Sunday, October 30, 2011
I edited these for The Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
Some of the nicest people asked for some help. Here it is:
Sunday, October 23, 2011
5 months and 8 days till!
First off, THANK YOU to all who have taken the time and money to donate to our journey via http://www.gofundme.com/theclimbtokatahdin&fb=1. We are very grateful and appreciate every penny.
That being said, this month has been a combination of working, skating, hunting, and more working. We also started a YouTube page specifically to show you what we will be working with. YouTube: ClimbTheDream. And Twitter: ClimbTheDream. Sounds a little better than TheClimbToKatahdin as a lot of people forget "Katahdin". Not the easiest mountain to remember, I agree. We are doing our best to keep all of these accounts updated for all our friends and anyone else who is at all inspired by our trip.
Back to YouTube for a moment. We tested Chaser's camera in one video and gave a peek at what we will be using to film the trip in another. Next will be gear we've purchased that are coming with us on the trip and videos on how we will be dehydrating, packing, and shipping our food. Oh, and a test run of everything at Tunica Hills.
Things we still need to do:
clothing, shoes, rain covers, few more camera accessories, forms to be filled out for filming and contacting national parks about legally filming on the grounds for doc, make a loose and solid itinerary so people can send us things in a timely manner, airport stuff(us and Chaser flying), purchasing the food and preparing it to be shipped, and keep on saving. I'm sure there is more but I can't think of it at the moment. But I'm looking forward to all of it.
AND Halloween is almost here!
One last thing, I've been putting off seeing far distances as my eyes aren't that great. Not that we'll need another thing to keep track of on this trip but I wanna see everything we'll be seeing. So, sneak peek:
Man, my nose looks crazy.
I hope everyone es having a great FallTober.
That being said, this month has been a combination of working, skating, hunting, and more working. We also started a YouTube page specifically to show you what we will be working with. YouTube: ClimbTheDream. And Twitter: ClimbTheDream. Sounds a little better than TheClimbToKatahdin as a lot of people forget "Katahdin". Not the easiest mountain to remember, I agree. We are doing our best to keep all of these accounts updated for all our friends and anyone else who is at all inspired by our trip.
Back to YouTube for a moment. We tested Chaser's camera in one video and gave a peek at what we will be using to film the trip in another. Next will be gear we've purchased that are coming with us on the trip and videos on how we will be dehydrating, packing, and shipping our food. Oh, and a test run of everything at Tunica Hills.
Things we still need to do:
clothing, shoes, rain covers, few more camera accessories, forms to be filled out for filming and contacting national parks about legally filming on the grounds for doc, make a loose and solid itinerary so people can send us things in a timely manner, airport stuff(us and Chaser flying), purchasing the food and preparing it to be shipped, and keep on saving. I'm sure there is more but I can't think of it at the moment. But I'm looking forward to all of it.
AND Halloween is almost here!
One last thing, I've been putting off seeing far distances as my eyes aren't that great. Not that we'll need another thing to keep track of on this trip but I wanna see everything we'll be seeing. So, sneak peek:
I hope everyone es having a great FallTober.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Progress!
We are making it!
And it's a good thing too because we have less than 7 months until we are climbing up to Springer Mountain to start the adventure we have been so steadily waiting and planning. I'm really proud of Lindsay and myself. We've been pinching pennies and not going out really at all so that we can make this dream a reality. We have been working on getting in the mindset and physical condition. I just finished The Appalachian Trail - A Trail of Discovery by Jan D. Curran. I like his style for the most part. He writes about his adventure traveling alone which isn't gonna be quite the same but anything that makes me feel closer to being there calls out to me. I enjoyed and you would to. It'll be back at the library tomorrow.
I'm gonna give a little shout out to Onward and Upward who's blog we really connected with.
So, in their fashion here's a list of things I will and won't miss about being here in real life:
Will miss:
Internet (we'll have a little as my iPhone bill will be paid for while we are on the trail)
NPR
White noise; in particularity air conditioning white noise. It'll be a tough habit to break.
Family and friends; mom and dad, grandma, Hunter, Brandon, Katie, Sarah, Dustin, Lindsay's folks.
St. Francisville; I know I'll still be in the woods but it certainly won't be the same not being in st fran.
Daily Show and Colbert Report; speaks for itself
Skateboarding; Six months not skateboarding will be the longest I've gone without skating in about 12 years. That's tough.
Cooking food in a kitchen; like fish and deer. Can't do it on the trail.
Toilets; ohhhhh pooping in the woods...
Won't miss:
Internet; I know I know. It's a blessing AND a curse.
