We began our research into the Foothills Trail in the fall of 2002. We have always wanted to do an extended hike... something longer than a 2 day, weekend hike. The Foothills Trail was the perfect hike for us to consider, given the location and the length of the trail.

Our first purchase for this hike was the "Guide to the Foothills Trail" printed by the Foothills Trail Conference. It is a great booklet with mile by mile descriptions as well as maps and helpful information

We also had to update our equipment in preparation for our hike. We wanted to purchase warmer rain equipment as well as some lighter equipment to help lighten our packs. We spent a good bit of time looking through our existing equipment and coming up with lighter alternatives.