5 days!

We are 5 days out. My base weight is under 20 lbs after lots of research, work, money, talking with friends, and waiting! On the Appalachian Trail my base weight was closer to 26 lbs, so getting under 20 lbs was a huge accomplishment for me. I am reusing some things from my AT hike, but for the most part it is all new, and improved.

Starting with my clothes:

Merrell Chameleon Shift Mid. Very comfortable Gore Tex, Vibram soled leather hiking boot.
Sanuk. Flip flop-esk camp shoe.
Darn Tough Socks. Lifetime warranty on these puppies. Love them!
Compression Knee Sleeve. Just in case my old joints start creaking again.
Prana Stretch Zion Convertible Pant. Stretchy water repellent pant that converts to shorts.
Running Shorts. Lightweight shorts that double as undies... eww.
Exofficio Boxers. Silver lined stuff does not stink.
Patagonia Capilene Shirt. Moisture wicking, 50 UPF, poly blend short sleeved shirt.
Nike Dry Fit Shirt. Moisture wicking, poly blend long sleeved shirt.
Snarf Cape. A homemade piece that allows me to go shirtless without my pac rubbing me raw.
Montbell Virsalite Jacket. An ultra light "breathable" single lined rain jacket.
Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer. The crowning jewel of my apparel. A stupid light, water resistant, 800 down fill jacket that packs into it's pocket, and doubles as a pillow.   

My clothes weigh in at 5 lbs 6 oz (not including my boots)

MY Gear:

Osprey Aether 70 Pac. Recently sent back to Osprey for repairs and returned good as new. AT pac.
Marmot Sleeping Bag. 20 degree down bag.
Cocoon CoolMax Sleeping Bag Liner. Never go to bed without it! 
Therm-a-Rest Z lite Sleeping Pad. Closed cell foam sleeping pad.
Go-lite Pac Cover. Works like a charm.
Nalgene. 2 of these "indestructible" water bottles covered in stickers.
Snarf Straw. A homemade piece that allows me to drink from my backpack while walking.
Princeton Tech Byte Headlamp. Light weight lamp with 3 settings including a red light for night.
Sea to Summit Dry Sacks. To keep my clothes, and food dry and compressed.
Pac Towel. Standard shammy type camp towel.
Bandanas. Never know when you might need one.
Mole Skin Journal. 50 page pocket journal for my sketches and random thoughts.
Tooth Paste & Brush. I wanna keep my teeth.
TP. You know.
Phone Charger. 
Chap Stick.
Trash Bag. Never know when you will need a little more waterproofness somewhere. 
Spoon. 

11 lbs 8 oz

Shared Gear:

Tarp Tent Cloudburst 3. A stupid light 3 person tarp tent that is 5'x7'
Olicamp XTS 1L Pot. The light XTS (Xcelerator Transfer System) boils water in half the time.
Fuel.
Steri Pen. Ultra violet light pen that kills bacteria making water safe to drink.
Extra Batteries.
Deck of Cards. Loser carries them!
Lighters.
MSR Pocket Rocket Stove. Light weight stove that sounds like a rocket taking off when boiling.
Colorado Trail Data Book. 
Rope.
Bug Spray.
Iodine. Backup water purification.
Nail Clippers.
Incense. Keeps bugs and hiker stink at bay.
First Aid Kit. See below.
Sunscreen.

6 lbs 4 oz Split between the 2 of us.

First Aid Kit:

Ibuprofen PM
Ibuprofen
Benadryl
Cortisone
Neosporn
Tiger Balm
Band Aids
Gauze
Super Glue
Gold Bond
Ace Bandage
Tweezers
Needle and Thread

Misc. Carried Items:

Case Knife.
Casio Commando Phone.
Mugen Power Extended Battery Pac. Hopefully this will eliminate the need for a solar charger.
Walking Stick. Duct Tape attached.
Kavu Visor.
Thunder Cats Sweatband. Snarf
Suunto Core Watch. Time, Altitude, Compass, Barometer, Thermometer...
Oakley Minute Sunglasses.

Ruff Wear Palisades Dog Pac.
Collapsable Bowl.
Pac Towel.

Food.

So there it is! With this equipment you too can walk where ever your little heart desires.

Here we go again!!

After 3 long years the wait is down to only 19 days until I am back on a long distance hike.

This time however, I will not be going alone, nor will I be leaving Bo the dog at home. I can not tell you how excited I am to start this journey with my amazing girlfriend Stephie, and Bo. My mom told me now she has a 3 lives to worry about this time, which made me realize, I do to. But I am not worried, they are both as capable as anyone for this 487 mile trek through the Rocky Mountains from Durango to Denver, and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else.

This time, I know what I am doing, have the proper gear, some money saved up, and a few sponsors!

I work for Sports Authority as a graphic designer (When I'm not Snarffing around the mountains) and they have given me 1 month off to complete the Colorado Trail. They have also given us sleeping bags to product test, along with trekking poles, a sleeping pad, and some dehydrated Mountain House meals.

The Alpine Design sleeping bags are a male and female mummy type bag temperature rated at 40° and, a 20° "summer bag". We took them out car camping one weekend and when we got there we realized the car cigarette lighter was broken so we could not blow up our air mattress. So we slept on the ground and the temperature dropped down to about 40°. My bag was a little big (I'm 6'2", 190lbs), and I had it synched up around my head but was still chilly, until I took the excess bag and pulled it in closer to me which helped but I was not comfortable throughout the night. If the air mattress was under us I think we would have been just fine, but it was not so we were a little colder than we would have liked. A sleeping bag liner would have been a difference maker that night also.

The Alpine Design sleeping pad is great; except that it claims to be self inflating, which it is not. I set it out for about 4 minutes and it was still not really full, but with a couple breaths it filled right up and was quite comfortable, a bit heavy weighing in around a pound and a half though. So we will not be taking it with us, but perfect for car camping.

The Alpine Design trekking poles haven't been out yet but Stephie will be taking them with her, as I will be using a wooden walking stick again.

Honey Stinger has provided us with 3 cases of their waffles, and some energy bites. They are an all natural honey energy snack that tastes delicious, I look forward to the boost they will give us along the way.

Engage Bars sent us a case of all natural chia seed chocolate almond bars which we are saving for the trip, but by the description they sound delicious.

Bobo's Oat bars are non-gmo natural, organic bars from Boulder, CO. They too have sent us a case to sample, which we are also saving.

The bags aren't quite packed yet, there are still a few things to get, but the itch is about to get scratched. Gear list to come soon.