One day till we leave.

We went for our final 6 mile training walk this morning. We're going over the 'what's in the backpack' one last time - have to lose a shirt and a pair of socks.  The latest weather conditions are looking good.  One more load of laundry to do, swiffer the floors, taxi is coming to collect us at 6:00 am, we got hair cuts last week, cut the grass last night, used up everything in the refrigerator, bills are paid.  Marilyn had an emergency root canal yesterday - better yesterday than on the plane. Lucky the dentist was able to squeeze her into the schedule.

We hope our flights are on time, especially the one to Paris.  When we get to Paris we have to catch an Air France bus to Monparnasse Train Station to catch our train to Bayonne and then a train from Bayonne to St Jean Pied de Port.

Leaving Milwaukee 8:00 am on Wednesday arriving Paris 7:30 am on Thursday and into SJPP around 7:30 pm.  We will be done in.

To be continued from France.

Bon Voyage, Adios, Buen Camino!

Walking along

I'm trying out different picture resolutions on itouch.  X-large was too big, medium a tad small, large seems to the one.

Training Walk along Lake Michigan

3 hour walk before heading over to Summerfest Grounds for Festival Mexico.

Marilyn leading the with full pack.

Sue with full backpack.

What's in Our Backpacks

We both have similar and in some instances identical gear that we have picked up over the years.  Some things from our Colorado days - well used but still functional, and some newer buys that we used in Scotland and Peru, and a few new items for this trip.  Clothing is light weight and quick drying - no cotton, no denim.  We will be wearing hiking pants and hiking shirt on flight to Paris, our spare pair of pants is in the backpack.

CLOTHING
Rain jacket (REI) and pants (LL Bean)
REI version of the Patagonia nano puff Jackets
One pair hiking pants (Mountain Hardwear) or Eddie Bauer (convertible to shorts)
One long sleeve hiking shirt
One short sleeve tech t-shirt (LL Bean)
One long sleeve polar tech long sleeve shirt with zipper (LL Bean)
Three pair smart wool hiking socks and two pair liners

GEAR ETC
Water bottle
Hiking Poles
Lafuma lightweight sleeping bag
Croc Mary Jane lightweight shoes
Sun Hat and Sunglasses
Gregory Jade 38 Backpacks
Backpackers Towel
iTouch to stay in touch via wi fi, no cell phone, no camera
International plug and charger
ipad (may not make final cut)
Lowa hiking boots
Shampoo and Laundry Sheets
Clothes line and a few Clothes pins (may not make the final cut)

Gear Check

Going through our backpacks and trying to chuck any extra items to save on weight. Getting down to essential vs unnecessary.  Those ounces become extra pounds. I'll post our final gear list later.

Holy Hill

We went for a 5 mile walk on the Ice Age Trail with our packed backpacks.  We started  out from the Holy Hill Basilica parking lot and did and out and back hike.  Finished off with a bowl of chili and a piece of pie at the Basilica Cafe.

We're Packed!

Almost done with packing.  Need to add personal items like toothbrush and paste, crocs for after walking, etc., plus a little duct tape.

My pack is at 11 pounds without personal items and water.  I so want to be in the 12-13 pound zone.  May need to take out some items of clothing.