Saturday, March 15, 2014

ONE MONTH TO GO!

Exactly ONE MONTH from today, on April 15th, HB and I will be starting our hike at Campo! Shit just got really real over here! We already have all our gear bought, plane tickets booked, most of the food purchased. We even already have a Trail Angel waiting for us in San Diego!



Now comes the hardest part.... waiting game.
I'm often a pretty impatient person who is also very excitable, and the combination of my emotions is making it hard to sleep these days. I'm too excited to start the hike already! It's a good thing we still have a lot of things to do and plan in the meantime.

Here's what still needs to be done before we leave:

- separate what probably is about 100 lb worth of bulk foods into 2-person meals with many many ZipLocks!
- realize that we still don't have enough food for 2 people hiking hard for 6 months and go buy more food
- then package that food too
- buy solar charger for my phone and camera battery
- agonize over camera gear
- scrutinize every decision I have made about the trip and then probably go buy more gear.... Jesus....
- go to Post Office and pick up flat rate boxes every size
- pack around 30 boxes with food, socks, extra layers, maps, baby wipes, and many many more random things
- I need to pack up all my belonging and move them out of my room so my friend can sublet it while I'm gone
- buy more ProBars! Seriously, you can NEVER have too many ProBars!

How are you so delicious ProBar???? Nom nom nom nom nom....
Oh, and last but not least:

- hang out with all of my friends a lot before I leave because I will miss their dear faces more than my comfortable bed or fresh meals. In fact, I already miss them and I haven't even left!!!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Countdown: One month before my last day at work!!!!

Getting really excited over here for my upcoming journey on the PCT. Exactly a month from today, which is April 11th, I will say goodbye to my job that I have had for almost four last years and embark on my big adventure! 

I still have hard time believing it's actually happening!!! 

Monday, March 3, 2014

Pacific Crest Trail!!!

Ok I got a BIG announcement to make! My friend Hilary and I are going to do the whole PCT starting next month!!! I'm so super stoked! I've been planning and scheming hard since last November and everything is finally coming together!

Hilary and I make the best team ever!
If you never heard of PCT... Well, I'll tell ya all about it! It's super long continuous trail that goes from the border of Mexico to the border of Canada for about 2,700 miles through California, Oregon, and Washington. It starts in the Mojave Desert and climbs over High Sierras all the way to North Cascades.

You can learn more about the PCT right here: www.pcta.org

Our trip starts on 04.14.14. We fly to San Diego that day and get picked up by a trail volunteer or a Trail Angel who'll host us for the night and then give us a ride to Campo where the trail starts. After planning all our miles and resupply stops and rest days I estimate we will be done around October 7 in North Cascades. Which means non-stop thru-hiking April 15 - October 7!!! Can't imagine a better way to spend 6 months!!!

Here's a tentative plan of action:


Town/Stop point
Miles between towns
Special Gear
Stay in town?
Mt Laguna
42.3


Warner Springs
67.3


Idyllwild
69.0


Big Bear City
95.5

ZERO DAYS
Wrightwood
89.5


Agua Dulce
90.8


Mojave
103.9

ZERO DAY
Kennedy Meadows
144.5
Microspikes, bear canister, gaiters, mosquito nets
ZERO DAYS
Independence
121.4

My 28th B-day!
Mammoth Lakes
116.4

ZERO DAY
South Lake Tahoe
186.4
Mail microspikes and gaiters back home
ZERO DAY
Sierra City
104.6


Belden
91.6

NERO
Burney Falls SP
134.4


Castella
82.9


Etna
99.8

ZERO DAY
Ashland, OR
120.3

ZERO! REI!
Crater Lake
103.8

ZERO DAY
Elk Lake Resort
127.9

My aunt’s b-day!
Timberline Lodge
149.0


Cascade Locks
47.8
Better raingear, Smartwool top, microspikes
Portland ZEROS
White Pass
147.7


Snoqualmie Pass
99.0


Stevens Pass
74.5


Rainy Pass
117.5

Almost there!
Canadian border
25.0

WEEEEEE!



The Mountains are calling and I must go!


Pow Chika-Wow-Wow!

This 2013/2014 Snow season has been a very slow and disappointing one. It has barely snowed the whole winter until February and I've been doing almost no snowboarding at all. Sad! But the last month has more than made up for the lost time on my board.

With my bestie HB!

Stevens Pass had some amazing Bluebird days this season!

Hilary learning to shred the pow!

Hitting some gnar on Stevens backside

Getting ready for some solo Backside action

Perfect groomer day

Hilary learning to carve with her new Flow bindings

About to shred some serious deep gnar!

HB shredding all over the place. I'm so proud of her amazing progress!

Ready to ride before the lifts even open!

This February has had really high tree well danger. Be smart out there!

My legs can barely handle 3 days of snowboarding in a row. Too much of a good thing!

My Lil' Subie is a mountain superstar!

Favorite ski buddy Nathan the Walrus! Such fun days!

Totally bad-ass season at Stevens!