Training hike

Hi all. I spent three+ hours on the trail today, with a 20# pack. Got to get the parts used to the work. Here is a photo of the cutest (can mushrooms be cute?) teeny, tiny mushrooms I encountered today.

Below is a pack I made a couple of years ago and this is the one I've been using on my hikes. My commercial packs don't feel right so I am going with a home made one, at least for now. This one is made of material that is too light to withstand the rigors of a 5-6 month hike so I sent off for material that is a bit tougher. 70d instead of 30d, if that means anything to anyone but me. Any-hoo, when it arrives I will be working on a new one, with components of all the previous packs I have made or purchased. Kinda like a pack casserole, if you know what I mean.  If I can pull this off I'll feel very proud of myself.

Inspiration

Some days it is important to take inspiration from where ever one can find it. This guy provided such inspiration to me today.
http://www.wimp.com/beinspired/

2012 PCT dinner meal plan

This is my standard cook set-up. As dinner seems to be the most important meal of the day for me I have put together a dinner meal plan that includes 26 different dishes. I want to make them as varied as possible so I will be interested in eating them when I am tired at the end of the day. Here goes.

PCT dinner meals

1. Mac and cheese with tuna
2. Pasta with pesto and chicken
3. Thai chicken with peanut butter
4. Grits and cheese veggies
5. Chicken noodle casserole
6. Chicken chili
7. Leek/mushroom/gnocchi soup (pg 49)
8. Trail Tom Yum (pg 50)
9. Sesame Lemon chicken (pg 53)
10. Indonesian Sesame noodles (pg 56)
11. Coconut lime shrimp (pg 59)
12. Curried rice with chicken (pg 62)
13. Pesto potatoes with salmon (pg 65)
14. Alice lake alfredo gnocchi (pg 68)
15. Gnocchi with sage butter parmesan and bacon (pg 68)
16. Sheep lake mush (page 70)
17. Fruit chicken stuffing (pg 69)
18. Chicken and dumplings (69)
19. Ginger curry couscous (pg 64)
20. GoBlue fredo (pg 54)
21. Salmon chowder (pg 46)
22. Three sisters stew (pg 43)
23. Black bean and corn chili (pg 43)
24. Trailhead ropa vieja (pg 51)
25. Garlic wasabi mashed potatoes (pg 65)
26. Dungenesse blue gnocchi (pg 67)

Number 1 and 2 are of my own device

Numbers 3 through 5 are from Freezer Bag Cooking by Sarah Kirkconnell

Number 6 is Trader Joes canned chili, dehydrated. I can’t make it any better.

Numbers 7 through 26 are from One Pan Wonders by Dicentra Black

If any of you talented foodies have any other suggestions, please feel free to share.

Packs

I wish I could say the new packs were the 'bomb' but I am still having difficulty with pressure on my lower back. Quite a bummer, yes? Anyone got any ideas?

My packs are back!

I got my packs back from the folks who made them today, only nine days after I sent them off to have their shoulder straps changed out. Finally, there are straps that are more comfortable for women and our particular shapes. ULA is the company and I can't say enough about the company and the customer service they provide. I have been using their packs since the first incarnation and have continued to wear them since then. I models I currently have are the P-1 and the Conduit. Both will be used extensively during my hike of the PCT in 2012. I got so excited I took pictures of them.... empty and bereft of stuff but you get the idea.

I guess you had to be there.

It looks like I'm going...

It has been hard for me to make the final commitment to attempt the PCT in 2012. I have all the usual concerns but once my land mate agreed to take care of my cats for the five month trip, that was the final roadblock. I somehow felt a weight lift off my back and I could really plan this thing for real.

There you have it... right there, to the left, you see the three states that are included in the Pacific Crest Trail - 2,650 miles from Campo, CA to Manning Park, British Columbia. The details remain to be considered and at some point decided. What kinds of gear to take for which parts of the trail? Do I prepare all or most of my food before the trip and send it along to post offices and other pickup places? Or buy as I go? How can I train to make it likely I'll be able to complete the hike without major injury? What is the right thing to do?

Many people who have done this hike tell the same story. You can plan and plan but once you get out there, you just have to adapt and roll with what comes your way. Those that are the most adaptable are most likely to complete. So I will practice flexibility and not become attached to things that are out of my control. I can control the exercise I do in preparation to hike, I can't control the weather I have to hike in. I can plan my food and send it along, yet I can't control whether or not it is at the post office when I arrive. Knowing the difference should help me weather the inevitable storms I am sure to experience. A famous (in trail circles) woman with the trail name of Yogi has coined a phrase I really like and will adopt for my own. Embrace the brutality. This may seem an odd statement but I am sure you can guess this adventure won't simply be a walk in the park. If I can embrace the hard parts as well as the beauty I am that much farther ahead to begin with.

I have begun a trail journal over at Postholer.com. The name of the journal is Walking North, if you should want to follow along. I hope to eventually have a link on the journal which will show, on google maps, my actual wear abouts as I meander along. We will see.

Making a hammock

A couple of weeks ago I ordered some 1.1 oz ripstop nylon with the idea of making a hammock for my upcoming hike on the PCT. I sewed the perimeter first then gathered the ends, finally whipping the ends to make things nice and tidy, as well as secure. I pulled some whoopie slings off another hammock and anchored myself to the eye bolts I had previously set, gingerly sitting myself down on the thin fabric. Hey, it worked!  Some photos...

My new sewing machine!

Whipped end

Attached and ready for action

Ahhhhhhh