6/23/03 That's Tumble on the left and we're on the Long Trail on a June day practicing with our fully loaded backpacks. Our Long Trail end-to-end hike is a little over a month away and our excitement is growing by the day. This is our "adventure of a lifetime." Our activities for the next several weeks will include setting up and dropping off our re-supply boxes and doing short hikes on the LT in Central Vermont to improve our conditioning. We plan to take it slow and easy on the trail and estimate a 5-6 week journey. We're wearing GoLite packs and low-cut lightweight boots (T's are custom made Hersey's; R's Merrell's Mesa) with gaiters. We're also wearing sun proof long pants and long sleeved shirts. We're both wearing waist pouches. Rough has a digital watch with a compass, barometer, thermometer, and altimeter. For hiking poles we're using ski poles our neighbors tossed out.