Field-tested my gear today at the Bold Coast, stopping off for lunch at Fairy Head where I enjoyed freeze dried beef stroganoff and instant coffee. My little stove worked like a pro, but I chose not to set up a complete camp (tent, mattress, etc.). However, I did carry everything I'll be bringing on our inaugural hike this Friday, so I got a feel for what the hiking is like when you have 30 lbs. on your back. The 10 mile loop is already fairly arduous, so the extra weight certainly added a dimension. Nevertheless, I'd have to say I felt like I was in heaven; it could not have been a more perfect day--oh, right, it was perfect; there's really no such thing as more perfect.

Ernie and I will be doing 21 miles of the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire (that's 1/100th of the total for those of you keeping score), so I feel like I'm in good stead after today, the only fly in the ointment being that we'll be ascending 4,000 feet of elevation. Yeah, that must be why people cut their toothbrushes in half--every extra ounce probably feels like a pound.

Well, I am some excited, as the local saying goes. Fun, fun, fun.