Baby Steps to Springer Mountain...

So I was hoping to get the SPOT map up and running on my blog this week but I've run into some issues embedding it. You can still track us via this link Em & Robb's GPS tracking, so that'll have to do until I can get it here.  In the meantime, I am excited to share that I now have a twitter account and that it is linked to my SPOT. That means, when we click a button to send our check in/OK message daily it will automatically post to my twitter account. If you tweet or are interested in staying updated on the trail in 160 characters or less, you can follow me @elayman.

Before leaving for Springfield, Robb and I headed to REI to buy our hiking clothes and pick up a few last minute items. When we got home, we did a practice-pack of our backpacks. We were shooting for our bags to weigh less than 25 lbs without food or water. Robb's weighed in at 23.4 lbs and mine was at 22.8 lbs -- Success! Hiking with a partner contributed a lot to the weight of our packs. There are a lot of items that we share so distributing the weight was easier.

Springfield, Missouri is the headquarters for Bass Pro Shops, one of the biggest outdoor supply centers in the US. So we figured we should stop in and check it out while we're in town. The place was spectacular! Robb got his knife sharpened for $1 while we watched, we picked up some additional pairs of socks, a mirror, 2 compasses, emergency blankets, basically all of the little things we'd forgotten to buy or were waiting to buy.

We decided to bring our backpacks down to Springfield with us and do a couple of day hikes on the rocky hills out here for practice. Here we are, testing out the gear and taking selfies with the GoPro.