We realize that hiking for 6 months is going to be quite an adjustment. What we've learned in our research is that one of the main reasons that so many people don't complete the trail is because of unrealistic expectations. Since Nick's only done one weekend of backpacking and Rachel's extent of experience is day hikes and car camping it only seemed wise to get rid of our comfy bed and pitch our tent in its place. The first night was torture! Nick's ultra light thermarest on the concrete floor only hindered his sleep, so he moved to our luxury thermarest in the living room while Rachel tried to sleep the entire night on her back. The next morning we both woke up extremely stiff and soar. It has taken some time to get used to it, but we're getting there. Heck if we can sleep through the night on concrete the earth's floor should be no problem...right?
