The date has been moved up to Aug 2, so now we are a little time compressed, but it will work out.

Right now the food is a major issue as there isn't a lot of supply in the stores for a bulk purchase. But I think a store here will be able to get some in time.

The tuna packages are a good idea. We are going to need to add calories.

Fortunately, we arranged for a trail angel after the 4th day to bring us into a town. We've done that before, so it won't be anything new.

We have someone following us on a SPOT transmitter who is good at arranging rescue if we need it. Messages can be sent to his cell phone, so he won't need to be glued to the computer. And he will also communicate with my wife about resupply points.

We have two days in the first 4 where we will have to travel with extra water. We've arranged for a trail angel after the 4th day to take us to a town where we can adjust to anything we find ou in the first 4 days.

Last night we had a discussion about how many miles we can do a day without a problem. We realized we were taking too many breaks as we each thought the other needed it. We have time for a practice day hike on Sunday to see if it works out taking fewer breaks. If not, we can still muddle through.

We've decided to break for a real cooked meal for lunch as running out of energy seems to be a function of not eating well. We did that this past weekend and made better time including the stop. (The SVEA stove is very quick to cook on. It takes about 4 and a half minutes to boil water from the time I start to light it).

We realize we waste a lot of energy in camp just pacing or exploring. We will probably stop at our planned campsite, but if the weather is good, we will meander a couple of miles to a dry campsite to get a head start on the next day.

I wish we could start out being able to do 15 miles a day, but we can't. So we have the first week planned as just a regular outting averaging about 7 to 10 miles a day and we will work up as we can. Fortunately, we are starting out at low altitude (for us)of 6 to 7,000 feet. We are used to hiking between 9,000 feet and 11,500. The terrain will be a lot flatter than we are used to with the climbs only being about 500 feet per mile. (We have been practicing in places with about 1,200 feet per mile.)

The plan isn't perfect, but I think it's safe. If we can't do the whole trail, we will just have fun for as much of it as we can do.

We are both nervous, but I think that's what we call "pre-hike depression." Once we get going it will be a lot better.

Wish us luck.