Seven days until kickoff....

This is my last weekend to prepare for the big hike! I am 95% done gathering my gear. Here is what I've got so far....

9 Days....9 DAYS...Nine Days...

You read it right! There are nine days until I'm officially on the PCT in Oregon. I'm still collecting items. Today I purchased a mess kit, trekking poles, our first aid kit, some rope and individual sports bottles. My wonderful co-worker lent me his collapsable shovel. Saved me $12! Thank you, Mr. co-worker! I also created our logo and had them screenprinted onto wicking shirts. They turned out awesome! And one of the other ladies bought each of us compression sacks. I really do think I just about have everything I need....

The logo I created. We are all three Marine Moms. So instead of a sunrise we have the EGA.

The collapseable shovel.

More gear collected.

 The compression sack has 3 pair pants, 2 shirts, underclothes and 4 pairs of wool socks.

Mini Hike #1 7-9-2016

I took a 6.1 mini hike to my friend's house in another city. I made it to my destination in the estimated time google maps indicated it would take, 2 hours. I left at 5:48. To be terribly honest, my right side of my body took a slight beating! Why only one side of my body? I have no idea. This is what I learned from this mini hike:

1. Do thorough stretching before and after, not half-ass stretching.
2. Remember that I'm not 21 anymore.
3. Don't overdue it to make the time expected. Take a 5 minute break a few times along the way if needed.
4. Bring bug spray.

I think that's about it! It wasn't bad at all. I left when the sun was setting. It was still a little muggy but there was a nice breeze in the air. I did get a small blister between two of my toes. Nothing a band aid or moleskin cannot aid in. I do think I over did as I may have pulled or at least irriated a butt muscle. I'm feeling better today. Best to settle for a few days and then plan my next mini hike....

Me all geared up hiking our country roads as ears of corn wave at me.

Counting Down the Days

It's been a minute since I've blogged about my upcoming PCT hiking trip in Oregon. Just a refresher: I'm leaving August 12th and have a set goal to be done on August 19th. We have or room already booked at the Best Western in Cascake Locks on the 19th. There, I will receive my package of 'human' clothes, get prettied up and celebrate with Crista and Joanne. We're thinking a big juicy steak and drinks. By then, it will be WELL DESERVED and EARNED!

So I have acquired quite a bit of supplies/clothing, etc. I've already blogged about my tent. Here in these pictures are a LifeStraw water filter, a TruArc 5 baseplate compass, and Anker PowerCore+ mini phone charger.

There are still some items I need to get. I've chosen to sleep on an inflated sleeping pad which I've yet to get and just cover myself with  small sheet. That should do for the 6 days. I just filled up my camel back with water and I might be a little concerned about how much water it holds for as long as I'm going to be out. I'll have to experiment with it during my short hikes. In the picture below is some of the recipes Crista has created for Joanne and I to try. It's just a matter of adding boiling water, letting it set for a bit and that's it! So far, so good!

Well that is it for now. I'm getting ready to go on a 6.1 mi. hike to my friends house to test stuff out (my pack with some of the gear in it) and to see how the camel back works for me. So that's 6.1 mi. to and fro, a total of 12.2 miles will be logged tonight. Wish me luck!

OH! One more item, the guide BOOK!

The TENT!

I purchased a one-man tent today via Craig's List. No worries. We met in a pblic place during the day time. :-) It's an Alps Mountaineering one-man tent. The dimensions are 7'8" x 2'6". I'm a staggering 5'1 and 1/2 (LOL) and there is still plenty of room for me to move around, toss and turn. The only main pieces I need to purchase are a sleeping pad and a sleeping bag. I'll be bargain shopping! Rummage sales are underway....

Have you hiked the PCT?

I am hiking the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) in northern Oregon this August and would love to talk to someone who has actually hiked the trail. I'd love to hear your stories and gather ideas of what to do and what not to do or what to take and what not to take on the hike. I'll be doing it for only 6 solid days. I want to be thoroughly prepared. I'll buy lunch! I have also posted this on Craig's List hoping someone will share their adenture over free lunch. If that's you, please contact me!!

Gett'n Down to the Nitty Gritty

In four months I will be on a plane heading to Oregon to get a taste of the PCT for 6 solid days! I am starting to gather clothing and other necesseties for the hike. So far I have quick dry clothing like Under Armour material type of material. I bought a pair of Oboz hiking boots that fit my feet perfectly with plenty enough wiggle room for my toes for downhill hiking.

I puty tent together to make sure I had all the poles for the tent and straigjtened out the stakes from past use. I also rolled up my tent and attached it my pack along with my rods. I am starting to look official now! August will be here in the blink of an eye. Myself and the girls have been planning this for a while year! I wan to be very prepared!

