Through-hiking the Appalachian Trail

Hello Everyone,

Laura and I are about to begin our grand adventure of through-hiking the Appalachian Trail from foot to head, Georgia to Maine, South to North, a 2,185 mile trek through some of the most beautiful country in the world.  As the time gets closer, our anxiety increases and so does our excitement.  Sleep and food are my biggest concerns, followed by unforeseen injuries (not to mention other aches and pains).  Our goal is to finish the trail by the end of August, giving us about 6 weeks at home to complete the planning for Laura's October wedding.  That date puts us at an average of about 13.7 miles per day, every day, from March 25^th to August 31^st.  We do plan to take some "zero" days, both at our home in West Virginia and on the trail.  So on hiking days, we will have to average close to 15 miles per day.  You can follow our progress at:  daddaughterapptrail.blogspot.com.

1.  Fundraiser.  I am a proud sponsor of the Wounded Warrior Project (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/).  Their mission is "To honor and empower wounded warriors."  I figured that since I will be hiking so hard for so long, I would put my effort into raising money for this organization that I feel very strongly about.  Laura feels the same way.  Please join us in participating in this fundraiser.  Giving just 1 cent per mile will raise $21.85.  Can you do that?  What about 2 cents per mile, or 3 or 5 or 10?  Or if you prefer, you can pledge a flat amount, say $10 or $20 or $50 or $100.  This donation will go straight to the Wounded Warrior Project.  You can make your donation at: https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/individual-fundraising/daddaughterapptrail.blogspot.com/.  You can donate now or wait until we complete the journey.

2. Several people have asked about sending food or packages to us as we hike. After deploying three times and being away from home for nearly 2.5 years, it definitely feels really special to get packages in the mail.  Food donations would be good morale boosters for Laura and me.  Here are two options:

            a.  Send food!  Gee, what a novel idea!  But that is not as easy as it sounds.  Post Offices are located along the route, but some of them are a days hike or so to get to.  And, they are spread out far enough that we would have to carry weeks' worth of food between Post Offices if we relied on that source alone.  Therefore, Theresa (that's my wife, for those who don't know) will be the clearing house and food hub for this trek.  If you want to send trail food, send it to her.  She will box up a care package and send it to the appropriate Post Office along the way.  Otherwise we would run the risk of receiving several packages at one Post Office (too much to carry) and none at another (I feel the hunger pains already).  See a suggested list of food at the end of this message.

 OR

             b.  Send gift cards that Laura and I can use at grocery stores along the way.  Grocery stores are more prevalent along the trail than Post Offices.  Gift cards would give us the flexibility to buy what we need and want along the way, and less weight to carry in our packs.  You can pick up a pre-paid Visa or Mastercard at many department and convenient stores.  Any amount would be very much appreciated.  These could be sent to Theresa, too, and she can forward them to us in the care packages along with the other food she will be sending.

Thanks for any help you may provide.  Donations to the Wounded Warrior Project take priority over our food needs.

Laura and I will be updating the blog (http://daddaughterapptrail.blogspot.com/) as much as possible.  I look forward to this adventure and I hope you enjoy following us from Springer Mountain to Mount Katahdin.

 

 

Curtis

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Food List

Oatmeal

Pop tarts

Coffee singles

Hot chocolate packs

Peanut butter

Jelly packets

Squeeze margarine

Chocolate

Cookies

Trail mix

Crackers and cheese

Crackers and peanut butter

Peanut M&Ms (dark and milk chocolate)

Nuts roasted in oil

Raw almonds

Dried fruits

Beef sticks

Tuna (flat individual packets)

Spam (flat individual packets)

Beanie weenie mini cans

Sardines (flat pop top cans)

Salmon flat packs

Deviled ham (like potted meat)

Chicken flat packs

Precooked/prepackaged hamburger

Ravioli mini cans

Spaghetti & meat ball mini cans

Chicken N Dumpling mini cans

Easy-Mac and cheese

Pita bread

Hamburger helper

White rice (the boil packs)

Nutty bars

Oatmeal cream pies

Fudge rounds (yummy, my favorite!)

Raisins

Candy bars

Small tortilla wraps

Small coffee creamer canister

Sugar packets

Herbal teas

Ramen noodles

Snack pack puddings

Pistachio nuts

Salt & pepper packets

Mashed potatoes- Idahoan individual packs

Red beans and rice packs

Granola bars

Flavored drink mixes

Gatorade mix (individual packets)

Cheese sticks

Kudos

Lipton pasta and sauce