Preparation

In order to hike and camp for 2 months and over 650 miles, I needed to prepare

I had no camping equipment or experience with backwoods camping

Education

I also interviewed several people to find out what I should do if a (choose any of the following {bear, wildcat, rattle snake}) comes at you....

I needed to educate myself on so many levels - I had no camping equipment, didn't know how to use any equipment I purchased, and had never camped in the wilderness. Thank goodness I had friends who did know how to camp and prepare and they recommended several good books. The best was the "hiking and camping bible" called The Complete Walker by Colin Fletcher. Also helpful was the book How to S*@! In The Woods by Kathleen Meyer and a wonderful book and movie "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed. I also interviewed several people about what to pack, where to test camp, what to do if a bear/wildcat/rattle snake comes at you, etc.

Luckily there are no rattle snakes in Scotland

I wore out one pair of boots during my training and had to break in a new pair

Equipment Given I had NO camping or hiking equipment, I started researching and testing equipment. REI was VERY happy with me and I had quite a nice dividend at the end of their fiscal year. I actually started focusing on this aspect when I prepared for a hike along the Milford Track in New Zealand in November of 2017. I wore out one pair of boots in preparation for my cross Scotland hike and am now upgraded to using Salomon boots. I DO use hiking poles (black diamond) to protect my knees when doing any hike that gains/loses "significant" elevation.

Fitness and Physical Training

I realized that being fit would be one of the keys to success, so set up a special training regimen with my trainer

I've worked with Lynn Christensen-Aden at BMI for many years as a way of weight maintenance, strength conditioning and aerobic workout. We adjusted my training to work towards strength and endurance. We also came up with tactics to address aching muscles:)

Practice Hikes

Practice hiking became like a full time job in itself

I needed to get my body conditioned to walking 10+ miles a day up and down hills to prepare for the walk. So each day I walked around the Bay Area trying to find varied walks, normally using the All Trails app. I have a few favorites, like Mount Umunhum. These hikes would eat up about 5 hours/day, so became almost like a full time job in itself.

Practice Backcountry Camping

I learned certain do's and don'ts and what not to carry

Never having camped before, I needed to try it and make sure I could do it. I took a total of 4 test camping trips including to Yosemite, Henry Coe State Park, and Emigrant Wilderness. During the trips I was able to finalize my packing list and learn certain do's and don'ts - don't put the sharp point of the knife towards your finger, don't fall into the river, don't walk in the bogs, do stake your tent when there's a wind or else it blows away. I learned that duct tape makes a great band-aid replacement.

I met lots of animals along the way, including: wild pig, elk, mountain goats, turkey, cows, snakes, bear, and bobcats.