August 11, 2008

After watching the US Men's 4x100 freestyle relay team upset France last night to win the gold, I had planned to hike today. Geez that race was inspirational! But I opted out. I'm feeling too much emotion about my hike to enjoy a good day's hike. Make sense? I know. My husband has been a huge help, as always, preparing my food boxes. I appreciate his support so much and could never even begin to consider distance hiking without his love and approval. I know that I am blessed to be married to such a caring man. I spent today communicating online with hikers about the trail's conditions. There was a section that had been closed due to the fires out west. I was waiting to learn if I would be re-routed around the fire. Apparently, the Northern California section is now open. I was warned, though, about the heavy smoke and the ugliness of the burn area. The good news is that I will hike on the PCT. The bad news is that I will hike on the PCT in a recent burn area which will not be a great start to my hike. Burn areas, natural or man fueled, always upset me. The devastation affects my mood and hiking behavior. I just imagine all of the critters running for their lives and how the fire will impact that part of the wilderness for years to come. I'm happy about any and all rattlesnakes lost to the fire. That means that rattlesnake sightings in the beginning will be absent. Yeah! I also spent today trying to locate my PCT thru-hiker permit and my Canadian entry via the PCT permit. I stashed them both away for safe keeping when they arrived in the mail and then I forgot where that safekeeping place was. Ever done that? After hours of searching, the required paperwork was located. I pruned and fed the flowers that I had planted and pulled some weeds. Funny that I'm pulling weeds from my yard and in just a few days, I will be hiking alongside the beauty of some of the very same weeds. And I am literally weighing each and every item that I put into my pack . I will never be a minimalist hiker. But weighing clothing options, bags, food, etc. will help with my packweight. I am carrying some of the Papal carpet pieces from Yankee Stadium in my pack, but I need to snip the carpet pieces that were originally shipped to me because they are too big as is. Who carries Papal carpet pieces anyway????