Thursday, March 28, 2013

PCT Planning - 1 Month Out!

Apparently I'm not very good at maintaining a blog. I'm never quite sure what's worthy of posting, especially since I'm still just in the planning phase. But the PCT is quickly approaching and I thought I should record some of the preparations and planning now so I can remember all of the details later.

A quick recap on the past 4 months since I left the Fed. Life has been pretty...relaxed...which is a major change from my typically hectic, on the go lifestyle.  Apparently early retirement suits me well! I had the opportunity to spend time with my Dad and sisters over Thanksgiving (with a bonus mini-vacation in Chicago on the way to Michigan), spent a week and a half in Denver before Christmas with my Mom and sisters, hosted Christmas here in the Bay Area, and rang in the New Year with some of my best friends at the Russian River. Since then, I've gotten more serious about the real reason I left my job, and have spent my time hiking, researching gear, buying gear, testing gear, buying more gear, reading everything I can get my hands on about the PCT and ultralight backpacking, and planning the logistics of the actual hike (no easy feat). Did I mention there's been a lot of time spent on gear? This hits a little close to home... 

Although I've enjoyed some time off, I'm getting pretty restless, and I'm excited for the trail to start. It was great to take this time to slow down a little. I think there would have been a lot more culture shock/adjusting if I had gone from a busy and stressful work life straight to the trail. I've enjoyed spending time with family and friends, and for the first time in my life, taken time to just enjoy being alone. Lots of reading, lots of walking, lots of cooking, lots of other things that always seem to be the first to go when life gets hectic...pretty boring stuff for the most part!

I officially have a start date - I'll be hitting the trail on April 17. While I've felt pretty good about my level of preparation, suddenly it feels very close. There's a lot of last minute preparations to wrap up, but I'm not tooooo worried yet. Low level stress has started to set in about the impending journey! So I guess that means it's time to get back to work!