Rain

At any moment it is suppose to start raining, and continue for the next couple days.  Whats the big deal about rain you ask?

I live in Los Angeles, on a clear day, usually after some rain, I can see the Pacific Crest Trail from my front porch, I think. Most days I can see this lovely mountain range, but every once in awhile, when the air is very clear another mountain appears in the background. I think, that mountain is one that the pct passes over. I like to think so anyhow.. I know it's close, 14 miles as the crow flies, so I can dream I guess. 

California has been in a severe drought and any rain we get is a blessing! It's good for the farmers to the north in the inland empire, and good for our drinking water resources and many other reasons of course.  So, as much as most southern Californians get a little cranky when it rains and upsets their perfect sunny days, deep down we all know we need it.  

I have good/bad feelings towards the rains affect on my thru hike, for selfish reasons of course.  The less rain we get, the less snow I may encounter on the trail.  A low snow year makes for an easier 6 months. On the other hand, the less snow, the less water in streams.  Some people have already reported dry rivers in the desert sections. Snow melt equals water.  Liquid gold to a thru hiker!  The less reliable a water source is, the more water you have to carry.  Water is heavy.  There will be times when I will be carrying 15-20 pounds of water. 

Rain also affects my daily life.  Currently my only means of transportation is a scooter. While I have great rain gear, its still not very fun to drive in the rain. If I book a job this weekend, I will do what I have to do! I have a thru hike to fund and nothing will get in my way! 

Rainy days also mean getting stuff done at home, there is a resupply plan that has been looming over me, never leaving me alone, but I hate planning. No I loath planning. Planning my hike just seems to go against what I am looking for from this adventure, but its a necessary evil. It has to be done. So I guess if I'm stuck at home for the next couple days, I have no more excuses. I have to tackle this. 

I think back to Rain storms in Wisconsin. I have such fond memories of great thunderstorms! Sitting on front porches, surrounded by water pouring from the sky. Seeing amazing lightening and jumping when it thunders. The smells of the earth and concrete when wet.  My sister and I on the front porch of her farm trying to get pictures of lightening. Such fond memories. 

Ok Rain, bring it on...

I'm ready for you.

picture taken from my porch after the last rain. The pct is back there somewhere...

A bipolar week

For some reason I have been in a real funk lately. Maybe it's the fact that I'm working less or have just too much on my mind, but man, I just couldn't shake it!
I also seemed to be on a bad luck streak. Missing out on an easy $250 because I was cooking food and didn't check my phone for 45 mins... and then losing $135 because I fell asleep. All I see when I lose money is weeks of the trail fund going down the drain. That money alone would of paid for more than 1 month of my hike!
I have also been worrying a lot about whether I can go to my nieces wedding, or go home for a visit before I head out, or if I can sublet my room, and if I don't where will I store my stuff, and where will I store my car, and should I rent my scooter and should I fix my car and... and... and... there is just so much to plan for. I also started doing my taxes and well, that was a let down too...
To try and get myself back in the mood of doing this thing I laid out all my gear on my bed and took a pic. Looking at it all always makes me feel good. Then I posted it on a fb page with all class of 2015 pct hikers and got a lot of responses and started feeling "back in it".

Then something amazing happened.

my roommate came in the house announcing "colleen you got a package". I didn't order anything so I was curious. I come out of my room and see her standing there with a rather large box. Hmmm? It was at that point that I had a feeling of what it could be. A friend I met in the fb group and I had been talking about a bear vault that I might be able to buy off a friend of hers. I said out loud "there is no freaking way". I opened it up and indeed it was a bear vault! The bv500! With just a note on an index card that said "from one vet to another" (or something similar, I lost it). Tears literally came to my eyes, I had to sit down and just take it in. Such a kind act.

Today I received another gift! Another member of the hiking group, who I have never met, got my address from the women who sent me the bear vault and she sent me a homemade freezer bag cozy! I am just beyond words and amazed by the kindness of strangers!

My mood has been completely changed around! The list may still be long and pretty overwhelming but I have to remember to try and attack it one thing at a time!

I felt so good I went out for a 5 mile hike around the neighborhood. Pretty close to the end I saw a bag of clothes sitting on the curb, so I went over to investigate. Half the bag was filled running clothes in great condition. So I grabbed the bag and finished my hike. I put them up for sale today and already have made $52! Plus I sold my hiking shoes that I have decided not to wear for $50. Every little bit helps!

To the two ladies that lifted me up at exactly the right moment, I thank you!

73 days and counting

Well when I put it that way....

yeah... I am still completely freaking out!

Things are getting real.

Who would think that leaving everything behind to go live out of a backpack for 6 months and walk would take so much planning and prep!

Here are some of the things I have had to tackle and a lot of things that are left on the to do list!

- Gear.  Research and buy the right gear.  I can't afford to make mistakes and buy a new piece of gear on the trail. Ok, It may happen, but right now I feel pretty confident in my gear.

- Permits. Make sure I have all the proper permits and ID's to be able to hike, camp, use fire and enter and return from Canada.

- Sublet. If I wan't to keep my awesome room in LA I need to find someone to sublet it while I'm gone.

- Vehicle.  Well my car is dead and the thought of spending money to get it running (bad clutch) is money I can't afford to spend.  I need to find somewhere to store it.

- Resupply plan.  I plan on buying most of my food in town as it happens, but I need to figure out where I have to send myself a box and figure out how I will do so.  Also talk to another hiker about an Idea to deal with this issue.

- Train. Get out and walk! I have to admit that I am failing on this part of the prep!

- Train with all gear & camp.  Hopefully this will happen soon! As soon as I get my sleeping bag this will happen!

- Work.  Work my butt off so I can better enjoy this adventure!

- Blog.  I definitely need to blog more!!!  I also need to work on writing more interesting blogs... lol but right now my mind is in facts and lists mode... these blogs help me sort out everything going on in my brain!

- Pack. Pack all my stuff and put it in storage.  Hopefully if I find someone to rent my room I can just store it in the attic space... otherwise, well, I have no idea what I'm gonna do.

Well time to work on my resupply... for some reason this really seems to be something I keep avoiding. I just want to throw my pack on my back and go hike, but I also don't want to run out of food, so lets get to it!

happy planning!