The 10-mile hike was a success!

I hiked 10 miles on the Washington and Old Dominion bike trail to try out the new pack, which was fully loaded. I was very happy with the pack, but the hike made me realize that I need to get more hiking in before I start the AT, because my feet were killing me when I got done!  I'm planning to go back out to Bear's Den next weekend and get some more real trail miles in.

This is a picture of my copy of the AT Guide, which is the only thing I'm planning to take with me in the way of maps. The Guide shows the elevation profile for the entire trail, with the correct mileage and elevation of shelters, rivers, roads, etc. plus a ton of info about each town that's near or on the trail. It's been really useful for planning the hike. (In terms of providing info, that is...it probably won't stop me from doing dumb things, but at least I don't think I'll be able to blame those dumb things I'm going to do on the Guide!) www.theatguide.com/