It's time to go shopping!

Now that I have a new and improved fitness routine, it is time to dust off that packing list and hit the stores.

First item: gaiters.

Upon hearing this word for the first time, and having parents who graduated from the University of Florida, images of devoted football fans wearing orange and blue immediately came to mind. Google taught me that the gaiters I’m going to need aren’t necessarily orange and blue. They will cover my shoe and lower pant leg to provide protection during the descent as I wade through shin-deep scree, better known as broken rock fragments at the base of mountain cliffs.

Next on the list – a high-quality, high-beam headlamp for the 7-hour summit climb that begins at midnight.

The significance of this didn’t really hit me until I watched Summit to the Summit – I became a little freaked out.

During the summit climb, I will be in complete darkness. Looking down, the small light on my head will illuminate the feet of the person in front of me as well as my own. I won’t be able to see anything else for 7 hours, as I’m hiking in the freezing cold mind you.

In fact, this is the part of the trip during which Jessica Biel almost turned around. She commented that the sun rose at the perfect moment, because she couldn’t handle complete darkness for another minute.

The shopping list goes on and on, including everything from a rainproof cold-weather parka to gloves that are effective at freezing temperatures.

Needless to say, preparing for this trip is no easy task. I have been at it for months now and with less than two months to go, I still have quite a bit to do.

But, I'm...almost there.