if this situation were chocolate, it'd be bittersweet...

i no longer own a truck! :)/:( on one hand, i no longer own a truck. :( on the other hand, i won't have to make those God-awful truck payments each month and pay ridiculous amounts of insurance and i will be able to HIKE HIKE HIKE all the way to maine. well, i mean... barring anything horrible happening that would pull me off the trail. 

the guy came down from north carolina last night and had a cashier's check in hand. he drove it around a little bit, played with the 4WD, and then we signed the bill of sale. i was kind of in shock that it happened last night, and when he cranked it up to drive it away, i got all misty-eyed. one day, i'll have another one. 

so i need to get with the program and finish buying my gear and figuring out my timeline for things. i haven't bought all my gear just yet because i wasn't 100% sure if i was going to be able to hike, and i didn't want to put all this money into gear that i wasn't sure i'd be able to use just yet. 

to help myself organize my thoughts, here's a list. things in bold, i've already got. the rest is just general ideas and things that i know i'll need. if anyone has any ideas, please feel free to leave me some hints. i'm not 100% sure what all i'll need for six months in the woods just yet, even if i have done a lot of research on all this...

pack group

• pack: coleman max elate 65L
• pack cover: came with the pack

sleeping gear

• sleeping bag: campmor 20* down bag
• sleeping pad: -
• liner: -
• tent: msr hubba hubba

electronics

• camera
• battery charger
• extra sd card
• extra battery
• transfer cable - bounce box?
• mp3 player? (would have to buy)

kitchen

• stove: currently have the new esbit stove; thinking about getting a msr pocket rocket
• fuel: - ; esbit tabs for now, poss. canisters later
• pot: dimebag ok? haha... jk
• frying pan: do i really need one of these?
• mug: -
• spork: -
• bladder: -
• bladder: -

hygiene/first aid/general group

• bug spray 
• rope
• water purification
• headlight
• knife
• tooth paste
• tooth brush
• soap 
• vitamins
• ibuprofen + acetaminophen
• more powerful painkillers
• benadryl
• pepto tabs
• neosporin
• 2 ace bandages 
• needles
• thread
• 2 4×4  gauze pads
• 5×9 gauze pad
• emergency blanket
• toe/hand warmers 
• whistle 
• alcohol pads 
• toilet paper 
• thru-hiker's companion 
• eye drops
• spare set of contacts
• compact mirror
• tweezers
• face wipes
• dental floss
• trowel

clothing worn

• shoes: merrells
• poles: probably wal-mart poles
• shirt: -
• pants: -
• socks: smartwool hiking socks
• socks: liners?
• underwear: ex-officio?

clothes packed

• socks: smartwool 
• socks:  liners?
• rain jacket: one that i've had for forever
• camp shoes: croc-like 
• base layer: top?
• base layer: bottom?
• base layer: sports bra
• buff x2, bandana
• shirt: - 

swayze stuff

• ruffwear approach pack
• dog food
• kong/peanut butter
• leash/collar/tags
• frontline/heartgard
• rimadyl
• ridgerest sleeping pad