Category Archives: March 2012

It’s been an interesting few weeks preparing to leave home… home being Newport, as I haven’t felt like I have had a home since I left the cabin December 1.  There have been a lot of things I’ve learned about myself in this process, most of which I would never want to blog about, or it could make me feel weaker than I already am. Once I’m on the trail and won’t be spending much time reading comments, thus less concerned about what people have to say about me – so you may just hear all about what I’ve been going through and putting myself through.  The generosity of many has turned into a level of obligation that I find nearly impossible to handle when I’m interrupted … I operate differently than most.  Although people reply that ‘everyone goes through that’, I’m not everyone… if I was, I wouldn’t be doing a hike in wedding gowns.

But enough of all of this whining.  I’ve been so engulfed in last minute preparations (I operate best under pressure, but an extreme level of anxiety complicates it all) I haven’t had time to worry about the hike.  This is a great thing.  I’ve been rather disconnected from even the fact that I’m leaving my friends and town behind.  It will surely take a few days to notice that life is infinitely different than I’ve ever experienced.  An entire year or more of preparations have led me to these final moments, goodbyes, and an overloaded backpack that will be my home for six months.

That’s all i have for now, as my friends Kayola Jason, Kaylia, and Jalin are all waiting for me.  They’ve all decided to stay up past their bed times to drive me to the train station at midnight.  My train leaves at 2 a.m. and they don’t want me stuck sitting there in the middle of the night.  I’ve been living with them for a few days, and have turned their basement into an ever rotating mess of piles.  But it’s done now.  My pack, My small duffel, and a small backpack carrying my paperwork, cameras, and netbook, so I can work on updating you all a bit more before I head out on the trail.

I’ve received some wonderful last minute donations from family and friends, all of which help a great deal… I ended up having to rent an additional storage unit at the last minute which involves an extra monthly bill, and I’ve purchased a tiny netbook to bounce from resupply town to resupply town so I can personally update you with photos and videos as I can.  That will cost additional money to mail forward 26 times…. The expenses in the past weeks have skyrocketed, but there’s enough money to get a good start at this.  I just hope T shirt sales continue, as they’ve died off since last fall…

Here’s to making an amazing adventure a reality.  You’re all so wonderful for helping me out with this, and I can’t wait to share with you all the great moments ahead….
Off to Portland for a few days, then head south on Monday the 1st of April – brief layover in San Francisco, and then meet my folks in San diego on Wed the 3rd to spend a day with them…

Until next time… hiking26 is here y’all !!!