Gas prices; Ugh
Selling boots; however I don't mind talking boots
Politics; and the nonstop talk about it, Jesus.
The Strokes' new album; what happened?
TV; with said exception
Boredom
Well rounded? We watched Ride the Divide last night about a biking competition from Canada to Mexico down the Continental Divide. It was pretty awesome. I'm sure we'll be able to relate on a lot of levels. Highly recommend you checking it out.
One last thing, camera gear update:
This is one of the two main setups minus the light and brace to firm it up. That's next. This is Cam Caddie. Originally used as a skater marketed tool, it's light, and it serves stabilization purposes too. Here's another one of it:
And the next set up is with the UltraPod II. It's awesomely light too and serves so many purposes:
Now, that's cool for something stable, but the main reason I got it:
Offers SO many possibilities. From trekking poles to small trees to stumps and fences. Awesome.
And one more thing:
I knew I was gonna need something like this for back up if for nothing else. That charger charges through a standard AC outlet, car charger, but most importantly, USB. Which is how we are gonna have to charge a lot of things. The solar panel on the right charges from the sun(or wall outlet) and holds the charge till you are ready to use it via USB. It also charges my phone. AND it has a little snake LED light you can see on it's boarders. This isn't gonna be our main form of power but it'll work in a pinch. Wanna get about 3 more of those Solar ReStores. $26.99 at Buy.com. Best money I've spent in a while.
That's all for today! If you haven't yet, please stop by our funding site because all this adding up and any little bit will help.
http://www.gofundme.com/theclimbtokatahdin&fb=1
$20 gets more than you think!!!
Colton
And it's a good thing too because we have less than 7 months until we are climbing up to Springer Mountain to start the adventure we have been so steadily waiting and planning. I'm really proud of Lindsay and myself. We've been pinching pennies and not going out really at all so that we can make this dream a reality. We have been working on getting in the mindset and physical condition. I just finished The Appalachian Trail - A Trail of Discovery by Jan D. Curran. I like his style for the most part. He writes about his adventure traveling alone which isn't gonna be quite the same but anything that makes me feel closer to being there calls out to me. I enjoyed and you would to. It'll be back at the library tomorrow.
I'm gonna give a little shout out to Onward and Upward who's blog we really connected with.
So, in their fashion here's a list of things I will and won't miss about being here in real life:
Will miss:
Internet (we'll have a little as my iPhone bill will be paid for while we are on the trail)
NPR
White noise; in particularity air conditioning white noise. It'll be a tough habit to break.
Family and friends; mom and dad, grandma, Hunter, Brandon, Katie, Sarah, Dustin, Lindsay's folks.
St. Francisville; I know I'll still be in the woods but it certainly won't be the same not being in st fran.
Daily Show and Colbert Report; speaks for itself
Skateboarding; Six months not skateboarding will be the longest I've gone without skating in about 12 years. That's tough.
Cooking food in a kitchen; like fish and deer. Can't do it on the trail.
Toilets; ohhhhh pooping in the woods...
Won't miss:
Internet; I know I know. It's a blessing AND a curse.
Gas prices; Ugh
Selling boots; however I don't mind talking boots
Politics; and the nonstop talk about it, Jesus.
The Strokes' new album; what happened?
TV; with said exception
Boredom
Well rounded? We watched Ride the Divide last night about a biking competition from Canada to Mexico down the Continental Divide. It was pretty awesome. I'm sure we'll be able to relate on a lot of levels. Highly recommend you checking it out.
One last thing, camera gear update:
And the next set up is with the UltraPod II. It's awesomely light too and serves so many purposes:
Now, that's cool for something stable, but the main reason I got it:
And one more thing:
That's all for today! If you haven't yet, please stop by our funding site because all this adding up and any little bit will help.
http://www.gofundme.com/theclimbtokatahdin&fb=1
$20 gets more than you think!!!
Colton
Thursday, September 1, 2011
seven months til'!
Hello beautiful people, we have set up a donation account for anyone interested in helping us on our journey. Anything (not just monetary) will be immensely appreciated...such as food for the trail, encouraging words,etc. Plus, you can find out what you will get in return if you donate $20 or more. Please click the link below if you'd like to know!
We know times are hard for everyone and we have been saving money left and right, but it hasn't been so easy making our goals even though we are trying our hardest! It would be heartbreaking to leave the trail because of financial issues.
click here to help us :)
love,
colton, lindsay, and chaser
We know times are hard for everyone and we have been saving money left and right, but it hasn't been so easy making our goals even though we are trying our hardest! It would be heartbreaking to leave the trail because of financial issues.
click here to help us :)
love,
colton, lindsay, and chaser
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Gear Gear GEAR
We decided to start gathering gear. It was a fun shopping spree of soon-to-be crucial items.
