September 3, 2007: Well, we finally did it! We went on the LOTR hike, and got back yesterday afternoon.

            It was a good thing we put it off a week, because I needed the extra time to finish up the sewing. I finished the sewing, ran the last of the errands and gathered last-minute supplies. Friday night Sean and I put the packs together. We had a tense moment when he said he really should take a modern nylon backpack. I told him to go ahead if he must, but that it would look completely out of place with the rest of our gear and costumes, etc. He decided to give in to my preferences and we used a large canvas bag to put his gear in. We strapped his bedroll to the top of it, and rigged up strapping to go around his shoulders like a backpack. He cut up some fake fur material and some corkboard, and made padded straps for his shoulders.

            Saturday morning, bright and early at 5:30, Sean & I got up. We got the kids up at 6:00. We all showered, ate breakfast and got into our costumes, and loaded up the van. Kristin came over at 7:30 to take our family photo, and Scott and Joan also came by to see us off.

            It took us about 2-1/2 hours to get to the Spanish Peaks (what the Native Americans call the “Breasts of the World”)—we arrived around 10:30am. We scoped a few places, then went back to the first spot and parked. The scenery was beautiful—rolling hills, one bumping right into the next, with tree lines and creeks in the ravines between the hills. We loaded up our gear on our backs and started down the first hill.