Mother's Day Hike

Part of my Mother's Day present this year was 12 miles on the Potowatami Trail. Cindy and I hiked a few hours while Jay and Pete occupied the kids. The intent was to use this day partly as a getaway but also as a sort of final attempt at preparing for our Appalachian Trail trip, which is looming large before us. We leave in less than a week. So we both wore our packs today while we hiked, and I must admit, mine felt heavy, even at under 25 pounds. I am trying desperately to go as ultralight as possible, but to really accomplish that I'm going to have to start replacing some of my old gear -- which is impractical this time around. So I'm working with what I have, and cutting down to the bare minimum. I am even taking my external frame backpack this time which, though it looks a little retro, is almost four pounds lighter than my internal frame. We'll see how things go with that.

I'm a little nerved up about the Smokies trip. There are a lot of bears there. And the terrain is rough. I feel like a weenie. I hope I make it.