Quick, Turn Off The Butane!

O.K. Just to let you know in advance, I'm having one of "those" days and spelling was not one of my better subjects in school, so... here goes. I have been sick with a glandular infection and finally went to the doctors . Needless to say, my hiking prep for a week and a half has been nada, zilch, nothing. I can only clean one house a day but then feel like a 90 year old needing her oxygen tank and wheelchair. Anyway, we did do alittle hiking prep with the crew regarding our kitchen skills, tents, and safety skills. Here's how it went. Here's our stove.
Dan, a.k.a Thunderbolt, lite the stove in our living room to see how easy or hard it would be. No, problem, it's very easy to use just don't get too close while lighting or you will get a very ODD odor seeping up your nostrils. We also tried one of the soup mixes that we will have on the trail.
If you like Cheddar and Broccoli then this is for you. For those of you who are amongst the normals and despise the green stuff, your better off eating a granola bar and peanut butter instead. We worked with our tents to see how long it would take to set them up.

We had no manuals and eventually we got it. Dan, Tammi, and Alex donned their packs on and hiked 3 miles last Saturday. Dan made it in 52 minutes. I asked later if he was planning to keep the same pace when we are on the trail, and thankfully he said no. He's in training now, so he's whipping his body into shape. Alex, according to both Tammi and Dan ,said the kid was jumping around after this hike. He had no problem with the hike and his pack that weighed about 25 pounds. This has put my mind at ease. My baby will be o.k. on this adventure. I thought for sure we would have to carry his load and maybe him at times, but he can handle it. Oh youthful energy, how I long to have you back.


Now if you ask Alex about his great upcoming adventure he still acts like it's the end of the world. HELLO...am I missing something here. What teenager doesn't want to get out of school for 2 weeks? His vice principal, Mr. Darby thinks this is an awesome opportunity, wishes he could join us, and is getting everything prepared, ahead of time, so Alex can have all the work he will miss completed before he even leaves for the trip. How great is that? On Thursday night we went over some excellent emergency and safety skills/scenarios with a friend Carl, and his wonderful daughter Kessid. It was a blast! And though it will add alittle extra weight to my pack, I think I'm going to bring part of the safety manual with us on our trip, just in case. Well, as I am writing this, my fellow com padres are on a 6 mile hike. I'm still getting my strength back and do not want to over do it. So here I sit.Do you think blogging and typing can be considered hiking prep? I'll need the extra strength in my fingers and hand to catapult my bear bag up and over the tree. Yep, that's it!

Are We Really Going To Do This?

What have we gotten ourselves into, has been the phrase floating around amongst us lately. With our impending trip rapidly approaching, we have decided to kick up our training, drastically. And, since all of us hikers involved in this crazy adventure have not been diligent in training alone, we've decided to meet 3 times a week, and hold each other accountable. OUCH! So, on Saturday, Dan, Tammi, and I set time aside for some serious training! Dan picked out a trail that was 7 miles long. So we put our loaded packs on and ventured into the woods eager to push these bodies to the limit and see how they would react. Well, surprisingly enough, we all woke up Sunday morning, and are not sore, at all. HALLELUJAH. So, we have either not pushed hard enough, have conditioned alittle with what minimal training we have been doing, or our bodies are just waiting for us to relax only to turn on us in pure rebellion in order to possibly prevent this crazy expedition. Now don't misunderstand, this WAS challenging in almost 90 degree weather. We made plans to avoid the scorching sun by starting our hike at 7:30 a.m. Well, that time came and went and we stepped foot onto the Citrus Trail, Loop D at 8:40 a.m.

Needless to say, we DID NOT miss the brain frying sun, and the last mile seemed to almost do all of us in. I know, we live in the SUNSHINE state, but for those who are not used to the direct sun beating down on you, know that there are certain times of the day, that if you can avoid this appointment, then your better off scheduling activites when the sun is not out blazing in all its glory. Well, we did not, and even though our car was only parked a mile away, this girl was tempted to hitch a ride with the next available mode of transportation that did not require me to exert anymore energy to get to where I needed to go. Though it was tough, I have to admit, it was worth the effort and energy. We hiked in the Withlacoochee Forest, about 10 minutes from the house. Parts of the forest were quite pretty for Florida.

It's not Table Rock, but still pretty for Florida. We did see some wildlife...moths, butterflies,
a baby turtle, and a deer.
Oh, and we saw the most welcoming and pretty red truck in front of us, not too far ahead, that brought hope and alittle happiness to us weary hikers, that yes indeed, we managed and survived this test of endurance.
So, maybe we're not as crazy as we thought...MAYBE?