3 months and counting

Well its been an age since i last blogged and there are reasons, Firstly i have a new job which unfortunately for me gives me 1 day off in 8 and sometimes 1 day off in 9, Leaving little time for anything, Most weeks when i can after work i drive straight to my nearest mountains and camp overnight, The next day i am awake early and hike around the area, up some very steep inclines, I stay at a place called Hanging rock state park, There are 5 peaks in the area and on a good day i can do 3, Last week when i was there i nearly bumped into a black bear in the camp sight, The area is very scenic with 5 waterfalls, Some nice foliage and plenty of wildlife,
Secondly i am still plagued by the rash that i have had since my shoulder operation last October, its not getting in the way of my plans but i have had various tests which show nothing positive that is causing it like an allergy and then the trips to the dermatologist which eat into my free time,
On a positive note i have plenty of new gear, I now have a great tent from Big Agnes, Its a 2 man super light weight with built in lighting, Will be great on the Appalachian trail, It only takes a couple of minutes to put up which is great as it rained last week and every time i use it there is some design feature that impresses me, I also bought one of their sleeping pads but after a few uses i sent i back as i was not happy with its performance, After checking it out they sent me a new one which is the latest version which is a huge improvement, I have to say that i can highly recommend products from Big Agnes, A small company but the people who design the products obviously know what they are doing, My wife got me a new sleeping bag for my birthday especially for the Everest trip, Its a North Face Inferno rated at -20, I wish i had it a few months ago on my first camping trip to Hanging Rock as it was bitter, It even snowed and at night there was no way i could get warm, It will get a lot of use that's for sure, Last week i purchased 2 pairs of the Northface's hiking pants that zip off at the knees, These have a new stretchy material and are slimmer in the leg than most convertible trousers, They are very comfortable and will go into the Everest boxes until the big day,
I have booked my Trek with a company called Ian Taylor Trekking, There are a lot of companies doing Base Camp treks but Ian's stood out for various reasons, Firstly he has a 99% success rate, He doesn't take just anybody and you have to fill in paperwork with previous experience, He has some very good video's on his site about preparation and what you will need and he can be contacted 5 days a week on Skype and lastly his trek has a 1 night stay at Base camp whereas most trek there from Gorak Shep (the nearest accommodation) and back without staying over night at the actual camp
One thing is for sure and that this will be the hardest thing i have yet done but i am sure it will be hugely rewarding,
So the deposit on the trip is paid as is the accommodation in Kathmandu, I have a couple of spare days before the trek to get over jet lag and do some touristy stuff in the city, The travel insurance is sorted and covers me up to 6000m of which i should be around 5545m tops at a place called Kala Pattar where we should get the best views (and images) of Everest
The one thing still to be sorted is what to take Camera wise, Nikon D800 plus a couple of lenses or get a Sony a6300
I have had very little time to start raising funds for CRI or the Cancer Research Institute and have a long ways to go so Please dontate what you can, Every dollar/pound/euro etc is greatly appreciated, Donate direct through our webpage www.walkingforacure.org, Every single penny goes directly to CRI

Here are some images taken on my treks at Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina

My Big Agnes tent is dwarfed by my friends 8 person tent

 At the top of Wolf Rock

 Hanging Rock peak

 Even the waterfalls are a work out for the legs to get to

 A bitter first and second night

 Eastern spotted newt

 Mist rising at Moores wall loop peak

I hope to be able to blog on a more regular basis in the future, More trips to Hanging rock SP are planned as well as Mount Mitchell which is the tallest mountain this side of the Mississippi

Dave