Some thoughts before departure...

  • I am still not a vet, doctor, lawyer, dog trainer, cia agent, fbi agent or a navy seal so...walk
  • I am doing this for the challenge of course, and I hope to gain a confidence that comes with this type of endeavor. But also I hope to gain some new knowledge about the world and the truths that reside in it.
  • Am I walking to "find myself"? Or just to take a walk. You decide...and you'll probably be right.
  • I'm not in the best shape of my life, but I do have a lot of new great gear so....
  • After living with my parents the last 2 years, it makes perfect sense to walk 2650 miles - alone.
  • Yes there will be bears, cougars, rattlesnakes and scorpions both imagined and real along the way. I'm definitely more worried about those imagined.
  • Am I scared? Not as of yet, more of just a constantly increasing anticipation. But check back with me on the 3rd night in the desert.
  • I tried to keep my pack fairly light, but I definitely would not call it ultralight. Somehow when I added up all my ultralight gear and put it in my ultralight pack, I ended up with just slightly heavy.
  • My biggest concern for this trip is that I get too hungry somewhere along the way, my brain goes awol as it usually does when I get hungry and subsequently you never hear from me again...I'll try to eat frequently.
  • I am not Christopher McCandless. This is not Into the Wild.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Just the Boost I Needed

For 20 bucks i got access to a resort basically, i guess they offer us great rates cause we are thru-hikers and its their slow season. So i got access to the internet room and while i was just in there this guy asks the other guy how to spell spectacular, at first my reaction was come on buddy, sooound iiiit ooouut. Then i realized they were both hikers and then i realized i haven't said much about the great or spec-tak-you-lar things on this trail. Sorry to have to take you through the entire thought process just to explain that i have been a little Debbie downer-ish. That being said it is pretty amazing out here, during the process of getting the shit kicked out of you its not that apparent. But as i sit here i am awe struck that in the last 5 days i have seen over 100 miles go beneath my feet and many more seen in every direction. So i just wanted to clarify that while my ass is chapped both literally and figuratively half the time on the trail, its still one of the most ! amazing things I've ever done and I'm happy to do it, and complain a good part of the way. We took a zero(no mileage) today and let the feet and bodies rest while we wait to hear about the fire closure. As it looks now i will leave tomorrow at the crack and try and put in over 20, do the same the next day and get picked up by the parentos at the edge of the fire closure at hwy 74. Spend a zero at home and then hit Idylwild where the trail opens back up again. This is definitely not how i planned my trip going but trail lesson number two is don't plan much past your next food break, just let it do what it do baby! Yes i just said that. Alright I'm gonna go see if my clothes are done washing. Thought for the day; a call home or simply something to help remember where you come from, almost always clarifies where you are going, and sometimes even why.

JWC on the PCT

2 comments:

Aunt Janie said...

Jesse, Jesse, Jesse - I am totally loving reading all that you have to say. You're doing it, kid!

Beardens said...

i hiked 2 miles once to see this girl i liked. she wasn't really anything special. but, it was only 2 miles.