This last holiday season was surely one for the books! We were very thankful to spend time with our families and friends when six months away from them is right around the corner. They are so unbelievably helpful and motivating! Between Christmas, birthdays, and just because presents, we nearly crossed everything of of our list before it was even 2017! After a bittersweet parting with our original packs a few months back, we were overjoyed to receive our brand new @hyperlitemountaingear packs for Christmas! Going ultralite is one of the best decisions we've ever made. Our new insanely lightweight packs, unbelievably comfy and compact @patagonia nanopuff jackets, practically weightless @zpacks sleeping bags, and our remarkable featherweight @zpacks duplex tent makes for very happy hikers. While Buffalo has decided to give @altra trail shoes a try, footwear has always been a bit of a challenge for Mumble. She purchased some totally awesome @oboz, but seriously doubts her feet and their ability to stay cooped up inside trail shoes for miles and months on end. In fact, Mumble strongly believes that she'll end up hiking the Appalachian Trail in @chacos. She still has four months to really decide though, so stay tuned. As for camp shoes, we both love our crocs and wear them almost every day! If crocs are not your camp shoe already, we'd strongly suggest considering it! Over the weekend we received our 2017 AT Guide by the fabulous "AWOL," so there are really only a few more things on our trail needs list! We both have to finalize our footwear, and Mumble needs to order some new socks and sock liners (probably from injinji). The rest of the list includes therm-a-rest z lite sol sleeping pads, MSR PocketRocket stove, a couple of stuff sacks maybe, and a reliable, non-solar portable charger (recommendations greatly appreciated). It is surreal being nearly ready for our journey. Two years ago this month Buffalo returned from his three month adventure in Costa Rica and nonchalantly suggested we go hike part of the Appalachian Trail. Now, practically the only thing keeping us going day after day IS the AT. We are grateful for the time between now and May 22nd because we need to spend it with our loved ones, and to save as much money as absolutely possible so we can afford to eat when serious hiker hunger sets in. However, we cannot wait. It excites us to see so many hikers only a month or so away from their start. We can't wait to follow along with everyone's adventures, and look forward to sharing our journey with all of our friends and family as well! Have a happy week everyone!