Elevation: My Couch
Temperature: Comfortable
So I plan on hiking from Mexico to Canada, and I have told many people about this. I get many responses, but let me explain a little further in what will probably be my only pre-hike journal entry.
WHY
Earlier in my life i did a fair amount of hiking, camping, backpacking, and outdoors stuff. Like a fair amount of people who spend times outdoors, I found something in nature that I can't seem to find elsewhere. While out on a hike with some friends, i was told about the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. From that moment i was hooked with the thought of hiking this trail. This dream to hike was both inspiring and exciting, but it had ill consequences with me and my loved ones.
While the vision took me up and down more hills than I'll find on the trail, it remained a dream. It was the first time in my life anything consumed my thoughts day and night, gave me many sleepless nights of excitement and depression.
After struggling with the dream for many years, it dissappeared. Something in me died. It wasn't until I started to look at advice given to me that I realized that sometimes having a dream is all you need to find happiness.
Under the encouragement of a few friends, those that heard the most about the trail, I started reconsidering the option of hiking. A dream was reborn and I started to feel like I had something to focus my mind on. So then, thats what I have been doing. Chasing a dream, and now I am two weeks away from realizing that dream.
FOR WHAT
I realized that the world works best when we try to help one another. This exchange does not have to be direct, so I have decided to try to help a friend out. Judy Jensen is a good friend of my dearest friend Bonnie. While planning for the hike, I had the opportunity to work for Judy on her property to prepare the land for some sort of a holistic retreat for people.
Since I worked for her, she has come a long way in realizing her dream. So where do I come in? I am hiking from Mexico to Canada. Along the way, I hope to tell some people about Judy's organization "Cherryville Heartsongs." Perhaps find a few people who might be interested in helping people, helping nature, helping animals, and helping another dream be realized. For more information on Cherryville Heartsongs, check my website
HOW
For the last three years I have read many books on the trail, watched several hours of film on the trail and talked to other hikers, including two thru-hikers I took in for a couple of days, to rest, wash, and feed there bodies (a small token for all the information they shared with me. Thanks Scott & Rachel Kimler. Check out there web page here).
Now that the info has been gathered, I have worked at gathering the resources to fund the hike. I spent the better part of the last few months working two jobs, and have had little time off. This of course has had the ill consequence of not getting alot of time to get in shape. But i made that sacrifice, i figure what good is a healthy hiking body, without the funds for the trail. Unfortunately, this will make the first month pretty rough on the body.
So what excercise did I get. I loaded a back pack to roughly 30 pounds, and I wear that when walking the 1.5 miles to and from work everyday. I have also been trying to go out and run everyday lately. Sadly this will not be enough, so the trail will be rough on me. Feel free to email me many letters of encouragement, as the trail will often be long and lonely.
PREPARATION
I have two more weeks in town until I leave. It feels like less, because i have so much to do and so little time. I did a fair amount of shopping this weekend. I bought my digital camera, my sun hat (and my what a cute one it is with large daffodil and its straw brim...not really), my cold weather clothes, and my hiking clothes. The rest of the gear I got earlier, or already owned. All and all, outfitting myself for a 5 month 2658 mile hike has been fairly spendy, but will be worth all that i gain from hiking the trail.
EXPECTATIONS
What do I expect from the hike? Well Bonnie once did say to me that I need to worry less about what I want from the trail, and need to focus more on what the trail expects out of me.
While its hard to fully understand what the trail expects out of me, I have reevaluated my expectations of the trail. I no longer expect it to solve my problems, but I do expect it to give me some time to ponder certain elements of my future after the trail.
What do I want to figure out, a few things but most importantly:
What to do when I get back, school, or more work, and if school what, physics, math, teaching, architecture.
I also want to work at understanding the difference between being alone and loneliness.
As for now, I have many things left to do before I go, so I probably will not get a chance to write again. But expect to see many from the trail.
Happy Trails, Inner Peace, & Harmony
