flickr Account

More and more the website Tribe has been out of service. As a business it's on hard times and that's effecting the performance. I've been using Tribe as the primary place to display and share my photos. Yesterday I did what I've been meaning to do for a long time and posted my photos on my flickr account. The link is in the right hand column------>

Many of the photos are ones I've posted in Tribe but there are already some new ones as well. Flickr is where I'll also be posting most of my new stuff.