Chapter 1: Preparation and Planning

 

 Introduction: When I first started out, I was just thinking of going for an adventure of journey and growth with a sense of accomplishment. What I didn’t expect was the ideas that are starting to form with it from letting go of my past traumas and heartache to renewing my sense of self all the way to the possibility of writing a book of my adventure in the high peaks.

Preparation: Cost wise this adventure is from the start expensive. Following is a list of what I had to get as I started from scratch with very little in the way of equipment as I mentioned early in my ramblings. If you have the tent and sleeping essentials you are ahead of the game as through my research, I have found that a decent sleeping bag and tent are costly.

1.     New tent from amazon- $80.00

2.     Hiking boots- on sale from REI- $120.00

3.     Hiking socks- REI- $30.00

4.     Hiking pants-REI-$35.00x2=$70.00 ( in case you do another hike).

5.     Shirts-REI- $45.00x2=$90.00 ( one short sleeve and one long sleeve).

6.     Coleman propane 2 lbs- Walmart-$25.00

7.     Daypack- REI on sale-$130.00

8.     Food for on the hike-REI has buy 10 or more get 10% off of each- $15.00

9.     Dried food for meals- REI- $75.00.

10. Water- Walmart-$20.00

11. First Aid kit-$40.00(estimate)-REI

12. Sunscreen-Walmart- about $10.00

13. Deep Woods Bug Spray- Walmart- $12.00

14. Nalgene Bottles 1.5 liters- REI- $22.00x2=$44.00

15. Total=$941.00

These prices are rough estimates of what was spent on each.

Recommendations: I did go to LL Bean because some of my meals do not recommend as they have a small selection of meals. I don’t like beans as to me they have the texture of baby food. Therefore, I stay away from anything that has beans in it. So, for selection purposes I prefer REI. I also do not recommend getting frozen dried eggs to eat for breakfast. For me their texture was very mealy which turned me off to finishing my breakfast. I also highly recommend getting membership at REI. The cost for this is $30 for life. Tons of perks such as member only area and members only sales with easy-to-use coupons and you can go on other adventures if you want to. I don’t recommend this company only because of the aforementioned perks but also because they help you to find the proper footwear and consider your budget. The selection is vast as well as the employee’s knowledge of the necessities of equipment that you need to purchase.  As well as equipment that you may need further down the road. It is also prudent to get a map with trial heads and campgrounds to figure out which trailheads to park at and where to camp if you plan to camp. I camp because it fits my budget. Draper’s Acres is a small family run campground that is central to the majority of the trailheads. Some restaurant recommendations that I have been to and enjoyed definitely head into lake placid for dinner right on Mirror Lake at the Cottage Inn as the service and the views are breathtaking especially at sunset! For breakfast two places i recommend the breakfast club etc. in Lake Placid fast service and the portions are very filling. Plus, if you consider yourself a coffee expert excellent coffee choice as well.

Self-reflection: I was about to turn forty with the feeling that I had little to no huge accomplishments to speak of besides the norm of graduating college to getting a proper job in the eyes of my family to the numerous equestrian ribbons and awards. Agreed all of these accolades are significant in my life for bye but still have left me with a feeling of being lost. So begins my journey of preparing to climb my first high peak.

Thoughts: Each journey is personal for that particular person. So, for me Cascade and Porter mountains were my first hikes then Phelps was my third hike. I am still planning and gathering as much information as I can to make the best choice for me. I am also going to be joining a gym to be the fittest that I can be to hit the summits with a sense of accomplishment and youthfulness. Of course, I have till May to figure out or earlier as some of the campgrounds that are in the area already have a wait list. I may try a new campground and climb cliff and Redfield. As that particular campground is $25/ night for tent sites they also have cabins and lean tos. the possibilities are endless, which is highly likely as to the reason that I am anxious about these journeys as I don't like to leave anything to chance, but since most of the Adirondack campgrounds are not currently accepting reservations for the 2025 hiking season, I have to wait till may to make my reservations. Therefore, I am hoping that I don't get closed out of hiking in June as I do need to get a certain number of summits in each year to complete the challenge on time.

Although, originally, I was planning to hike and summit all 46 high peaks by myself as a way of self-discovery outside of horses and riding. I have found that i am longing to share this journey with family as a way to have something in common and to share the experience with. How did I come to this well when I was summitting Phelps Mountain I met a couple at the summit as well as very frequently a family of cousins and aunts and uncles thus started thinking how much fun they were having as a family. Maybe my sister-in-law and brother could help me understand the dynamics of family as far as having conversations at family gatherings.