Preparations

I started collecting gear when I went an Outward Bound expedition in October. They provided a list of recommended gear, based on the location and the time of year.

I went through Sierra Trading Post and Moosejaw for clothes and gear, and Zappos for boots.

Recommendation on buying boots from Zappos: buy several pair a half size larger than your size. Wear medium weight hiking socks when trying on your boots. Try them all on, and then return the ones that don't fit well. Zappos has a great return policy, so don't be concerned about placing a large order on your credit card. The cost savings will be worth the temporary large balance on your card.

When I was looking through the selection of boots, I narrowed it down to a Gore-Tex constructed boot, then decided on ones that both weighed as little as possible and felt comfortable. I eventually went with a pair of Asolo FSN95. They broke in easily, and felt great. I spent a week in the Linville Gorge, and had no problem with blisters or hot spots, even when hiking up to the top of Chimney Rock.

I bought a pair of Columbia cargo pants and cargo shorts for the week in Linville Gorge too. Lightweight and comfortable, they dried quickly. They washed out easily too, after spilling coffee and food on them.

I've been using several layers to keep warm on some of my hikes, and have narrowed my clothing down to:
- A polypropylene top and bottom as a baselayer
- Three synthetic short sleeve tee shirts
- Three synthetic briefs
- Three pair of wool socks (I found the best prices on these at Moosejaw.com)
- One fleece vest
- A fleece jacket from Marmot
- A light rain jacket that I've also used as a windbreaker.
- A Columbia Heatshield beanie.
- Waterproof fleece gloves.

I researched a lot of backpacks, and found that other hikers recommended the Gregory Baltoro 65. Roomy, lots of pockets, and relatively lightweight. I haven't had a chance to take it out on an extended hike yet, but I figure it's going to be a lot lighter than the 85 liter pack that Outward Bound had outfitted us with. That pack had to weigh at least 60 lbs; my legs were extremely sore the entire week that we hiked. I've weighed my Baltoro 65 with my full load, and it weighs in around 35 lbs.

I'm still looking for a GPS device that will keep me on track to make my waypoints on time, not necessarily for navigation (I guessing it'll be hard to get lost if I just follow the beach). My co-workers and my brother each got me an REI gift card for Christmas, so I'll head over there and see what they've got. 

UPDATE- I purchased a Garmin eTrex 30 GPS device. It took some getting used to, since the Quickstart guide wasn't that user friendly. After using it around town, I really like it. I've been using EasyGPS software to format my waypoints and construct my route, then send it via USB cable to my eTrex 30.

I bought a Jetboil for my camp stove, and I love it! I've tested it out at home, and have cooked rice, pasta, oatmeal, and soups in it - pretty much the same stuff I'll be eating on the hike.

I purchased a down sleeping bag after looking at the arguments between down and synthetic. I figured that the down would keep me warm while keeping the weight down. It compresses down to the size of a bowling ball and weighs just under 2 lbs. I also bought an inflatable sleeping pad that weighs in at 17oz.

I'll have to post an update later on how the gear works out during the hike, as I may make some modifications to what I need to carry.

Packing out

I'm down to my last week in my apartment. I loved the location - a five minute walk to Old Town Temecula. I'll miss the nights of wandering over to Viva Vino for salsa dancing, or going over to the Crush and Brew to sample the excellent local Temecula wines or the beer from local SoCal microbreweries.

I got rid of a lot of stuff after I moved out of my house a couple of years ago, so I don't have a lot to put into storage. I tried to have some kind of organization to storing my belongings, so I bought some plastic storage containers and a vacuum-storage bag set for my clothes from Costco. The vacuum bags work great - I placed 6 sportscoats/jackets into the Large sized bag, and it compressed to a 3-inch thick package. I figure this will also protect my clothing from water/dirt damage while it's in the storage facility.

I have a two-bedroom apartment, and have managed to fit everything into a 10x13 storage unit. One of my daughters will be taking some of my belongings off my hands, so it just means less to pack away for me. I'll eventually settle down again somewhere and will need everything back, but for right now it seems as though that day is far away. After my hike, I intend to keep traveling.

I had to plan a lot of details before I leave. Setting up autopay for life/auto/health insurance, safe deposit box for valuables (free with Chase if you're a vet), mail forwarding to an address where I can pickup periodically, updating all of my accounts/subscriptions with the new address, autopay for my storage place... I'm probably missing a couple of things too, that I won't discover until it's on me.