What could possibly go wrong?
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Who are you going with?
I covered this in a few of my other posts, but technically I'm going by myself. I expect to see people fairly often for the first 100 miles and not so much in the last 175.
2. What will you eat?
I'll be eating Cinnamon Pop Tarts for breakfast every day (410 Calories!!!), summer sausage and sharp cheddar cheese on flour tortillas for my 2 lunches of the day, 3/4 of a pound of trail mix (almonds, raisins, and peanut M & M's) per day, and for dinner chicken in a foil pouch added to either Stove Top stuffing, Lipton Chicken Noodle soup, Ramen noodles, or Spanish rice. The meals will be cooked in Ziploc Freezer bags by pouring boiling water into the bags filled with food. It should equal roughly 3-4,000 calories per day. I'm told I'll still lose weight. I'm skeptical.
3. Are you afraid of bears?
Hell Yeah! And moose, and deer ticks, and mosquitoes, and...
4. Are you bringing a gun?
It has been decided that the world is a much better place when I don't own a gun. Besides, it weighs too much.
5. How many miles will you walk per day?
Over the entire length of the trip I'll average between 11 and 12 miles per day. As it's mapped out right now I have a few days in the 15 mile range but nothing more than that. It's hard to gauge just how in or out of shape I am until I start walking.
6. When will you take a shower?
I've planned for 3 or 4 nights spent in towns (Manchester, Killington, Waitsfield, and Stowe) so I'll be showering every 4 or 5 days. No, I'm not using deodorant. After a few days it's useless and it weighs too much.
7. What kind of clothes?
At some point I'll post the list of every piece of gear I'm taking for anyone that's nerdy enough to care but for now: I have 1 pair of pants that zip into shorts, 1 short sleeve shirt, 1 long sleeve shirt, 2 pairs of hiking socks, 1 pair of shoes (with another to possibly be mailed to me if I need them), camp socks, wool gloves/hat, down jacket, and rain pants/jacket. Most of my clothing is wool because it tends to stink less and it will still keep you warm when wet. So yes, I'll be wearing the same clothes every day for 30 days.
8. How will you get from the trail to towns?
Hitchhiking. It's a pretty common occurrence to see people hitching rides near trail towns. I've been told that when people see someone with a backpack it's pretty easy to catch a ride. Some motels and Bed & Breakfasts will pick you up and dump you off back at the trailhead.
9. How can I contact you?
If you can't figure out how to or don't want to put a comment on the site but would like to send something along, you can email me at toddforkin@gmail.com .
10. How did you pay for all of your gear?
Generosity, Generosity, Generosity. And selling my old punk rock record collection on Ebay. Records that I paid 2 or 3 dollars for back in 1980 fetched upwards of $350!!! It's the only wise investment I've ever made. Unfortunately, it was also my retirement plan.
11. How much camping experience do you have?
Frighteningly little. As best as I can remember I've never camped for more than 3 days in a row and that was decades ago.
12. Will you be updating your site and posting pictures?
I'll be updating as much as possible. A combinnation of exhaustion, poor cell service and frustration with trying to type on a phone may limit me a bit. The pictures that I send while I'm out there will be taken with my phone so the quality won't be great. Thanks to my brother I have a beautiful camera with a completely waterproof case for better photos to document the experience.
Once again, for anyone that would like to email me while I'm gone, my email is toddforkin@gmail.com
If you would like to donate directly to NAPC & PROTECT and pay by check, the mailing address is:
NAPC
P.O. Box 27451
Knoxville, TN 37927
Note the Barcelona hat!
carry-on size
Yo Todd, what's with the color scheme?!