The Appalachian Trail- So Good

Happy Memorial Day!

It amazes me how doing anything at all that resembles physical activity somehow convinces me that I can scoop  some ice cream and grab a beer.  Yet, here I am with Blue Bell yogurt mixed with brownies and a nearly frozen Ghost River(M'town beer, if you haven't indulged DO). This does give me some time to sit down and make a post though.

 I completely underestimated hydration requirements on the ride today, only bringing one bottle of water in 97 f* heat did not compensate for my sweat.  Luckily the nice lady at Yum's Chinese Sub Shop in Collierville allowed me to steal some water from the fountain station.  She immediately regretted this I'm sure when I didn't align the water bottle correctly and spewed water everywhere.  I told her compensation would come out in a shout out on my blog, GO TO YUM'S!  Physical training at this point is going well, my bike ride today totaled out at 18.9 miles in 01:11min.  However, I don't know if I will ever be able to get a hold of my eating habits until the time comes when I am eating granola and Lipton Alfredo packets.  That time is getting eerily close.  I think today marks around the t-minus 30 days or so.  I think this is one of those things that doesn't hit you until you are leaving.

I have yet to post any pictures of my sleeping bag, so I finally got the boo's camera and emailed myself some photos.  Models not included unless you want the beast "Gracie" I believe she's called.  You can find her on the 2nd picture doing a brutal mating ritual on her white blankey.  

I believe you guys have seen the bulk of my gear at this point.  Once I finally get around to working out some packing strategies I will post some pics so you can see what it will look like all together.  In a completely unrelated topic, Leigh (boo) and I went with some friends Fabi and Dustin to ZooBrew (Preciate the tickets Rod).  Super cool concept, basically you get a double shot glass upon entry and walk around the Memphis Zoo tasting really unique beers provided by vendors from all over.  The lines can be deterring at some points but in the end you get your fill of great beer and it gives you an opportunity to see some people that you haven't seen in a while.  Got to see some of my younger fraternity brothers which was awesome and also was pumped to catch up with my old Young-Life leader Kellan who just returned from LV working with Sierra Nevada.

That's about it for today.  As I mentioned before my friend Louis is going on yet another cycling tour departing this Thursday.  Keep an eye out on www.crazyguyandabike.com (search Louis Little), he does a really great job  updating and will most definitely have some really cool pics of places you might not ordinarily see.
Holla,
Bert

The Appalachian Trail- Ooh La La

Happy 21st of May!  I have been slacking on my updating and finally have taken the time to sit down and drink some post work coffee an add a post.  I will say personal morale is going good right now, just pulsing with anxiety pretty much every time I think of the trip.  I did hit a speed-bump in terms of training..... BBQ fest didn't  help with the weight loss, and a temporary lapse in judgement at 4 a.m. last Saturday left me being dragged out of a ditch by my friends Matt and Jason only to awaken terribly hungover and with a miserable case of poison ivy.  Literally, miserable.  So, of course I got worried that sweating may lead to it spreading.  Today, I broke my streak though and finally got in a bike ride.  I found a website that tracks mileage and elevation and allows you to mark your routes for any interested fellow bikers.  (www.mapmyride.com)  My name is bertw12 if your interested or maybe just search Robert Wallace.  As long as my tires hold up (don't have the moo-lah to get new ones after trip expenses) than my goal is to log a ride on their everyday up until the trip.  Hopefully, this will mainly be just my commuting to and from work.  However, I do have a friend (Louis, http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/directory/?o=1&user=looouis1971&v=2, check out his trip from Reno to San Salvador! Cool Stuff) that will soon be leaving on his own adventure and hope to have some interesting rides with him before his departure.

So, on to gear news......  I finally got all my gear ready to go.  Even though it isn't the setup I originally imagined (wanted to do some DIY gear) I am excited to finally be able to start working on packing.  Of course, I have to include a geeky pic!

