It is one week until I leave Cornwall and head to London for
my flight. One week! Holy Crow. Apart from un-packing and re-packing my kit,
consuming copious amounts of tea, and trying to plough through the rest of
season 8 of Supernatural, what have I been up to?
I finally chose and paid for my travel insurance. It cost me
about £120, so around what I was expecting. It was a backpackers insurance so
covers hiking up to 3000m (more than I need), and the medical part of it would
foot the bill if I were to be air-lifted for any reason. The chances of this
are exceptionally slim, but I know of someone who broke an ankle in an awkward
place and ended up with a $90,000 bill, so it’s nice to know my ass is covered
anyway.
Plans were finalized with the lovely chaps at the Hiker
Hostel. I’ll land in Atlanta and have a few hours in the largest urban space
I’ll be in for five months to find fuel and food for the first few days, and
get a phone.
I got my passport back with a shiny visa attached inside and
filed it away safely (hopefully somewhere I can find it…). This, unfortunately,
isn’t the end of the visa saga! Although my visa is provisionally granted, it
is up to the US border official as to how long I can stay in their country.
There are a few documents I will be taking along to show as
evidence of the nature and duration of my trip, if they are required. First and
foremost, a bank statement to show that I have raised sufficient funds for my
trip. A B1-B2 visa does not permit work so this is a pretty important one.
Second, I will have the address and contact details of the hiker hostel I will
be staying in for the first couple of days. The final thing, and hopefully the
clincher, is the return flight booking. Good, solid evidence that I have parted
with hard earned cash to leave their country once I have completed the trail.
My gear is all prepped and ready to go. Waterproofs, pack
and boots have been cleaned and re-proofed and everything is nicely organised
into dry bags to throw in the holdall I’ll be transporting my kit over in. My
fuel bottle and stove have been thoroughly cleaned and are currently airing out
to get rid of all the fuel smells so it will be allowed on the flight. Last
thing to do is sort out some music and pick a good book to take with me!
Thoughts like: ‘This time in nine days I’ll be having a brew
on top of Springer Mountain’ keep on occurring, and occasionally get voiced,
much to the despair of my colleagues who all wish they were coming along. My
last day at work was yesterday; it was very strange to finally clock-out for
good, having been there pretty much every day for the last couple of years! All
the hard work and long hours have paid off; my original budget plan has been absolutely
destroyed so I have at least $6000 to hike the trail on.
Woo hoo! Ridiculously excited now! This will more than
likely be the last post from home.
A huuuge thanks to my friends, colleagues, family and
especially my very patient and incredible girlfriend who have put up with
endless AT talk, provided moral support, and told me to shut up when necessary.
To everyone who has imparted general advice on gear, logistics, trail wisdom
e.t.c: Cheers! I wouldn’t have known where to begin without useful input from
folks on whiteblaze.net and on various blogs. I’ll hopefully catch some of you
out there!