Final Count Down!

Time to ship out!  Jarrod and Becca will be hopping on a plane with our parents and heading down to Georgia so that they can hit the Appalachian Trail on March 21st, 2011!  (That is 3-21-11.  Easy enough to remember, huh?)  Their bags are packed and their coarse is set.  I have a list of all their mail drop spots from Georgia to Maine and when they expect to hit those sites.  If anyone is interested in sending them some love via snail mail (which will probably have to be overnighted to the mail drop), I would be happy to share those addresses and dates.

Additionally, we have created a special email account just for the hike.  This can be used to connect with Jarrod, Becca, and me on all things hike-related.  That email is jabeccawalk@gmail.com.  

Here are a few pictures of Jarrod and Becca's final days in civilization!

                                                          Final bites of "real" food!

                        Loading up in the hotel room.  Last time in a real bed for the next 4 months!

                                                     Becca's practice run to set up the tent.

                                   There were some difficulties in lighting the Pocket Rocket stove...
                but I'm sure Jarrod will have all the kinks worked out by the time they are on the trail.

                                                              Becca loads her pack!

       Dad, Becca, Jarrod, and Mom together once more before the kids turn into mountain children!

Spreading the Word

As the final days at home in Cranford NJ dwindle away, Jarrod and Becca are making every last effort to spread word about their adventure and about their goals to raise $10,000 for multiple sclerosis (MS).  Countless emails have been sent to friends, family, school mates, colleagues, and potentially interested acquaintances.  Both Seton Hall Prep School (Jarrod's high school) and Brown University (Jarrod's college) have kindly posted information about the adventure on their web pages!  


Jarrod and Becca have also sent several days meandering through the streets of town, in and out of public buildings, down the aisle of our very own church on a Sunday morning, through the line at the frozen yogurt shop, and on the treadmills at the gym wearing their 35 pound packs and dressed for the trail.  They figured no one would miss them if they were decked out in their complete backpacking ensamble.  They chatted with anyone one who expressed an interest and distributed slips of paper with links to the MS donation page and to this very blog. 


Wednesday afternoon was their excursion to the gym which is a few miles away from our house.  They loaded their packs with everything except food and set out at about 3:30pm.   Each packed weighed about 28 pounds.  Once their food is added, they are expecting their packs to weigh between 35 and 40 lbs, which is exactly what they were shooting for.  


Feeling good, they walked all the way into the center of town.  As they were going, some awesome guy on a bike named Jim yells out to them and asks, “Where you guys goin’?”  


So they yelled back, “To the Appalachian Trail!”

After a short chat, they continued to hike over to Style Street, the place our entire family has been going to get our hair cut since 1991.  Mr. J's, the best sandwich shop in town, was the next stop.  They talked with the owner for a bit who promises to hook them up with some sloppy joe sandwiches before they leave for the trail.  For anyone not from New Jersey, a "sloppy joe" is a three layered sandwich with meat, swiss, coleslaw, and dressing between rye bread.  This is definitely NOT the ground beef mess that comes on a hamberger bun.  Oh no!  And you better believe Jarrod and Becca will be stopping by Mr. J's once more for that oh-so-delicious sandwich!  


Once Jarrod and Becca made it to Gold Metal Fitness, they spent a few minutes speaking with owner Gary Patti. Shortly after, they hopped on the treadmill, walking at a 20-minute mile pace on a mild incline.  They found out that they would likely be burning about 100 calories for every mile they walked.  If we do a little math, we can conclude that if they hike 20 miles a day (which is their goal), they will be burning 2,000 calories per day!  This means that in order to sustain their energy, they are going to have to eat about 4,000 calories per day!  Talk about a diet plan!  Yikes!  


All of the people who saw them in the gym were very excited to hear about their upcoming journey and many offered suggestions and little pearls of wisdom to help them as they hike.  There were even suggestions of packing a shot gun and a machete!  


That's all for now!  Happy trails!  


ps. Jarrod and Becca have sent me more pictures than I can fit into this blog so I will attach a link to a separate flickr account where you can see all of their pictures as they send them to me.  The link can also be found on the right side of the page under "Links we think are important."

Preparations

For the past year and a half, Jarrod and Becca have been collecting supplies, reading books on the Appalachia Trail, and most importantly, finishing their undergraduate degrees.  With less than three months to go before their intended departure date in March, the final preparations are being made.

They have recently added a new mission to this rather extensive undertaking: they will be hiking to raise money for multiple sclerosis.  MS is an inflammatory disease that affects nerves cells in the brain and spinal chord resulting in a broad range of symptoms.  To make a donation and aid their efforts, you can visit the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America which will always be displayed on the right-hand side of the screen for your convenience.  OR you can just click on this link: http://support.msassociation.org/site/TR?pg=fund&fr_id=1030&pxfid=5981

Jarrod and Becca have asked me, their sister, to record their journey using this blog so that others may follow their progress.  Updates will come whenever possible, most likely via phone call and post cards that they acquire from towns along the Trail.  I will then transfer their correspondence into this blog for your reading pleasure.

Who knows what this wild adventure will entail!?