Developments

After recent developments and plans my journey through ireland will be put on hold indefinitely. As a result this blog's focus will soon change.

Stay tuned =)

Backpacking checklist--reducing concepts to objects

Now that my initial euphoric feelings and excitement over Ireland have passed I am now coming to the realization that I only have three or four months before I get ready to hop on a plane and try to survive in Ireland for a while. With that in mind I have been making a list of all the things I will need to have ready before I leave. After checking out the list feel free to make comments and suggestions on what I plan to bring as I am sure this list is going to change a bit before I am ready to go.

Travel

1. Passport

2. Plane ticket there and back-- will likely use Travelocity since it gives a very nice price of 365 dollars for both tickets and freedom to select when I want to go.

Gear--My dad gets a very nice pro deal from Mountain Hardware so I will be getting a lot of my essentials from them

1 Tent: .http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Sprite%E2%84%A2-1/OU9431,default,pd.html

Pretty small and kinda cute it shouldn't take up too much room or be all that heavy, site says it is good in stormy weather so hopefully it holds up.

2.Sleeping bag http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Lamina%E2%84%A2--30-(Long)/OU8446_L,default,pd.html

This sleeping bag is good in -30 degree weather and is made out of synthetic material which could be a life saver in case something leaks or gets wet.

3. Backpack http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Koa%E2%84%A2-55/OU3093,default,pd.html

I like the red coloring and with 3650 cu.inches it should have enough room to fit my camping gear, clothes and hopefully my food.

4. Stove http://www.rei.com/product/660163

This little "pocket rocket" stove should be perfect for the trail as it allows for more room in my pack for gas canisters and will effectively allow me to boil rice and lentils which will for the most part become my staple diet. At 30-40 dollars it is also a great buy

5. Cook set-- http://www.amazon.com/Texsport-Stainless-Steel-Backpackers-Cook/dp/B000P9IR8I

It's a pretty good deal if you are trying to get yourself set up on the cheap

6. Fuel- These things are expensive and I will probably have to wait to buy them until I get to Ireland. At 10-20 dollars a canister these things are pretty expensive

7. Head lamp--http://www.backcountry.com/black-diamond-gizmo-headlamp

Pretty Essential for hiking in the dark or reading before bed. It takes AAA batteries so I hope I can find those pretty easily!

8. Lighters and waterproof matches

while lighters may usually do the trick it is usually handy to have a couple packs of waterproof matches for a rainy day--it's a pun get it?

9. Shower and hygiene--http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-5-Gallon-PVC-Camp-Shower/dp/B0009PUT20 A camp shower should provide a nice luxury as I plan on only staying in a hostel once a week. In addition the usual soap, deodorant and toothpaste will also be brought. Hand sanitizer is going to be a constant companion as I really dont want to get sick in a foreign country

10. Small med kit-- enough to clean and disinfect any scrapes, cuts or gouges.

11. Pancho-water tight ziplock baggies

Nothing like being 20 miles from the nearest city and falling into a river or getting soaked. Ireland does rain a lot during the winter and I plan to keep most of my clothes and especially my socks well protected at all times.

12. Inflatable backpacking mat--I refuse to sleep on the hard ground.

Clothes-- Fortunately I already have a lot of the things I need but as my list so far has been pretty concise I will include everything I can think of

1. Six pairs of backcountry socks- Therlos--

Since I plan to be hiking hundreds of miles I plan on alternating socks every day both for hygiene and for foot upkeep. Each pair should only be used once before being washed to ensure my feetfeet dont blister or start growing something foreign

2. Two Winter hats- one wool one synthetic. Synthetic hats are nice if it’s raining as they dry a lot faster than anything wool, its also usually a good idea to have a spare in case one gets lost

3. Two pairs of gloves--Same principle as with the hats except one will be a nice heavy pair for day use and the other for keeping warm at night

4. Long underwear--Basic principle is to have warm tight fitting clothes which keep your body warm and drive away the sweat. Three sets of shirts and pants should be hygienic enough, though four might be an even better idea

5. Shirts, Jackets and Jeans--Pretty self explanatory, they need to be versatile enough to allow for hanging out in a city and also for keeping me warm/safe from rain while I sleep in my tent. Five or six shirts, a fleece jacket and a rain jacket along with my snow pants and two pairs of jeans should do the trick.

6. Parka--Luckily for me my mom bought me a parka when I went to Boston last year so it should be a great outer shell

7. Footwear--Will include my hiking boots and one other pair for city use, will bring a pair of sandals for showering at hostels.

8. Backpackers towel-- These things usually are pretty good on space and are important if one needs to dry off

Miscellaneous--

Will be taking my I Phone--Should allow me to take videos and pictures, check my facebook and even call people through the internet

2. Two or three books-preferably small and paperback will hopefully dump and update as I go along

3. Lentils or rice and peanut butter + vitamins -- It's cheap and I should be able to carry enough with me to last a couple days while providing enough protein, carbohydrates and other essential minerals to take care of myself

4. Paper and Pen

5. Map and Compass--very important especially if my I phone is out of battery and I have no access to a GPS

All in all this list seems pretty exhaustive and I am hoping that my backpack will have room for everything I need to "ruff" it through Ireland for a while. Until then I am hoping to finish this semester off decently and work until I have somewhere between one thousand and two thousand dollars saved up. At this point I seem to be looking at a late January, early February departure date from NYC to Dublin and from there I will likelygo to Limerick and then to Cork. Once I reach Cork I would then have the option of taking a ferry to england and then could keep making my way east to London and possibly even Paris should I not spend all of my money on beer.

Finally I am filling out sponsorship request forms so I hope I will get lucky and convince some company to join up with me for this journey

Until next time,

Jacob Clark

This spring I plan on taking a semester off from school in order to backpack around Ireland. My hope is to "ruff" it as much as possible, hopefully making it to a new city every night. It should be a wonderful adventure leaving things like technology and ease behind for a large amount of time spent thinking, reflecting and writing.

One only needs to look at my apartment to see why I haven't ever gone on an adventure or done something meaningful. In the living room my roomates and I have two Tvs, one xbox360 and 80 channels of cable and In my room I currently have a computer and an Iphone.

This is where Irish Wanderings comes in. It is escaping from materialism and embracing all of you wonderful people and all of the wonderful places that I am missing while on facebook and netflix at 3 am in the morning. This blog and hopefully you the reader will become my closest companions on this adventure throughout the Emerald Isle as I travel and share with you the best and worst times. All of this I decided to do a week ago much to the chagrin of my mother and a few others, though by now I would think they would all be used to this sort of thing! Whatever explanation I might give for this journey it is more than anything a call into the wild and into the organic richness which just isn't conveyed through the context of a documentary or even a blog! For someone who is an idealist like me it is Edmond Dantes escaping from Chateu D'if, and it is also Frodo leaving the shire.

Until next time,

Jacob