Less than a week, whoa.

In less than a week I leave everything behind. The chapter of anticipation & planning for the PCT is dwindling. As well as the chapter of life in San Francisco / Oakland as I have known it. My official departure is Sunday, May 08, that's next weekend.

A brainfull of questions plagues my daily routine.

Will my body be able to hold up? Will I have enough money to pay for food along the way? Have I tied all of the loose ends off at home? What am I going to miss? Am I mentally prepared? What will life be like when I return? How will I change?

I’ve slowly attempted to find their answers by doing some minor test runs. I hiked from the heart of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge through the rain where my friends & I finally camped in a cove tucked below the bridge.

My mind held up.

I went and hiked in Santa Cruz with a friend of mine Ryan Welborn, who's hiked the Appalachian Trail. We did roughly 30 miles in 10 hours.

My body held up.

Ryan was able to answer tons of my questions about thru-hiking (the term for long-distance hiking that everyone in the hiking world uses), he's hiking the Pacific Crest Trail this summer as well, I hope to see him on the trail.

I’ve read up on the trail & questioned fellow thru-hikers, and I’ve come to have a deeper understanding of the trail, but mostly I’ve come to understand that my expectations are not to be trusted (that’s usually how life goes). I find solace in knowing that there is nothing left for me to prepare. All that is left is to hike.

The first section I will take on is the desert, 700 miles of 100-degree heat.  I have convinced myself that my Texas blood will be right at home, we’ll see how that holds up.

These mysteries are a part of what I’ve been longing for, to chase after something that I can’t quite wrap my head around. Gambling on the accounts of other hikers, who spout claims of transformation & character development like charismatic tent-evangelists. Claims that I supposedly can’t comprehend until I experience it for myself. It’s definitely a nebulous experience because no hiker defines the experience the same way.

All that to say, I am eager for the therapeutic nature of the trail. Also - I can’t wait to hike my face off, meet some interesting people & live in the wilderness. Life’s circumstances can sometimes be painfully predictable, it will be good to get away from that.

Thanks for following along, there is so so so much more to come.