CDT Planning: April 28, 2013

About a month and a half to go, before stepping foot on the Continental Divide Trail. I love the feeling of transition. Of course it is bittersweet. There is the anticipation of taking 5 to 6 months off from work, the excitement of freedom. The anxiety and uncertainty of the challenges that will have to be confronted in the coming months. There is the sadness of putting closure on relationships that are just beginning to bud. That is the downside of moving around so much every couple of years. It seems it takes about two years to finally start developing some community, and then I uproot myself again. Today I decided to look back on my blog, and see where I was at this point in the planning stage before hiking the PCT in 2010. I feel real good right now. Looks like I learned some lessons from the planning process back then and I am ahead of schedule. A few more things have been checked off the list as far as being ready to leave. I bought a brand new down jacket to carry along this trip. Looks like there are plenty of opportunities to experience cold weather, so I think the jacket will be a nice accessory to have. It will help with staying warm while sleeping too I hope. I bought a plane ticket for my sisters wedding in Ohio next month. I can't wait to see my family again, it's been a long time. I renewed my car's registration and the stickers arrived in the mail. This weekend I've been reviewing resupply options. This hike will be much different from my PCT hike. I think I am going to organize no more than five resupply packages this time, and resupply the rest of the time as I go. One of my PCT friends named Spillz and I are planning a weekend trip in May where I will be able to test my new backpack.Of course, I need to start walking a whole lot more in the coming days. I am not in shape at all, and want to have a little strength when this journey begins. My PCT buddy "Indie" reminded me a few days ago that I have the liberty to pig out as much as I want right now, since all of the body fat will be burned off on the trail. I bought a huge lasagna for dinner tonight, and I intend to do just that. There are many northbound hikers on the trail at the moment. Here is a website that has collected all of the blogs and trail journals of the 2013 CDT hikers. It's called The Trail Unites Us. I have put the link in my sidebar. There are some great stories being told already. Check it out...