Time For a Test Run

Disclaimer: Before anyone chimes in about dogs not being allowed in Smoky Mountain National Park- Roxy is my service dog so she is allowed to go with me. Before now I've avoided putting service dog labels on her because I dislike the stigma of having people know I need a service dog. The label is basically an announcement screaming "there's something wrong with me." I tend to not go places that don't allow dogs just to avoid the discussion of why I have a dog with me. However as I prepare for the Appalachian Trail I am going to have to go through this park and acknowledge the fact that Roxy is not just a pet but my partner.

Modeling the pack, while Roxy snoozes.

Tomorrow Roxy and I are heading out to Smoky Mountain National Park with my dad and brother to test out all of our gear. This week-long backpacking trip will be the longest trek we have completed. The last time we stayed in the woods for a week we stayed at Crag Camp in the White Mountains and just went on day hikes with light packs. So this adventure will be a real test of how much weight we can handle carrying. We have loaded up our packs with 7 days worth of food and are ready to get a taste of how difficult the AT will really be.

I'm thrilled with how well my Gossamer Gear Mariposa pack fit all my gear and how it feels when I'm wearing it. For this trip, I'm carrying just about everything I plan on bringing on my thru-hike with me. Roxy will be carrying her GroundBird Gear custom pack with about 8 pounds of dog food.

One of the goals of this trip is to figure out what food is going to work best, both for Roxy and me. For this trip about half of Roxy's food will be traditional dry dog food, and the other half is The Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food. Roxy is also going to be feasting on the amazing Power Bones that Zuke's sent to help fuel her hike.

I am super excited about having organic, natural foods for me to eat. This afternoon I experimented with the various products that I received from Bob's Red Mill, Foods Alive, and Tru-Nut. Additionally I'm using many different dehydrated vegetables from Harmony House and lots of different snacks from Trader Joe's.

Here are my general meal plans:

• Breakfast: oatmeal or cereal with Bob's Red Mill dry milk powder or Tru-Nut powdered peanut butter
• Lunch: Flaxseed Crackers from Foods Alive and various dried fruits from Bob's Red Mill and Foods Alive
• Dinner: Grains (kasha/ cous cous from Bob's Red Mill or Trader Joe's Harvest Grains) mixed with various vegetables from Harmony House and lots of spices
• Snacks: various energy bars, crackers, chocolate covered berries from Trader Joe's, and strawberry applesauce

In terms of food, I am going to be really spoiled on the trail. I'm being very skimpy with all other supplies, but I can't pass up good food :)

Recently I switched my cell phone plan from AT&T to T-mobile, as long as I have cell reception and a charge on my phone I'll post short updates about how things are going to my Instagram. Check back on Easter Sunday for a summary of how the trip goes!