March 27, 2007

With my family's blessing, I am once again attempting to thru-hike the 2,650 mile Pacific Crest Trail which spans from Mexico to Canada.  My 2006 hike was cut short due to injury.  The purpose behind all of my hikes is to memorialize my sister, Cheryl Rose Walden, and to bring year-round awareness to breast cancer, the disease from which Cheryl died.

I have become passionate about distance hiking because I delight in being one with nature in communion with God.  I am at total peace in the wilderness.  I am never alone; I truly feel God's presence.  The physical challenges of my journey, while staggering at times, serve to heighten my purpose and my passion.

Each and every morning as I emerge from my tent I will be excited with anticipation about how the day's beauty might unfold.  And every night at the completion of my day's hike, I will go to sleep physically exhausted and with a full heart.  I'm not consumed in thought with how many miles it REALLY is from Mexico to Canada.  I will be living in the moment savoring every step, vista, and water source!  Sometimes I will plant forget-me-not seeds which I will carry throughout my journey.  I do that for Cheryl.  I am eager to begin my 2007 PCT foot expedition and look forward to sharing it with you through these periodic journal entries.