The Plan, Man

Well, it has been nearly two months since my first post and a lot has happened in that time:

• 90% of the route is planned
• Found a great route to test gear on
• Financials are set
• Have a rough timeline for summer 2012

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I have the vast majority of the route planned out along with the logistics of getting my car to Durango before I actually leave. As of now, I'll be mostly sticking to the main trail with the exception of 12 Fourteeners, the Lost Creek Wilderness High Route, and Missouri Gulch. The Fourteeners will include Mt. Massive, Mt. Elbert, Missouri Mountain, Mt. Oxford, Mt. Belford, Mt. Harvard, Mt. Columbia, Mt. Yale, Mt. Princeton, Mt. Antero, and Mt. Shavano of the Sawatch Range and San Luis Peak of the San Juan Range. Needless to say, I am extraordinarily excited for the sheer level of peak bagging that will happen next summer - especially considering how the lack of a car severely limited my ability to get up to any Fourteeners this past summer. I will eventually post a GoogleEarth file on here with the exact route I plan on taking. 

The route that I found to test gear on is located near the Flatirons and just a mile west of my home in Boulder. Including traveling to and from the trailhead, it is a 12-mile loop and offers a variety of terrain, trail grades, and exposure levels. I'm looking forward to using it more often once my gear starts flowing in. 

Speaking of gear flowing in, I've got a financial plan to get all of my gear by late spring of 2012. I figure that this will give me plenty of time to test it out and break it in. Thank goodness for REI and its no-questions-asked return policy... I expect to go through several versions of certain items. 

And as for the 'Summer 2012 Timeline,' I've decided that we will be heading to Vermont as soon as graduation is over (Mid-May), then heading over to Boston for a quick visit (Late June-Early July), starting the Colorado Trail (Mid-Late July), and finally heading to the Pacific Northwest (Late August-Early September) to visit long lost chemistry pals. 

Here's to hopin'!