Day 1 Trail Miles 2.5 Miles Hiked 6.5 It only took us two miles to realize we went the wrong way. Backtracking eventually led us back to the junction we missed and Northbound on the PCT. Finally on the right track, we put down our packs and fell sound asleep on a rock in the sunshine. I ran after rainbows and fixed metal trinkets with tiny hammers while the clouds flew by at a thousand Read more…
So, what does one do when one quits one’s job but still has one day before heading out to walk 2,663 miles? Well…go to my first rave, obviously. Skrillex was a great show. We were twenty years older than pretty much everyone there. And we were actually wearing clothing, unlike all the young ‘uns running around. And I had both ear plugs and ear muffs on to protect me from the loud music. And I Read more…
So that’s it, I guess. The ending of an era. I’m on Funemployment now. Does that mean I have fewer responsibilities? Or more? I don’t know yet. I do know that it was appropriate to immediately drink a beer and take a nap. So I did that. Now there’s a bunch of frantic activity tomorrow with final preparations, and on Sunday morning, it all begins. So I guess it all ends and it all begins, Read more…
I changed a few more things, and I feel ready. I feel positive. I feel excited. I feel scared. I feel worried, overjoyed, concerned, proud, distressed, euphoric, tense, enraptured, tormented, distraught, and blissful. I hate that I’m walking away from my amazing and supportive husband, my wonderful animals, my comfortable and beautiful house. I hate that my Mom may need me and I won’t be there. I hate that I won’t have good food or Read more…
I sat in the Active Shooter Class at work and felt strange that I won’t have to worry about that in a few days. My run-hide-fight mentality will be reserved for yellow jackets. Granted, there are other dangers on the trail. Dehydration, heat exhaustion, snakes, bees, and snow…but no active shooters. So that’s something. I admit I am getting a little concerned about the snow. Like, why is there still so much of it? I’m Read more…
My wounds were oozing in patches. Everywhere. “Weeping” is what they call it, I think, but tears run down your skin much quicker than poison-oak-pus. So gross. Oozed until the pus crystalized and dried up, then oozed again. First my forearm, then my ankles, followed by my calves, and then last night it was on my inner thighs. This morning it sprung up on my pinky finger, up the back side of one leg, and Read more…
I squeezed myself into my hiking dress and smoothed down the sides. Pink and striped and lovely. It didn’t quite fit the way I wanted, but it was too late to lose that extra five pounds. A three day test run was just what we needed to mess with my new gear. The boys dressed in their doggie hiking packs, looking all proud of themselves. Would it rain? We stopped three times in the Read more…
I’ve heard it said that if you know your “why?”, you can tolerate any “how”. Any amount of exhaustion or suffering or pain or heartache or disappointment you experience can be pushed through if you know why you are doing it in the first place. They also said if you have to ask someone why, you’ll never understand. I guarantee I will never understand the why of a politician, of an accountant, of a time Read more…
Nineteen actual days left of work. Nineteen more times that I have to put on business casual attire. Nineteen times more than I want to, but I swear it will be the last nineteen times of my life. I don’t ever want a job again that requires a dress code other than jeans. It’s gotta be true that adults can actually carry on professional conversations while wearing jeans and socks. After all, if my coworkers can Read more…
The window was open. The rain fell in sweeping curtains. I pulled the heavy smell of desert rain deep into my chest and closed my eyes. I tried not to think about gear again. I agonized over every piece of it for so long. I could regurgitate the pros and cons of each tiny expensive item and why I felt it was best for me. But after a ton of deliberating, I decided not to Read more…