The Day Before the Hike Begins

We're 1 Day out from the start of our hike. I set up a Gabcast account and will be posting audio messages on it from the trail as we make our way north from Mexico to Canada. Gabcast is a service that basically allows us to leave a recorded "voice mail" that can be played back by anyone who goes to my gabcast page. So be sure to turn the volume up on your computer and give us a listen. Here's the direct link to my gabcast page:

http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&id=19371

Here's a sample:

Gabcast! Disco's PCT Hike 2008 #5 - The Day Before the Hike Begins

Some Final Photos

We leave tomorrow for California and the start of the Pacific Crest Trail. I buzzed my hair today and we did one last training hike.

Before the cut:

After the cut:

Last Training Hike on Trappers Run:

Bon Voyage !!!!

Switching Gears

Hmmm . . .

My itinerary says 3.3 days of food coming out of Warner Springs and 8.3 days of food coming out of Kennedy Meadows.

11.6 days of food total.

Grocery list for that says:

-peanuts
-m&m's
-Justin's almond butter
-lipton's rice
-frito's
-bean dip
-symphony bars
-dried fruit
-fruit snacks
-1 Million energy bars

Yum right ???

Normally a grocery list is a grocery list . . . I buy what I think I will need for a week or so . . . and if it's not enough I can run to the grocery store and pick up a few extra things. Well, things are about to change. Now grocery lists take on a bit more importance . . . if I need to buy 8.3 days of food and I shortchange myself . . . I end up having to ration food and go hungry . . . or if I pack to much food and hike into a town with say 3 extra pounds of food (Heaven forbid) then I've carried the weight of that food over the course of 8.3 days for nothing. It's a balancing act.

So today when I was in the grocery store shopping for the above mentioned items, I found that mentally I had switched gears back into my trail food mindset . . . figuring out exactly how much food I would need for "x" number of days as opposed to buying whatever and not worrying about it.

And if none of this makes sense . . . I should mention that I'm starting a 2,650 mile hike of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) on Friday April 25th with my girlfriend. This will be her 1st PCT thru-hike and my 2nd. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. Honestly there is nothing I would rather be doing this Summer than walking the PCT northbound with my girlfriend. I chronicled my 2004 PCT hike here. I put up an FAQ section on that webpage that still applies to this year's hike . . . except for the bit about being in my 20's. I guess my reasons for hiking the PCT haven't really changed in 4 years.

So this blog will pretty much be inactive over the next 5 months. P.O.D. will be keeping an online trailjournal on the daily ins and outs of our hike at postholer.com. It will be updated every 1-2 weeks or so and there's a few recent entries there now.

Check back here every so often as I may end up posting a few things between now and October. And once we're done hiking I'll be back on blogging for the people!

Have a great Summer,

Cheers, Lawton (a.k.a. Disco)

John Muir

My dad sent me the following quote from John Muir:

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The wind will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while care will drop off like autumn leaves."

Like autumn leaves . . . I can't wait!

The Mist

I watched one of the WORST movies I've seen in a long long time tonight. The Mist. I'm begging you . . . please don't even think of wasting your time on this movie. And it's not just the terrible ending that made this movie the horrendous thumbs down that it was . . . the best acting in the movie was mediocre at best. The special effects were straight out of Day of the Dead or The Blob. The plot line was weak weak weak. I just lost 2 hours of my life I'll never be able to get back.

Gaffney

I'm back in South Carolina visiting the fam at the moment. I left Crested Butte on Monday right after lunch with a foot of fresh snow on the ground. Linked up with LJ and FJ in the front range. Got to South Carolina on Tuesday with Spring in the air full tilt. It's in the 70's!!! I did a 12-mile hike out at Kings Mountain State Park this morning and there were butterflies on the trail!!! It really is Spring in some parts on the U.S. . . . just not Crested Butte. And apparently Crested Butte is getting dumped on right now with 10-20 inches of new snow expected by tomorrow. I'm done with Winter.

PCT Preparations

Last night P.O.D. and I got into the thick of PCT preparations. We dumped all our camping gear on the floor and went thru it with a fine toothed comb. Threw some stuff away and divided the rest into stuff we'll take with us and stuff we will leave behind. It took a while. This part of long-distance hiking isn't that exciting or fun. And today it's work on a few sewing projects for the hike. Also not a lot of fun.