Here's some shots:
1. Ditty Sack from REI.com by Outdoor Research--- 2 packs for $56. Various sizes. I'm confident they will come in handy as a compressor and initial waterproofing shield for various items.
2. SteriPen from Amazon.com---- $70. Kills 99.9% of bacteria in moments. Forget loading a filtering pump all over the place. 6 oz before 4 AA's.
3. Outdoor Aluminum Mess kit for 2 people from Amazon.com ---- $24. Only 12 oz after taking out the cups it came with. Might hang on to the cool ladle it came with. We're going to keep our stove in there with it.
4. Eureka Scenic Pass 3XT plus Footprint from Amazon.com ----- $170. Did a lot of looking. We loved the color. We loved the space. We compromised on the weight. Most three person tents were gonna be a little heavy. But Chaser, Lindsay, and me are gonna do fine. 8.6 lbs but I'll take the heavier part. Linds will get the stakes. Super easy to setup and take down. Comfortable and can't wait to call it home for 6 months.
5. Red Diamond Trekking Poles from SunnySports.com----- $68. These are mine. I love them and can't wait to go test them out. They feel durable and for a decent price.
6. Komperdell Trekking poles from SunnySports.com---- $78. These are for Lindsay. The color is nice but, personally, I'm not so sure it'll make it 2100+ miles. They just don't feel sturdy to me especially for the price. Good chance we'll be sending them back and getting something more trustworthy.
7. Those two sacks: Thermarest Compressible Pillows from Amazon.com---- $48. When you first uncompress it's a little iffy. Give it 5 minutes and suddenly it rules. Great buy. Compacts nicely and I need a good pillow. Weighs 9 oz each. It'll be worth it.
8. Two Port-a-Bowls from Amazon.com---- $10. For Chaser. He'll be carrying those. They look like they'll do the job nicely.
9. Canon Vixia HF M41 from... don't get me started---- Too much($800ish in the end). Weighs 12 oz. But I'm guessing after a couple batteries, memory cards, external light, mic, and lenses, I'm gonna tack on another pound to pound and a half. I've had fun testing it out but much learning to do on it.
10. Two Large Micronet Towels from Amazon.com---- $19. They are a good size and compress small. 9 oz each. A little heavy for towels but half of it is the holder. Might drop those.
11. Alcohol Stove from Amazon.com---- $24 dollars. Tried desperately to make my own from beer cans but I was not getting the results I wanted. This thing boils 1 cup of water in under 4 minutes. Sweet. And the stand right there went to a burner I got at Academy for 6 bucks. It works perfect. 7 oz together. Can't wait to use them in the field.
12. Cocoon Travel Sheet---- $18. Just one for Lindsay. It feels great. Pretty much a liner for our sleeping bags or just a light blanket to put on top. 1 lb. I assume the weight will be worth it. Comfort is crucial.
13. Suisse Sport Adult Mummy Sleeping Bags from Amazon.com---- $56. Super comfortable and compacts tightly. I'm not the biggest fan of mummy bags because it confines my feet. But I believe it's gonna be okay. They both weigh 3.2 lbs. Slightly heavy, yes. But great bang for the buck. Actually, many AT vids we watch have at least one or two of these sleeping bags in it. Makes us feel a better.
14. Alps Mountaineering Lightweight Regular sized Self Inflating Sleeping Pads from um... Can't remember where at the moment----- $70ish, I believe. They are very very comfortable. Couldn't be happier. A tad short in width but we'll live. 2.5 lbs each.
15. Kelty Red Cloud---- Mine $90 and 6lbs. Linds' $130 and 5.9 lbs. Not the lightest packs but certainly not the heaviest. They are super comfortable and we love them. They will be our closets.
16. Chaser's Pack----- $45. It fits okay. I can see us needing to get another one half way through the trip but maybe not. Good sized packs on each side and waterproof. It should do the job. Chaser loves it.
17. (Not featured) Platypus 2.0 Liter bags from MooseJaw.com----- $60ish. Love the company. They threw in all kinds of goodies. Will def get more from them. Before water weight 5 oz each. They fit in a slot of our back pack that I'm excited to use. Might need to order a couple accessories with it like cleaning gear and nozzle replacements. I've always wanted one of these. Glad to have it!
