GOT THE PERMIT

I GOT THE PERMIT! I AM OFFICIAL!

Everyone wants to hear those words "My Permit Came!"

I am one of the few (so far 3600) TO GET INTO THE PCT.  

Many people did not get their permit,  many people did not get the date they wanted.  I did receive my permit by e-mail last night.  I was planning on Easter morning but I ended up getting April 3rd, which is fine.  It is going to be a high snow year in the Sierra.  Does that scare me?  Sure, a little it does.  I will need to buy a "whippet"  which is like an "Ice Axe".  I have watched the self-arrest video and I will practice with it I promise.  When you do a trek like this, you have fears,   I am perfectly honest with you,  yes, I have some.  I do not like being cold.  I do not like ice except in summer in a cold drink.  I have never done a self-arrest.  I prefer Summer over Winter.

Let's talk about "The wizard of Oz"  "Lions and Tigers and Bears oh my",  Well yes there are bears and mountain lions and scorpions in the desert.  There will be high rivers because the snow melts,  there are lots and lots of scary things out there but do you lock yourself in your room and never go outside?  No,  You get up get dressed and go to work or go to town almost every day.  I will be walking.  I will go slow.  I am not in a race.  I will be with a friend. I have read all about the dangers.

I will be re-supplying along the trail which means I will buy food as I go.  People get bored of food, the same food so it makes sense to just buy as you go.  I will try to eat the best food I can get, the healthy food but sometimes a convenience store does not have good choices.  I will do my best.  I do not want to send a box from home that costs $20.00 to ship and then try to walk to a Post Office 18 miles from the PCT trail and wait for it to open, make sense?

I worry about my family members whom I love.  Will they be alright without me?  What if something happens?  These are all real fears and as you know, most fears and worries never happen.  I know that my family and my dog know that I love them very very much.

If I didn't do this trip, I would regret it the rest of my life.  I must do it.  It is something deep inside of me that I just know I have to do.  Hard to explain really.  Everything has just fallen into place.  I went to my dentist and my doctor and I am all checked out.  Sometimes in life, you have to just take a risk, you have to step outside the boundary and see what is on the other side.  Is it curiosity? is it wanderlust?  Is it Gypsy blood?  I don't know but I do know that God made me an adventurous person.  He gave me a drive, a motivation, a stubbornness.

When I look back on my life, it seems that everything has groomed me up to this point,  it has lead me straight here for this moment in time.  I think everything that has happened to me, the good, the bad and the ugly has just made me a whole lot stronger for the trail.

Most of all I am looking forward to the beauty of nature.  I am looking forward to helping women with Breast Cancer (Casting for Recovery) as my fund-raiser.  I am so very Happy that I get to raise money for kids to go to Camp (Mazie Morrison Foundation).  I am privileged to do all of this,  I am also very grateful and thankful to my family fro letting me go.  It's not going to be easy but I think it is going to be fun.

I hope you follow along on my adventure.  It's going to be a wild ride.   YIPPEE!

How the RUCK went???

RUCK WAS AWESOME!

What fun to be with outdoor people!

I love to go somewhere that has people who think like you.  People who love the outdoors are just great people.  People who Backpack love the environment.  I want to help save the environment.  I want to eat healthy. I want to live healthier. That is why I go to nature.  I can breathe fresh air and drink fresh water and talk for hours with people.   I can watch a sunrise or sunset and share life.  I went to the RUCK this last weekend and got to be on the Panel of ultra-lite thru-hikers.  It was a blast and I learned a ton.  I learned you don't need bandaids, just duct tape,  you don't need a bazillion clothes, just thin layers.  I had packed a little heavier clothes.  I learned not to sweat the small stuff,  just get on the trail and go.  You do not have to be 100% fit,  just get out there,  the tail will teach you.  I have been a text-book thru-hiker.  I am learning to be a real thru-hiker,  still lightening my pack.  I have been a little bit stressed because I want to pack just the right things for just the right moments and have everything all planned out.  Guess What?  It does not happen that way.  The trail dictates to you.  The trail knows what you need and if you let it,  you will gain strength from it.  I am just learning like a baby even though I have been studying this stuff a year now or more.  I need to just chill.   I need to relax and just let it all happen.  I am just such a planner so it is hard but I have found that there is no way that I can have every scenario taken care of ahead of time.  I have to be patient and wait.  You can only plan so much and then you have to let go.   So here is to "Letting Go".

THAT'S THE PLAN!

THE PLAN

ITINERARY SO FAR.

EVERY GOOD GENERAL HAS 2 PLANS, HERE IS 1 OF THEM.

https://www.pctplanner.com/plan.php   

 HERE IS A LIST OF DATES FOR MY POTENTIAL HIKE.  IT MAY ALTER DEPENDING ON WEATHER, AND HOW FAST I MOVE.  IT IS AN OVERVIEW, I AM SURE IT WILL CHANGE ALSO WHEN I TAKE ZERO DAYS (DAYS NOT HIKING) IN TOWNS.  I WILL ALSO BE POSTING ON "TRAILJOURNALS.COM" AND MY HAPPY CAMPER GIRL PAGE ON FACEBOOK.  SEE ONE OR SEE THEM ALL,  THEY WILL BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT.

I will be sharing my deepest thoughts during my trek.  I will be talking about trail culture,  thru-hikers,  Gear, what worked, what didn't, etc.  I will be flooding you with pictures of where I am so you can follow along with your own map if you want to.   I will be honest with the way I feel so be prepared for the occasional outbursts of "I don't like this rain"  or "life sucks today"  once in a while.

I think that life is something we experience and share with others.  I am hoping you will follow along with me as I visit the world and experience the way it is outside in the elements.  I think this trek will give my life more meaning, purpose.  I am also raising funds for women with breast cancer, and raising funds so that kids can go" to camp" for the first time.  I know that Breast Cancer is a fight, a real one.  I am amazed at women who overcome these obstacles.  I think that going over a snowy pass in a windstorm does not even come close to what women who have breast cancer fight with every day.    I can't imagine that.  I want to fight for them in a small way by walking.  

Every day will have enough worries of its own,  I will get to find out what they are.  Few people get to step into a different world for 5 months.  Few people see the kind of beauty I will see.  I consider this a privilege and I want to share it with you.   So thank you for reading and supporting my cause.

https://www.pctplanner.com/plan.php   You can copy and paste and check this out.