One of the first things I do in preparing for a long hike is figuring out how I am going to get to the trailhead. I like driving my car for a number of reasons. I don’t like putting my pack on a plane and if I do that, I can’t take stove fuel with me. I also wouldn’t be able to take all my resupply boxes closer to the trailhead to make the postage cheaper. Flying costs more and is harder on the environment. In addition, I find that driving gives me a chance to transition from one place to the other more naturally. Since I did much of the driving to Florida in the dark, it’s taken me a few days to not look at every white thing and think I’m seeing snowy Vermont! But driving means finding a place to leave it for three or more months. That is sometimes one of the more daunting tasks of planning for my hikes. Once that falls into place, I feel like I’m set to go.

On the Ice Age trail I thought I would leave my car on one end of Wisconsin and ride my ebike across the state. I found a place to leave the bike and figured after walking across the state, I would drive all the way back across Wisconsin to pick up my bike. Luckily for me, through a Facebook post inquiring where I might be able to leave my car, I was connected with Pat and Julie Kosher who offered to meet me at the eastern trailhead even though they lived closer to the western side. Julie offered to keep my car for me eliminating the need for me to ride my bike across Wisconsin. This kind woman and her son Chris drove to meet me at the eastern end of the trail. I then gave her my car keys, and while her son drove her car, she drove my car back to her house where her husband, Pat, diligently vacuumed my car and tidied it up for me before storing it in their garage. I stayed with them when the trail reached their town and again for a few days after I reached the end of the trail. In fact, because Julie and Pat were away when I finished the trail, Chris drove from his home in Minnesota to meet me as I finished the trail. He then drove me all the way back to his parents house in Cornell where I stayed for a few days even though Pat and Julie were away. Some people have been surprised that I gave my car keys to someone I had never met before and didn’t know, but I would say that I am honored to have been trusted by the Kosher’s and all the Trail angels who have welcomed me into their homes. The Kosher’s have become permanent friends of mine.

When I was preparing for the Arizona Trail, I happened to be talking to a friend I met while hiking the Continental Divide trail. He mentioned he would be driving very near to where the Arizona Trail started in late March. He offered to let me keep my car with him in New Mexico and to drive me close to the trailhead. And even though it was difficult for him, he put up with me for a month after I finished the Arizona Trail before I drove up to the Pacific Northwest trail, where I was blessed to be able to leave my car on the native reservation with Misty, the East Glacier post mistress. I was glad that while I was there I met Misty’s mother, especially because she has since passed on to other worlds. I really was honored to be a part of Misty’s family for a short time.

For the Florida Trail I’ve been blessed to be able to leave my car with some people I met when I hike the second half of the continental divide trail. I was camped in Yellowstone National Park, and next to me there was a family with whom I immediately connected. Pam Casteel and her amazing group of adopted special needs young adults touched me in a really deep way. We’ve stayed in contact over the years and as she lives in Florida, she offered to hold my car while I hike the trail.

Little did I know that Pam had more than that in store for me. But that is for another blog. I’ll end this one by saying that packing all the gear I need into

my pack has become almost second nature for me. It was merely a matter of deciding, which one of my two lightweight packs to take. I chose the most waterproof of the two packs which I will line with a heavy duty plastic contractor trash bag for added protection in the swamps. For a brief moment, I thought about taking my heavier, synthetic sleeping bag, but it is only rated to 40°. Even though it’s showing signs of wear I chose to bring my lighter weight 20° down sleeping bag. It weighs only 17 ounces. I love the lighter gear available now that shaves 20 to 30 pounds off the pack I carry from what I carried in the 1970s and 80s. It enables me to get the base weight of my pack (this is everything minus food and water ) down to between 13 to 15 pounds. In the 1970s, my base weight was probably closer to 30 pounds and carrying a pack over 60 pounds fully loaded with food was not unheard of. My old body is really happy that these days my pack seldom gets above 30 pounds.

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