18. Makala Ukulele from Buy.com---- $45. Super fun and easy to play. 1 lb exactly(before some sort of waterproof case). I'm praying the effort to carry this along with us will be worth it. If deemed not, it'll head back. I don't know how hiking 12 miles effects the feeling of playing music.
19. 6inch Tambourine----- $9. Gotta have some percussion with the uke. Despite the size, it's one of the best full sounding tambourines I've ever heard and she knows how to shake it. 2 oz.
20. Books we'll be studying, cutting up, and carrying.
In addition, we purchased a vacuum sealer. I've been watching a ton of make-your-own-meal videos and decided this a great way to get meals together to send to ourselves.
Slowly but surely we are collecting food that has a long shelf life.
I'm gotta dehydrate all kinds of ground meat, chicken, and veggies too add to our meals. Vacuum seal them all together with instructions. Can't wait for that part!
Prefood, prewater, pre a couple other things, Lindsay is currently at 18 lbs on her back and me 22.5 lbs. Manageable so far. Before long, clothing and shoes.
All so exciting and as always, thanks for reading!
Oh and...
...Chaser loves you
Here's some shots:
1. Ditty Sack from REI.com by Outdoor Research--- 2 packs for $56. Various sizes. I'm confident they will come in handy as a compressor and initial waterproofing shield for various items.
2. SteriPen from Amazon.com---- $70. Kills 99.9% of bacteria in moments. Forget loading a filtering pump all over the place. 6 oz before 4 AA's.
3. Outdoor Aluminum Mess kit for 2 people from Amazon.com ---- $24. Only 12 oz after taking out the cups it came with. Might hang on to the cool ladle it came with. We're going to keep our stove in there with it.
4. Eureka Scenic Pass 3XT plus Footprint from Amazon.com ----- $170. Did a lot of looking. We loved the color. We loved the space. We compromised on the weight. Most three person tents were gonna be a little heavy. But Chaser, Lindsay, and me are gonna do fine. 8.6 lbs but I'll take the heavier part. Linds will get the stakes. Super easy to setup and take down. Comfortable and can't wait to call it home for 6 months.
5. Red Diamond Trekking Poles from SunnySports.com----- $68. These are mine. I love them and can't wait to go test them out. They feel durable and for a decent price.
6. Komperdell Trekking poles from SunnySports.com---- $78. These are for Lindsay. The color is nice but, personally, I'm not so sure it'll make it 2100+ miles. They just don't feel sturdy to me especially for the price. Good chance we'll be sending them back and getting something more trustworthy.
8. Two Port-a-Bowls from Amazon.com---- $10. For Chaser. He'll be carrying those. They look like they'll do the job nicely.
9. Canon Vixia HF M41 from... don't get me started---- Too much($800ish in the end). Weighs 12 oz. But I'm guessing after a couple batteries, memory cards, external light, mic, and lenses, I'm gonna tack on another pound to pound and a half. I've had fun testing it out but much learning to do on it.
10. Two Large Micronet Towels from Amazon.com---- $19. They are a good size and compress small. 9 oz each. A little heavy for towels but half of it is the holder. Might drop those.
12. Cocoon Travel Sheet---- $18. Just one for Lindsay. It feels great. Pretty much a liner for our sleeping bags or just a light blanket to put on top. 1 lb. I assume the weight will be worth it. Comfort is crucial.
13. Suisse Sport Adult Mummy Sleeping Bags from Amazon.com---- $56. Super comfortable and compacts tightly. I'm not the biggest fan of mummy bags because it confines my feet. But I believe it's gonna be okay. They both weigh 3.2 lbs. Slightly heavy, yes. But great bang for the buck. Actually, many AT vids we watch have at least one or two of these sleeping bags in it. Makes us feel a better.
14. Alps Mountaineering Lightweight Regular sized Self Inflating Sleeping Pads from um... Can't remember where at the moment----- $70ish, I believe. They are very very comfortable. Couldn't be happier. A tad short in width but we'll live. 2.5 lbs each.
16. Chaser's Pack----- $45. It fits okay. I can see us needing to get another one half way through the trip but maybe not. Good sized packs on each side and waterproof. It should do the job. Chaser loves it.
17. (Not featured) Platypus 2.0 Liter bags from MooseJaw.com----- $60ish. Love the company. They threw in all kinds of goodies. Will def get more from them. Before water weight 5 oz each. They fit in a slot of our back pack that I'm excited to use. Might need to order a couple accessories with it like cleaning gear and nozzle replacements. I've always wanted one of these. Glad to have it!
18. Makala Ukulele from Buy.com---- $45. Super fun and easy to play. 1 lb exactly(before some sort of waterproof case). I'm praying the effort to carry this along with us will be worth it. If deemed not, it'll head back. I don't know how hiking 12 miles effects the feeling of playing music.