-Sleep System, Cookpot w/ Stove + Fuel, Lantern, and Headlamp!
My rain tarp (pictured in navy) was my last item and it arrived today.  I have to thank all the guys at Outdoors Inc. that provided guidance and help getting all of this stuff.  Now, I just have to spend the time getting it all in my pack the way I want it.  I have a feeling I will have a better understanding of the phrase "trial and error" after this next couple of weeks and especially once on the trail.  I will try and keep adding post as much as I can, and hopefully by June 25th I will have everything pretty much set-up so I can still update on the trail when possible.  If anything I would love to get some pictures posted as frequently as I can.  Hope everyone is well!

"One of life's quite excitements is to stand somewhat apart from yourself and watch yourself softly becoming the author of something beautiful even if it is only a floating ash."  Norman Maclean

The Appalachian Trail- House Sitting Night 1

         Alright, as I am house sitting the g/f's house I find myself with too much time in which to get this blog going.  I bought one of my last pieces of gear today... and it is by far one of my favorites!  I will still have some random purchases as I get closer to my departure date (June 25th), but as of now I have only a tarp (most difficult buy) and my cookware yet to get.  I already have chosen the MSR Alpine 2 Pot Set and am planning on just removing the smaller pot and storing my stove inside my 2-liter pot while hiking.  I finally narrowed down my sleeping pads and purchased the Therm-a-rest 40th Anniversary Ed.  I tested the "Regular" size of the pad today just to make sure it would be able to slip inside my hammock for those colder nights.  Attached is a picture of the "regular" pad at 24oz. inside of its provided compression sack.

As soon as I get back to a PC as opposed to the Mac I am currently using (Thanks Mr. Bill) I will hopefully be able to navigate a little better and upload one my current Excel spreadsheets with my full gear list on it so anyone can check it out or give it a critique.

Last on the agenda, is my on going playlist that I have been preparing for my trip.  Despite my love for music I haven't bought a song on I-Tunes or updated my I-pod in quite a long while.  So, this leaves me with quite a unique situation when it comes to creating a playlist since I am basically working on a blank canvas.  I will leave you with what I have added so far and I encourage anyone to bring on some recommendations, as NO song is not worth listening to while stranded on the mountains.  Here it goes:



-Phantogram (Don't Move)
-AC Newman (On the Table)
-Broken Bells (The High Road)
-Bag Raiders (Shooting Star)
-Fleetwood Mac (Never Going Back Again)
-Nappy Roots (Good Day)
-Eric Church (Springsteen)
-Skrillex (Right On)
-Jason Aldean (Dirt Road Anthem)
-Carly Rae Jepsen (Call Me Maybe).... ha, cut me a break
-Hey Champ (Cold Dust Girl)
-The Band (Atlantic City)
-Washed Out (Feel It All Around)
-The Avett Brothers (Offering Live)
-The Avett Brothers (Murder in the City (Live 2010))
-Bill Withers (Ain't No Sunshine)
-Johnny Cash (Big River)

I look forward to your suggestions and appreciate you taking the time to check my trip out!
-Bert

*Tonight's post sponsored by: Acme California IPA (x4) and Ghost River Brewery (x1)

The Appalachian Trail- Trail Journals

Couldn't stand working on this profile without posting anything after I was finished.  First time blogger so definitely don't expect anything astounding.  Introductions are in order.....

 -Sir William Alsobrook "Raw Dog"

-Sir Edward Haaga "Special Ed"

 *Warning: Objects are Larger than they Appear in Picture

-and Me, Robert Wallace "Self Proclaimed Goonie for the Masses"

With our power's combined we plan to achieve as many miles on the Appalachian Trail as possible without killing each other along the way.  With Alsobrook's remarkable ability to remain indifferent, Ed's vast knowledge of High School level wrestling, and my 6 years worth of college education we fear not the future!  We look forward to our departure and I will be stopping by with updates as much as possible.


....."No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."