Planning, already!

So I decided today (and yesterday) that I, and my awesome boyfriend/hiking buddy (Josh) will start going on long distance backpacking adventures as early as this May, and we've already got our first trek (mostly) planned out.  This is what happens when I have a ridiculous amount of time between classes on Mondays.

We've decided that we are going to hike the entire Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Trail, from mile 0 inside of DC, to mile 184.5, in Cumberland Maryland.  We won't be continuing on to the Great Allegheny Passage Trail quite yet, but like I said before, we're starting small.

A map of the entire C & O Canal Trail, 184.5 miles from Georgetown in DC to Cumberland, MD.

Because I am a ridiculous over achiever, I already have a majority of our itinerary planned out, as well as part of our projected budget for the trip.  Here is what we have so far!

We intend to start hiking at Mile 0 in DC, which is located at the Watergate to the Canal from the Potomac River, between the Pennsylvania Avenue overpass and the exit for Whitehurst Freeway, On Rock Creek Parkway.

For those of you familiar with the area, this is beyond the Kennedy Centre, in the area behind the National Zoo.  For those of you unfamiliar with the area (or people who are interested in interesting trivia), the infamous Watergate Hotel gets it's name from the Watergate to the canal from the Potomac.  The Watergate is located at the farthest inland point of navigable water on the Potomac (by ships, at least)

Here is what we hope to accomplish each day:
Day 1:

• 16.6 miles
• staying at Swain's Lock #21

Day 2:

• 17.9 miles
• staying at Turtle Run
• Total Mileage: 34.5

Day 3:

• 15.8 miles
• staying at Calico Rocks:
• Total Mileage: 50.3

Day 4:

• 12.6 miles
• staying at Huckleberry Hill
• Total Mileage: 62.9

Day 5:

• 17 miles
• staying at Horseshoe Bend
• Total Mileage: 79.9

Day 6:

• 15.3 miles
• staying at Cumberland Valley
• Total Mileage: 95.2

Day 7:

• 17.2 miles
• staying at Fort Frederick State Park
• Total Mileage: 112.4

 Day 8:

• 17.4 miles
• staying at Leopard's Mill
• Total Mileage: 129.8

Day 9:

• 14.7 miles
• staying at Devil's Alley
• Total Mileage: 144.5

Day 10:

• 17.6 miles
• staying at Town Creek
• Total Mileage: 162.1

Day 11:

• 13.3 miles
• staying at Iron Mountain
• Total Mileage: 175.4

Day 12:

• 9.1 miles
• staying somewhere in Cumberland, MD (yeah, I know that I should probably figure that out, but we have time!)
• Total Mileage: 184.5

Day 13:

• Going back to DC via Amtrak

As of right now, our budget is pretty general, but it will get more specific as we get closer to May, so no worries there!

We plan on spending no more than $200 on food, which includes breakfast bars (approximately 60), dehydrated fruit, beef jerky, 24 peanut butter sandwiches (pre-made, the day before we leave) and some sort of MRE's for dinner.  The MRE's will probably put us back the most, as far as our food budget goes, but we are pretty certain that we'll be able to fit everything else in, too.

MRE's or Meals, Ready-to-Eat, are lightweight, meals in bags that are great for backpacking.  If you are a backpacker, or a member of the military, you will probably be very familiar with them.

The Amtrak Tickets will only cost us $48 dollars between the two of us (which is awesome), and we will probably also have $50-100 set aside for other expenses.  Additionally, depending on where we stay in Cumberland, we'll have to set aside money for that, too.

I think that a budget of $300-$350 for two people for two weeks is pretty reasonable, what do you think?

I'm really getting excited about this trip, and it's only November!

So it Starts

I've always enjoyed the outdoors.  Anything having to do with backpacking, camping, hiking, or just plain being outside, and I'm there in a heartbeat!

As far as I can remember (And even before that, too) I've been going camping.  First with my mom and my family, then with the Girl Scouts, and finally by myself.  I even started teaching outdoor skills to younger campers as soon as I hit 13.

I've always known that I want to hike the Appalachian Trail (AT for short) but until this year, I've never actually thought it possible.  This year, I have decided that I will hike the AT, and as many other trails as my feet can find, and I intend to start (small, at first), as soon as possible.

This is me, hiking along the shortest section of the AT near Harper's Ferry, WV.

Before I go any further, I suppose I should say a little about myself.  I am currently 19 years old, and a sophomore at Shenandoah University, studying Music Education.  My major instrument is the French horn, and my dream job is to teach elementary school or middle school band.  In addition to being a musician, I've been a Girl Scout since I was five, have earned my Gold Award, and now I'm a lifetime member.

Did I mention I love the outdoors?

So back to hiking, today I decided (officially) that I will hike the AT.  It is my goal to be a thru-hiker, or hike the entire trail (all 2179 miles of it) all in one go.  That's a huge task, and will take an immense amount of planning and training, which is why I'm starting now.

A little bit about the Appalachian Trail:
It is a whopping 2179 miles long, and goes through 14 states (Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine) with the longest distance through one state being 550.3 miles (Virgina) and the shortest distance being 4 miles (West Virginia).  The trail starts (or ends, depending which way you're going) on Mt. Springer in Georgia, and winds it's way through various national parks and mountain chains on the east coast until it gets to Mt. Katahdin in Maine.  The headquarters for the AT is in beautiful Harper's Ferry, West Virginia.

A view of where the Shenandoah River meets the Potomac River, in Harper's Ferry WV. Taken with my cell phone the last time I was there (about 2 weeks ago)

How do I intend to undertake such a trek, you may ask?  For starters, I'm going to go on day hikes and short overnight backpacking trips as often as I can, and going to school in the Shenandoah Valley gives me a huge advantage as there are so many trails (including part of the AT) within a one - two hour drive of campus.  I'm also going to save all of my pennies (literally) so that I will (hopefully) eventually have enough money saved up to actually go without being too much of a financial burden on my parents.

My change jar, now labeled "Sara's Trail Fund", even though it would probably be better if it were labeled "Sara's Trail and Laundry Money Fund".  Unfortunately being a college student requires that I use most of my quarters for the laundry machines on campus.  As of right now, I have $6.05 in my jar, I've got to start somewhere, right?

Of course, I don't intend to start (or end with) the AT as far as long-distance backpacking excursions go, and as of right now my current goals list is as follows:

• C&O Canal Trail, 184.5 miles
• Appalachian Trail, 2179 miles
• Pacific Crest Trail, 2650 miles
• Continental Divide Trail, 3100 miles

Of course, more will be added later, but I figure that 4 (totaling 8113.5 miles, and going through 23 of the 50 states) is a good place to start!