19. 6inch Tambourine----- $9. Gotta have some percussion with the uke. Despite the size, it's one of the best full sounding tambourines I've ever heard and she knows how to shake it. 2 oz.
20. Books we'll be studying, cutting up, and carrying.
In addition, we purchased a vacuum sealer. I've been watching a ton of make-your-own-meal videos and decided this a great way to get meals together to send to ourselves.
Slowly but surely we are collecting food that has a long shelf life.
I'm gotta dehydrate all kinds of ground meat, chicken, and veggies too add to our meals. Vacuum seal them all together with instructions. Can't wait for that part!
Prefood, prewater, pre a couple other things, Lindsay is currently at 18 lbs on her back and me 22.5 lbs. Manageable so far. Before long, clothing and shoes.
All so exciting and as always, thanks for reading!
Oh and...
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
New place, new blog
Indeed, once again, it has been a little while since we've blogged. Not that we haven't had much to blog about. In between moving to Baker with my dad to begin the savings to a family reunion in Orlando and camping at Grayton Beach State Park. All of it has been great so far!
Dad's place has been great. Been cooking roasts constantly and getting Chaser used to the yard. That wasn't hard. Not paying rent rules as does being that much closer to St. Francisville and Tunica Hills.
I got my camera in! Don't even get me started on how HUGE of a pain that was! CertifiedDigital.com can suck a big one! I've had to call them, let's see.... about 15 times since I ordered it two Wednesdays ago. At some point I paid for overnight shipping so that it would definitely would be to me by the time I left for the reunion. 60 dollars. They ended up shipping it ground. So it arrived a day late to Baton Rouge while I was in Florida. Ugh. They did compensate me a $150 wide angle lens. But that hardly compares. Then when I got back from Florida and grabbed my packages they sent me only the camera and the lens when I also ordered an extra battery, battery rapid charger, and carrying case. After all the times I talked to them and complained they still got it wrong. ANYWAY, I got the camera aaaannndd it rules. Still haven't got to play with it much but it's light and takes amazing video and should do perfect to the AT documentary.
Also, the ATC land acquisition video I edited got amazing response. Soon, they will be on the official ATC website. Plus, Javier, the fellow I was in contact with for the video, sent me an awesome unexpected package. We were at the beach Monday morning when my buddy, Brian, called and said he was at the apartment we moved out of and there was a package there for me from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. So, this morning I ran over there to check it out. Here it is:
Isn't that awesome and nice? Thanks, ATC. I wish I could do more for you!
Saving money is coming along okay. Next step is sleeping bags, quick dry clothing, and tent. Also, we need to set up a donation page. And before long we need to start contacting the different parks and places we'll be hiking/filming. But it's nice having the ATC's support on this.
We will be updating more often now that we are nice and settled in our new place. Thanks for everyone's support!
Dad's place has been great. Been cooking roasts constantly and getting Chaser used to the yard. That wasn't hard. Not paying rent rules as does being that much closer to St. Francisville and Tunica Hills.
I got my camera in! Don't even get me started on how HUGE of a pain that was! CertifiedDigital.com can suck a big one! I've had to call them, let's see.... about 15 times since I ordered it two Wednesdays ago. At some point I paid for overnight shipping so that it would definitely would be to me by the time I left for the reunion. 60 dollars. They ended up shipping it ground. So it arrived a day late to Baton Rouge while I was in Florida. Ugh. They did compensate me a $150 wide angle lens. But that hardly compares. Then when I got back from Florida and grabbed my packages they sent me only the camera and the lens when I also ordered an extra battery, battery rapid charger, and carrying case. After all the times I talked to them and complained they still got it wrong. ANYWAY, I got the camera aaaannndd it rules. Still haven't got to play with it much but it's light and takes amazing video and should do perfect to the AT documentary.
Also, the ATC land acquisition video I edited got amazing response. Soon, they will be on the official ATC website. Plus, Javier, the fellow I was in contact with for the video, sent me an awesome unexpected package. We were at the beach Monday morning when my buddy, Brian, called and said he was at the apartment we moved out of and there was a package there for me from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. So, this morning I ran over there to check it out. Here it is:
Saving money is coming along okay. Next step is sleeping bags, quick dry clothing, and tent. Also, we need to set up a donation page. And before long we need to start contacting the different parks and places we'll be hiking/filming. But it's nice having the ATC's support on this.
We will be updating more often now that we are nice and settled in our new place. Thanks for everyone's support!
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