Which Hiking Boots Were Meant For Walking??

I am beginning to purchase the most pertinent items for my PCT hike that's to take place in August. Hiking boots are #1 on the list. I tried on 4 different pairs at 3 different stores; Oboz, Keen, Merrell, and Anuh (sp). I really liked the Oboz. I liked the look of them and how comfortable they felt on my feet. Of course the price was heaftier than what I wanted to spend but I realize I'm goimg to have drop a pretty penny on boots. But for the comfort of my feet for 5 solid days of hiking, I'll do it! Any suggestions on footware would be appreciated.

Financing My PCT Expedition

I figured out how I can save for my expedition! Although $1,378 seems like not enough I could do some things to pad it like double or triple each amount for that week. I plan on transferring the money from my checking to my savings. This way I'll get a little interest added along the way. AH HA!!

Reading the book, Wild.

This is the book Cheryl Strayed wrote sharing her experience of hiking the PCT. Learning some neat history about the PCT. It was designated by an act of Congress on October 2, 1968. It was constructed first in the 1930s and then completely designated as the PCT in 1993, the year my son was born!

Currently Crista is trying out recipes for snacks/meals we can bring with us on the hike and she will send Joanne and I samples of her creations. You ever heard of chia seeds? I guess it's like granola where you can put it in almost anything you wish such as yogurt, mix with your fruit, stuff like that. Excited to taste the homemade goodies!

I've decided from here on out in each post, I will choose a word from the Wild book and post it in the blog along with its meaning. Yes! What a great, fun idea Sammy!

as·cend

əˈsend/

verb

1. 1.

   go up or climb.

   
   

   "she ascended the stairs"

   synonyms:

   climb, go up/upward, move up/upward, rise (up), clamber (up);More
2. 2.

   rise through the air.

   
   

   "we had ascended 3,000 ft"

The Pack.

The cool thing is I don't have to worry about purchasing a new back pack for the PCT hike. My son is done in the Marine Corp and has brought his pack home that he had customized for himself while in the Corps. So I figure if it's good enough for a Marine to hull all of his necessities with him while in the field, it should be just fine for me! Here are some pics. of the pack. Also, we are getting closer to a starting point. Looks like we are tossing the idea of starting at Timothy Lake up to the Bridge of Gods. I've yet to look at this and see what this is but I'm sure it'll be awesome!

Oh the yummy not good for you food I will miss...

I enjoyed Sonic tonight with my son. I ate something you would usually never ever see or hear of me eating! I enjoyed a coney dog, onion rings, and a wildberry brownie shake. YIKES! But it tasted SO GOOD! I will try to enjoy all foods good and not so good for me before hitting the PCT next August. But I will enjoy them in moderation.

When I start to physically prepare myself, it was discussed that I should put on the pounds before the girls and I hit the trail. This makes since knowing I will hopefully walk most of it off. It was suggested I put on 10 to 20 pounds. I am 5'2" and weigh 125lbs. It will be like transforming myself for a movie role. 😆 This should be interesting...

My Journey to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)

It's nearly 8 o'clock central time, August 19, 2015 and I'm sitting in front of my laptop starting a blog about why I want to hike the PCT and then will soon share the blog for the whole interweb to see. Cool! The only hick up is that I'm wanting to listen to my Spotify but I found out I cannot type and listen to music at the same time BECAUSE the space bar pauses the song. FAIL! Spotify. Please give another option to pausing songs. Thank you!

The Pacific Crest Trail is 2,650 miles of God's creations that stretches from the northern tip of Washington to the southern tip of California. Myself and my two lovely girl friends Crista and Joanne will be completing this journey. I'm from Illinois. Crista is located in Oregon. And Joanne will be flying in from New York. The cool thing is we have NEVER met each other in real life, just on facebook! We all have one thing in common that brought us together. We are MOMs, Mothers of Marines. And our passion for the outdoors, nature, beautiful landscapes and painted skies is a huge part of our final decision to do this.

I was inspired to want to do this most when I watched the movie Wild, the story of Cheryl Strayed who actually hiked the PCT. I am now reading her book. The girls and I are really preparing ourselves. We have a facebook page where we toss anything around involving the PCT ranging from ideas, recipes, our excitement that August 2016 can't get here soon enough, supplies to pack, where to begin the hike, and how long to hike each day. Oh you know stuff like that! I like a good challenge and this most certainly will be a great one next to raising my son solo. So far I have completed my education to receive a bachelors in marketing, earning an AAS in graphic arts, raised a child on my own, and flew in a two-seater with my dear friend. What else is there left to do? Hike the PCT....