This is the year Byron and I make 15 years. FIFTEEN YEARS! And we are going to celebrate! This summer we're going to hike to Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon. The reservations are already made. We plan on making it all the way to the bottom of the Canyon and back. We took the girls there last year and hiked a couple of miles down the Bright Angel Trail and knew, we have to come back and hike to the bottom. I'm not entirely foreign to self supported trips. Byron and I biked the entire Natchez Trace (452 miles) totally self supported on touring bikes in nine days. We camped anywhere we could find a suitable spot off the road. That experience could fill an entire blog for quite a while. It was a very positive confidence boosting trip, and banished a lot of fears.
At the outfitters we met a man who was very knowledgeable, very very knowledgeable, more knowledgeable than reasonable about hiking boots. He helped us pick out the perfect boots. The Vasque Switchbacks just felt right and since the knowledgeable man said they were a great pair of boots, I bought them. A nice young lady who hikes a lot in Alaska and mountainous areas gave us some really good advice about backpacks. I have a very small torso so after trying on several nice bags that were too big, I tried on the Aura 50 and it was just right. I felt like Goldilocks in Baby Bear's Chair. Shopping at specialty stores leaves you feeling like, Maybe I paid a little to much, but I won't be buying it again because I got it right the first time.
Got the gear, and now I gotta train. Yesterday I shoved my sleeping bag into the pack and put on my boots. Byron and I went for a short hike to try out our new gear. I'm sure the neighbors were wondering how two wandering backpackers wound up on this forsaken spot of levee. To my mom and others who worry about us attempting this trip: I do solemnly promise to train consistently and learn every little shred of information about back country hiking I possibly can.
Now, I'm going to do some planting!
At the outfitters we met a man who was very knowledgeable, very very knowledgeable, more knowledgeable than reasonable about hiking boots. He helped us pick out the perfect boots. The Vasque Switchbacks just felt right and since the knowledgeable man said they were a great pair of boots, I bought them. A nice young lady who hikes a lot in Alaska and mountainous areas gave us some really good advice about backpacks. I have a very small torso so after trying on several nice bags that were too big, I tried on the Aura 50 and it was just right. I felt like Goldilocks in Baby Bear's Chair. Shopping at specialty stores leaves you feeling like, Maybe I paid a little to much, but I won't be buying it again because I got it right the first time.
Got the gear, and now I gotta train. Yesterday I shoved my sleeping bag into the pack and put on my boots. Byron and I went for a short hike to try out our new gear. I'm sure the neighbors were wondering how two wandering backpackers wound up on this forsaken spot of levee. To my mom and others who worry about us attempting this trip: I do solemnly promise to train consistently and learn every little shred of information about back country hiking I possibly can.
Now, I'm going to do some planting!
2 comments:
I knew you two should not have been left alone yesterday...lol
And yes we worry, but i do know you will do your homework, and of course have a great trip......
Enjoy dude! Well we are also going for our favorite hiking trails this summer. Just got all hiking equipment and boots from Backcountry Outlet.
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