Alright... here we go! Less than a month away from the beginning of my great adventure. Now the song The Great Adventure by Steven Curtis Chapman is in my head ha ha ha!!!
I am finishing up my last few days here at work and packing up my belongings which will go to live in a small storage unit here in Eugene, OR. On March 26th I will drive to Southern California where I will set up home base at my grandmothers house and I will put together all of my resupply boxes. I already know what my meals will look like and have been shipping boxes of supplies to her house. It will be my full time job to organize all that dehydrated, freeze dried and powdered food. :-P
My friend Shiloh is flying in from Austin, Texas to spend my last few days in civilization with me where we will hit the town hard by checking out a lot of touristy things. Having grown up in So Cal I've been all over but its always fun to check out new things and see what has changed since the last time I've traipsed about town!
The night of April 9th Shiloh, my friend Johnathan and I will all head south to spend the night close to the starting point and then early Sunday morning April 10th they will leave me ALL ALONE IN THE DESERT!!!! I am pretty excited but also feeling rather anxious.
Its crazy to think that after a year and a half of planning, praying, and preparing that all my hard work will bring me to the beginning of another long summer of hard work LOL! I CAN'T WAIT!!!
I have been putting together a gear list so I will post that ASAP. Once I finalize my resupply strategy I will post that as well. Probably the first week of April.
I wanted to just post today so that I could check in with everyone and let you know where I am at with things. Its gonna be tough once I hit the trail as I have not been able to hike as much as I would like right now. I have been working almost everyday between my two jobs and I have been packing and getting ready to go!
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I can't wait to meet those of you who will be hiking this year also! See ya soon!!!!
Good luck with your hike. Lake Morena would be a good place to camp the day before as it is a short drive to the Border. I usually trail angel at Scissors Crossing giving rides so maybe we will cross paths.
ReplyDeleteYes thank you! My friends and I are gonna stay there actually... In a cabin :-)
DeleteI start next week, but maybe we'll meet somewhere down the trail. Don't worry too much about not having trained, you'll get your trail legs in the first couple of weeks. I'm in the same boat, I know I'll be in pain, but just keep walking!
ReplyDeleteYeah exactly! I keep thinking that I'll just have to train on trail and it'll be tough but it is what it is! Hope we run into each other!!! :-)
DeleteYes Thank you Trail Angels!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhere are you staying? My husband and I are staying at Pine Valley Inn, then he will drop me off the next morning (10th). Trust me, you will NOT be alone on the trail! In fact, I am starting to wonder if I will ever have the solitude that I so cherish!
ReplyDeleteWe're gonna stay at a cabin at Lake Morena... Yeah you are so right about that! I know there will be tons of us out there!!! :-)
DeleteHave you done this before... How does your husband feel about you going without him
DeleteHave you done this before... How does your husband feel about you going without him
DeleteAngela- I think this is the coolest adventure ever! I had to pull this up and share with my husband whines in agreement on how awesome this is! We are praying for you and following your journey! It's going to be amazing!! Blessings to you!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!!!! :-)
DeleteOh , you inspire me Angela. You go girl. Can't wait to hear about it along the way
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
DeleteHi Angela, I read your story in the RG this a.m. and wanted to reach out and support your dream. I'm also in Eugene and hiked the AT many years ago. I vividly remember the last few days packing and being dropped off. You can do this! You just have to keep moving and be kind to yourself. The hardest part is the tapes you run in your head and how you narrate your way through the challenges. I'll send you my contact info if you need someone to help get you through the tough spots. You've already done the hardest part, the rest is just a step at a time.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I'm so excited and it's encouragement like this that keeps empowering me to move forward! Thank you!!!!!!!
DeleteAngela, I read you story in the RG and knew right away you were a person who would succeed in your life’s personal journey. The adventure ahead is not about getting from point A to point B it is about what you encounter along the way. Cheryl’s account along the PCT in her book “Wild” would scare most away but instead you learned from it. The trip will teach you so much more about yourself, life, and your faith. My desire was to walk it last year when I turned 75 but my health let me down. So I put aside the idea until reading your story when the idea came that I should support you and join you in spirit. So when you make that first step onto the trail at Campo my prayers will be with you. Bill Trail Name Hill-Billy
ReplyDeleteHey Hill-Billy! You are with me for sure! I'm so happy to know that I have people like you who are supporting me and believe in me! Thank you for sharing this with me and I can't wait for what lies ahead!!! :-)
DeleteAngela, Best of luck! The advice I got from my niece who did the AT in 2010 was " if you feel like quitting... just keep walking." That little piece of advice served me well on my PCT thru-hike in 2014. You can do it. The hard part is over , all the planning, etc. Now it's simple. Just walk to Canada :^)
ReplyDeleteTake care,
SlowBro.
I love your trail name!!! That is excellent advice! I've also told myself that if I quit I'll have to go home and get a job and I know being on trail will beat a day job any day!!! Thank you for the encouragement!!! :-)
DeleteJust got around to reading the Saturday paper this morning and have to say I'll be with you every step of the way, in spirit, and cheering you on. You are going to make this look easy!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Can't wait!!!
DeleteSounds like you are ready to go. I'm proud of you for what you are attempting. I'll be praying for you and cheering you on. You've got this!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are ready to go. I'm proud of you for what you are attempting. I'll be praying for you and cheering you on. You've got this!
ReplyDeleteWay to go Anj!!! I'm so envious but I seriously wish you the most epic adventure ever. Another cool hiking tune to hum along the way; Traveling Light (Joel Hanson & Sarah Groves). Have a blast!
ReplyDeleteHey Ang :) I was also a Fat girl walking in 2014. I unfortunately didn't quite make it as a Master degree was calling :'( but I did make it over 1000 miles and it is the most exhilarating and amazing experience in the world! You are going to kick Butt. Music really helped me during the bad days. A little speaker attached to my pack and my favourite jams to sing along to on those uphills :D :D
ReplyDeleteGood luck and have the most amazing time!!
9 Days and counting. Remember, its not whats around the bend that matters, its the bend it self. Stop and smell the roses often.
ReplyDelete