ready or not

Ready or not, this is my last day of work for a while.  I'm taking a break from the chaos of commuting to work, to church,  to other things of life for a simpler way.  The way of a thru-hiker is simple;  eat, sleep, get water, hike, repeat, and sometimes not in that order.

My resupply boxes of food were sent out a week ago and await my arrival in key locations along the PCT in Oregon.  Theses also included sets of maps and luxury items (q-tips).  Clean ears are luxurious after a week, doctors may say q-tips aren't the way to go.  I wonder how many have thru-hiked.

I'm still tossed up on which stove to take and I don't want to pack extra weight.  However a quick hot drink is also a luxury for me and soothing way to relax on the trail.  Therefore the canister stove is winning out for speed and convenience over the alcohol fueled Flat Cat Gear stove/windscreen.  Don't get me wrong I still love the alcohol stove as it does help me to slow down and gather my thoughts.

Maps and maps and maps, my sets were ordered, since I don't have a laser printer for the write in rain paper, from http://www.yogisbooks.com of the Half HalfMile map set.  This set is down load able from https://www.pctmap.net/maps/ These are set upon the Nat Geo Maps mention in another post.  For work, I made a map for everyone to see how far I've gotten.  JP will get a daily ping from my Personal Locator Beacon to pin where I'm at.  The progress will be slower than other PCT hikers as I'm an office jockey by day and weekend warrior by weekend.  My folks, too, have an outline of the journey.  Honestly, I can't wait until the traditional burning of the itinerary yet, I've got to keep pace as vacation is not forever.

I sit enjoying the view from Sunset Coffee in Sandy.  This view is simple, the coffee honestly okay.  The view and almost quietness helped me many a day to plan this journey.  Haze fills the valley with distance reminders to be fire wise.  Fire wise also plays into which stove, alcohol is easy to knock and spash... not good.

Many hikers take an image of their gear neatly lain out.  Truth of the mater it's seldom that neat.  It's staged.  I keep my gear in a bin in the off season.  I kept the quilt stored loosely in a big cotton pillow case on the top shelf.  Some is gear I use daily which makes the gear list essential for packing.  Not wanting to become TRAIN Wreck (see April 2014).  I've been careful to keep an eye out for last minute grab and toss into the pile.  I will pack a meal or two for the train ride to Oregon.

A few things I'll be grateful to be a way from... 24/7 connectivity to the internet, road construction (how can road construction be a 13 month a year thing?), and negative news.  Negative news for me will be rain is in the forecast or a posting of fire closures.  Hence one reason I got my ham radio license, so I can interact with others as possible to find out details and add a social aspect outside the hiking community.

Somethings I am looking forward to... The last time I was in Oregon was in '98 as as missionary with http://mercyships.org on the m/v Caribbean Mercy (since retired) we left Coos Bay for LA and ultimately Nicaragua after Hurricane Mitch wiped out a region we'd worked in that same year.  I look forward to beginning another Strategic Life Goal.  Don't ask if it was a result of 'what's it book/movie' (bug off response entered here).  I heard about the PCT long before then while investigating the Appalachian Trail and started looking at it while reading Trail Journals.  Since being back about the my job (I quit to hike the AT ), I realized quiting and returning again is out of the financial question, I broke the PCT into vacation able do able sections.  I did a hike 50 mile section of the PCT when I did the Tahoe Rim Trail last summer.  I'm excited to see a different part and much longer part in a short while.

Along with all the preparation, some other things happen.  I shocked many at work while helping one neighbor loose a bet with another when I let the gal who cut the locks off tend to remove my ungainly goatee.  I donated my hair, which measured up to 15 inches braided to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program.  I haven't worn my hair this short in close to 10 years.  With the commitment to finishing the PCT in 10 years I doubt I'll regrow it for donation again if I head grey.  The folks at work had another so hard time with the short hair and clean chin. Okay, not such a hard time rather many did double takes and still came back for a lingering look.  The head receptionist  (no longer her title as she does so much more than that) even chased me to get a new ID photo taken.

Just a few more days...

Ready or not, I'm committed and this is my crazy.