Savings

Today was the last payday of 2019 and I've hit a huge benchmark for my PCT savings! I want to do all I can to take care of things within my control before the trip and this is definitely a big relief. And it's not so much savings for the trail as it is for whatever crazy ideas I come up with after the trail and before getting a new job.

Inreach Activation

Today I set up my inreach activation to practice before I'm in the middle of the desert. I'll get to test it out on our weekend backpacking trip on MLK weekend. Oh yeah, all of us bought our plane tickets!! We are headed to San Diego a few days early to stay with Krista's friend who was kind enough to give up her floor! Thank you!

Christmas for my Mom

Mom hung this year's Christmas gift next to her gift from two years ago! She plans to add markers on the map as I reach them.

Merry Christmas!

Thanks to my parents and sibs who knew exactly what I wanted for Christmas!!

Free the Hip

Personally, going ultralight is more than just a trend. Using the hip belt with a heavier pack weight has caused certain stomach problems on my overnight trips. These stomach problems have come and gone over the past 2 years, even after several appointments with my doctors and getting a number of tests done. Since all of the tests were inconclusive, I try to do what I can to lessen the nausea on my own. I believe that using the hip belt after eating was a contributing factor to some miserable days on the trail. In the end, I hope to have a base weight of less than 11 pounds so I can reduce the amount of time using the hip belt by over half.

My PCT Motto

"Anything worth doing is worth overdoing."

- Mick Jagger

100 days

100 days to go!!!

What I'm doing about my contacts

A couple days ago I had my last appointment with my eye doctor before hopping on the trail in March. Over a year ago, I shared my upcoming adventure with her and asked for advice on how to avoid wearing glasses. Her ideas included overnight contacts, daily disposable contacts, and getting eye surgery. We settled on overnight contacts on trail and wearing glasses in town, but she had to see how my eyes reacted to sleeping in the contacts over the year before saying yes because I have astigmatism (which basically means I shouldn't sleep in contacts).The big condition being that I am not allowed to touch my eyes AT ALL unless I have access to soap and a sink - so in town.

I plan on carrying Refresh contact eye drops, glasses, a contact case with solution, and a spare pair of contacts. Over this past year, I conditioned my eyes to sleeping in the contacts similar to how it would be out on the trail, allowing my eyes to adjust. I got the green light from my doctor to continue with the schedule on the trail! The last thing I'll do is give my eyes a break from contacts entirely a couple weeks before my start date. Wouldn't want another blinding eye infection like the one I got in high school summer camp.

DIY

A little cozy DIY fun while I'm still recovering.

You will need:
Scissors
Gorilla Tape
Ruler
Sharpie
Reflectix
Velcro

Dimensions to fit a Mountain House Meal:
10in wide x 30in long

Wisdom Teeth Extraction

Apparently after getting my wisdom teeth removed today, all I could talk about was how committed to being ultralight I was for having 3 teeth extracted to shave a few ounces!

Hunting Season

In the past, hunting season started on a Monday in PA, where schools chose to make opening day an in service day or risked most of the class calling in sick. Well, this year it started two days earlier, which didn't register in my brain until we came upon two hunters in bright orange gear while hiking in the Laurel Highlands. I turned to look at my friends who were apparently disturbing the peace while chatting freely. We were all three dressed head to toe in black. I guess now would be a good time to dig out those bright orange and/or reflective outerwear from the back of the closet, which would also double as a night outfit during the week since the sun goes down at 6:00 pm in the winter and your only choice is to walk up the hill in your neighborhood 10 times with a weighted vest on.

Weighted Vest

Recently I purchased a 25lb weighted vest to train in, thinking it would simulate a full backpack without the hassle. I will not be taking it off until March and I thought you should know that hanging Christmas lights in the trees in my front yard is much harder in a weighted vest.

Boxes

Ordering boxes today!

Online Gear

More gear distributors should sort products by weight. Thank you Montbell.

Countdown

I created a countdown widget on my phone!