Food Thoughts Completed!

O.K., I have my food choices down and they're going into my resupply boxes as we speak. Here is what I have decided to eat.

Chase the Dreams, Not the Magic

         I saw this title of a blog by Mark, a thru hiker last year. He was referring to the contrast between the trail and his work. You can read this blog here: https://mbiropm.wordpress.com/.

 

I, on the other hand, thought this would be an appropriate title for a post on, you guessed it, Trail Magic.

Logical? Logistics ...... Logically!



 Oh boy, the fun has finally started! The resupply boxes are about to be filled!

 

Lego helping with the resupply boxes

I am now off work for good, the next three weeks are going to be hectic. I have a whole list of chores that I hadn't been able to get to because I was too tired after working all day to really concentrate on doing anything. 

Testing, Testing 123

First off, I am now over 10% of my donation goal, thanks to Griff Traveller! This donator is a total stranger to me, but from the kindness that abounds in Trail Angels, he has donated enough to give me meals and a couple of motel rooms through the month of April. Since I wasn't planning on using a motel room until Big Bear, and I may not need it there thanks to another trail angel, it looks like I will be getting a room in Tehachapi or Mojave. Griff has the desire to hike the PCT one day, and I hope he too will receive some big time trail magic!

An Open Letter to my Parents

Dear Mom and Dad,

 

I'm writing this to let you know how grateful I am for all your support for this endeavor I'm about to embark on. The PCT is everything to me right now, it is my personal Olympics. I don't have the talent to compete in the real Olympics and I'm not young enough to even try. But the trail is just tough enough that I have to put training and tenacity into completing a thru hike - in my mind and for my level of fitness, it will be my Olympic moment when I receive my completion medal.

 

I know you are scared for me Mom, I hear it in your voice when we talk on the phone and you try to bite your tongue so you don't tell me for the 15th time how you would like it better if I would section hike the PCT over the years, or that you would prefer it if I didn't go at all. You don't need to hold back, I'm mature enough to handle your fears for me. Despite your misgivings though, you remain enthusiastic when I talk about the trail, you ask questions, and I know you are proud of me for my commitment to this quest over the years. Some parents won't talk to their children about the trail because they are too scared. Thank you for not being one of those.

 

Dad, you too share my enthusiasm for the trail and my blog. Even though I have started the trail twice and didn't finish, that doesn't matter at all to you. You are still supportive for this trip, as if it were my first attempt. I am thankful I can use the internet to keep you informed along the way, it is fun for me too.

 

Please remember that you both have good friends who will support you when you are fearful or have doubts. Use them, they are here for you for such a time as this. Lean on them when you are afraid and share with them when you are proud of me. They have told me that they will be there for you both.

Throughout the years you raised me, the love of travel was a common thread. The many trips around the United States we took instilled in me the craving for more travel and adventure. You also raised me to be independent and self sufficient. You did good on all accounts. That is partially why I must do this hike. Adventure and travel call to me once again.

 

You mean the world to me and I wouldn't put you through this if hiking the PCT wasn't the one thing in the world I need to do now. I was born for this time, 52 years ago today. I will promise you that when I come back, I will never again attempt a thru hike. If I don't make it now, I will consider doing sections until I finish. It is hard to describe how much different a thru hike is than a section hike, the camaraderie is so much different, the inside jokes that happen over many weeks and months, the talking in the evening at camp for many, many nights. You can't get the same experience any other way than to be a thru hiker. As much as I love trail angeling, I still feel a bit of an outsider with the thru hikers and it doesn't totally satisfy the cravings for more. 

 

 

I am only days away from starting, I will call you when I get into layover day towns, and Mark will also keep you informed the rest of the time. As I walk, I will remember that you ultimately taught me to walk and to tie my shoes. That was good practice for this hike, if you hadn't taught me that, I wouldn't get very far down the trail!

 

 

Thank you for all your love and support,

Love Always,

Linda

 

 



My Food Thoughts

Special Note: My friend Anne from Norway, we knew her as Gummi Bear on the trail in 2013, has donated to my cause and I will be having a grand breakfast either in Julian or in Idyllwild. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness, Anne, you know what a hiker needs. We hiked with her from Mt. Laguna to Scissors crossing and had a ton of fun with her and Lucky Winner.

I have been giving serious thought to the food I will be bringing along with me for this thru hike. In 2013 we just about got it right, and I will be
taking most of the food that we packaged up for that years hike and is now keeping in the freezer.(It is kind of nice to know that if there is a disaster in the near future, we have enough food to keep us for over 5 months)! And yes, it is still fresh even after 2 years, I am still currently eating the trail mix.

That being said, as a solo hiker, there are a couple of changes I will be employing. This time I won't have to compromise, and will be able to take all the food that I like.