Money, Money, Money, Gear Costs Money, Money, Christmas Money

Please forgive me readers, I haven't updated this blog in over a month!  But I had to get through Thanksgiving and Christmas which everyone who works in retail knows, means long hours. We held off on purchasing a lot of gear because we wanted to take advantage of our generous family during Christmas and Christine's birthday which is only three days earlier than Christmas. We were not at all disappointed with the amount of loot we got during the holidays. That combined with the fact that we've been working more and that I won a $200 gift card drawing at Target for perfect attendance during the Thanksgiving weekend means we are sitting pretty financially. I've been a tad worried about money since I hear so many stories about people having to drop out of the hike because they did not have enough. Now I'm sufficiently not worried. We will have a few bills to pay while we are hiking such as my student loans (Christine doesn't have any) and my health care plan (Christine is still under her parents' plan) which I will sign up for soon. Alas, after years of dodging insurance bills I will finally succumb to society's pressures! At least if I fall off a mountain I will have a chance of being fixed.

After Christmas we began filling in the holes of our gear list and as of right now we only have three items left to buy! Once we get to that 100% marker, I will post a comprehensive list of every little piece of gear we will begin with. We got a lot of trail food for Christmas and now have five large bags pouring over with goodies. I have ordered several books on dehydrating food from the library and will soon begin the process of creating some meals.

One of the most exciting pieces of gear we received a few days after Christmas was our copy of the 2014 A.T. Guide Northbound. To see this year's exact milage laid out in the book made this grand adventure of ours seem both near and terribly far away. Still, gathering the last of our gear is a huge accomplishment. There were so many choices to be made, so many websites and stores to visit, so many options to choose from! So many prices! So much for such a little weight to be stuffed in so small a bag!

Final to do list for these last two months before the start of our journey:
-Purchase the final pieces of gear and catalogue it
-Set a final date with Christine's parents who will be taking time off to drive us down to the approach trail
-Sign up for Obamacare
-Dehydrate a lot of food
-Find and purchase the perfect collection of trail music
-Decide on mail drop destinations and fill boxes
-Spray down clothes and other gear with permethrin