Trails

I don't know if I'll be able to begin backpacking the Buckeye Trail next spring.  I plan on going to the closest LL Bean store in Illinois to try on backpacks and I need to buy all sorts of stuff still for gear.  Finding a tent that I like is also a bit hard to find.  They're all expensive which I guess is natural as are the backpacks.  I haven't even bought the maps yet for the Buckeye Trail.  If I wanted to buy the entire 26 map set it would cost me $119.  I have also been thinking whether I should hike the Ohio to Erie trail first since I have never backpacked before and then do the Buckeye Trail.  I need to think on this more.

Some Information

Buckeye Trail-1,444 miles and longest circular trail in the USA with it being the third longest circular trail in the world.  Information can be found at Buckeye Trail.

Ohio to Erie Trail-will be fully complete and connected in 2015.  85% complete now and many people have already hiked/biked it as it is open.  Not much information on the Ohio to Erie Trail sadly.  Information can be found at Ohio to Erie Trail.  Starts in Cincinnati and ends at Lake Erie.

Te Araroa Trail-this is 3,000 KM or 1,864 miles long.  Stretches the entire length of both the North and South Islands.  Takes 3-6 months to complete. Information can be found at Te Araroa.  Starts in Cape Regina and ends in Bluff.

Sadly I do not think I will ever get over my fear of heights and the Appalachian Trail is crossing mountains and valleys pretty much the entire way.  So that is out but if you want information the Appalachian Trail or AT for short is 2,180 miles. Can be taken Northbound from Springer Mountain, GA to Katahdin, ME or from Southbound from Katahdin, ME to Springer Mountain, GA.  Only 1 in 4 people who go out on the trail ever finish it.  Goes through 14 states.  Information can be found at Appalachian Trail Conservatory.  After looking at the estimated level for each section, sections ME and NH are 6-10 and 10 is not recommended for short people or people with a fear of heights.

Here is a neat trail I found a few days ago: Sultans Trail.  Goes through seven countries. Starts in Vienna and ends in Istanbul.  Suleyman Kanuni, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, made the trip from Istanbul to Vienna for the first time in 1529 and again in 1532.  Both times he didn't succeed in penetrating the city of Vienna.  Known as the 'path of peace'.  Information can be found at Sultans Trail. I want to try this trail.

Looking for Gear

I'm on LL Bean looking at backpacking tents.  I think the biggest issues will be finding a tent that I like and a backpack that fits me.  As I mentioned in a previous post I have looked on LL Bean before for what I would need for backpacking when I have thought of backpacking across the USA.  I don't plan on hiking or backpacking in the winter so I won't need a 4-season tent.

For sure I know I'll need the following:

• Sleeping bag
• Sleeping bag pad
• Tent
• Footprint for tent
• Cooking stove
• Backpacking cookware
• Headlamp (found)
• Flashlight (found a solar flashlight)
• Hiking boots
• Backpack
• Water bottles (found)
• Food
• Clothes
• Rain jacket probably would be a good idea
• Water treatment
• First-aid kit probably a good idea 
• Thermos
• Hiking Poles
• Diaries (which I can easily get from Barnes and Noble so that's pretty much taken care of)
• Orange safety vest probably a good idea for when hiking on roads
• Camera (for pictures)

I figure that it is good to possibly slowly start buying gear now so when I go on my first backpacking adventure I am all set.  My goal is to do either the Ohio to Erie Trail or the Te Araroa Trail before school starts back up.  Probably I'll end up doing the Ohio to Erie Trail as the Te Araroa Trail takes three to six months to do the entire trail.  The Ohio to Erie Trail I think is shorter than that.  

Ohio to Erie Trail

Apparently there is a trail in OH known as the Ohio to Erie Trail.  It starts in Cincinnati, goes through Columbus and ends in Cleveland.  There doesn't seem to be much information on this trail at all. I guess this trail is planned to be 453 miles long (according to Wikipedia which we all know isn't accurate).  I think hiking that trail sounds interesting and might just get me fit enough for the other three trails I plan on doing.

Something else I have been thinking of doing is walking from coast to coast across the USA.  My thought was to hike all the states of the USA but I'm not sure if that is feasible.  That will take some thinking on my part.  If I am going to hike then I seriously need to learn two things.  How to use a match or lighter and how to set up a tent on my own.  On a side note I also bought a journal from Barnes and Noble.  I have been meaning to go back to journaling for a while now but haven't bought anything.  The journal I bought is a lined journal with a satin black ribbon in it so I can easily find my place.  I can only write in lined journals or lined notebooks.  My goal is to do either the New Zealand trail or one of the OH trails before I go back to school in August 2014.

Trail Destinations

As a child I was never athletic or into playing sports.  The only time I ever played a sport was volleyball in tenth grade for a gym credit.  For a while as a child I used to go hiking, camping and fishing.  I don't like fishing but don't mind camping and like being around nature.  I love the country because it's peaceful and it's as polluted compared to city life.  You can actually see the stars in the country compared to city life.

I live in Ohio and discovered a neat trail called the Buckeye Trail. It's 1,444 miles and circles OH. According to the Buckeye Trail website it is the longest circular trail in the USA and is a hike to get to know Ohio's history.  The only trail I ever heard of in my adult life was the Appalachian Trail.  I have in the past few months looked up hiking/backpacking gear on LL Bean.

So far I have three trails that I want to try out.  I want to do the Buckeye Trail which is 1,444 miles.  This trail circles OH as I said before.  In fact I live near one section of the Buckeye Trail.  If the stupid coyotes weren't back in force where I live I would consider beginning to walk to get my body in shape for when I hope to do the Buckeye Trail. I also want to do a trail in New Zealand called the Te Araroa Trail which is 3,000 KM or in miles is 1,864 miles.  I have never heard of the Te Araroa Trail until today.

I have no idea where my fear of heights comes from. I don't remember any significant detail in my twenty-six years of life that caused me to be afraid of heights.  I'm not even sure if it is the height itself or the fear of falling and killing myself that concerns me. I rarely fly either but I like the landing and once I'm up in the air I'm fine.  It's the taking off part I don't like and I swear whenever I get ready to fly I have the bad luck of seeing airplanes being shot out of the air or blowing up on takeoff (thanks stupid Final Destination and the other airplane movie I saw where a fighter jet blew a  hole in the side of a commercial air liner).  Does a fear of flying relate to being afraid of heights I wonder?  I figure if I can hike the Buckeye Trail I can do the Te Araroa Trail.