The time is almost here. Yahoo! Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail has been a huge undertaking that takes a considerable amount of planning. Mapping out your resupply points and where to send food drops(includes calibrating your calorie intake per day), learning how to read maps, getting familiar with the terrain, and deciphering what gear to use; are some of the first key cornerstones you need to figure out. Not to mention the nitty gritty details like knowing your water sources, where to pitch your tent, the tricks to keep warm at night, how to deal with blisters, where to avoid walking in the snow, how much water to drink a day(depending on the climate), the proper way to extinguish a camp fire, how to self arrest, leaving no trace on the trail, where to hang your food, how to glissade(slide) down a glacier, what time to hike in the desert and the snow covered passes, knowing what kind of weather you’re going to run into and where, how to dispose of your own waste(fun), where and when to ford a river, or what to do about bugs, snakes and BEARS OH  MY!

      

    For us, we are accustomed to pushing procrastination to the limits. Although we planned a little here and there through the holiday season, it wasn’t until we got to California that we dove head first into our project. Ouch, is one word to describe how we are feeling from the amount of work and information we have been enduring. Our brains feel like mush as the day’s progress. The gear alone was a job in its self. There are so many different types of packs, sleeping bags, clothes, shoes, “light weight” this and that; it was completely over whelming. Most of our gear has been purchased and has gradually taken over our bedroom. Every day for the last month has felt like Christmas. By 4 or 5 O’clock our ears have been tuned to listen for the screeching brakes of the delivery truck. One person usually runs to the window to peek through the blinds as the other searches for the keys to open the door. What is it today? Huh? Tell me! With overjoyed sadness our days waiting by the door are numbering down.

     

Our coco-nutty attempt:)

    The biggest feat we have left to conquer are fixing our mail drops. Originally the plan was to dehydrate our own meals. Our first dehydrated entre consisted of a coconut curry lentil stew. Between the chopping, cooking and dehydrating the food, we decided to focus our attention on more pressing areas. We didn’t have the time to mess around with trying different recipes and figuring out the calorie count.  Instead we have made several trips to the outlet grocer WINCO, to purchase and test sample their dry bulk goods along with their prepackaged food. We have narrowed downed our meals to rice and dehydrated refried beans, mashed potatoes and lentils, mushroom and garlic rice noodle soup, roasted garlic cous cous and split pea soup, Knorrs broccoli cheddar rice, Annie’s Mac and Cheese, tuna wraps, homemade trail mix(almonds, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, granola, crancherries, strawberries, banana and coconut chips), oat meal, fruit leathers, and TOPPING it off with our beautiful sponsored additions from Amazing Grass and Clif Bar. Those days waiting by the door were the best!  Can’t wait to fuel our hike with your amazing products! Thank you again for your generosity.

    

    There are only a couple weeks left to crunch until we hit the ground walking. The two of us are anxious to be finally living the trail rather than planning it. The thought of being on the PCT is a mixed cocktail of exhilaration and intimidation. This is an expedition we have never tried before. Everything about it is new, which insures that it’s going to be an all around learning experience. Not only are we going to acquire the skills dealing with life on the trail but we will be testing the limits of our physical and mental stamina. One thing we are looking forward to is leaving behind the ways of modern living and connecting to the simplicity of having only what you need. All in all it’s going to be one hell of ride.

“I remember a hundred lovely lakes, and recall the fragrant breath of pine and fir and cedar and poplar trees. The trail has strung upon it, as upon a thread of silk, opalescent dawns and saffron sunsets. It has given me blessed release from care and worry and the troubled thinking of our modern day. It has been a return to the primitive and the peaceful. Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and benumbs my brain, I seek relief in the trail; and when I hear the coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me-I am happy.” 
– Hamlin Garland, McClures, Feburary 1899