A sneak peek

While in Southern California for the holidays, the folks and I went out to explore the PCT...


Got my folks on the trail! (Mile 324).

Marker around mile 329.5

More of the trail around mile 314.3ish.


It was so exciting to stand on the trail and see where I'll be in less than 5 months. The count down is on!

Awesome Friends

I have awesome friends. When I start stressing about the planning process, a friend will come out from nowhere and provide me with information I'm missing, a contact who can help me, or just have a night out to enjoy pizza and a pizookie (thanks BJ Pizza for going gluten free!).

And the term "friend" is expanding quickly. I used to define "a friend" as someone I've known for at least several months. I'm finding that in the hiking community, a friend is someone with whom you share a love of adventure, of hiking. Be it in a 15 minute conversation or an email exchange, hiking friends are made almost instantly.

So I wanted to say Thanks to all my awesome friends AND family for helping keeping me on track and calm.

National Diabetes Month

November is National Diabetes Month.

My goal in 2012 is to both hike the PCT and to raise funds and awareness for Type 1 diabetes.

Please take a few moments to swing by my Donations page and help the JDRF continue their research to find a cure.

Happy Hiking!

and A.D.D.

Along with having a gluten intolerance, I also have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

I was diagnosed with ADD almost 5 years ago. As a kid, I had hyper-concentration, specifically when reading. I could tune out everything and completely focus on my book.

As I got older, I found it harder and harder to stay focused on one task and see it through to the end. I would start one thing, then another and another without ever finishing anything. I was so easily distracted by any little thing (phones ringing, copiers running, email alerts, etc.) I ended up working longer and longer hours just to complete my daily tasks.

Finally I went and got tested and voila, things changed immensely. I was able to complete tasks at work and not be distracted by what was going on around me. I became more efficient and began to work less hours while getting more work done. I couldn't believe how much my life improved.

As a hiker, being able to focus is a mandatory skill set. Keep on trail, watching out for hazards, keeping track of your gear so nothing is left behind...all of it requires paying attention. So what does this means for me? I don't know actually. Hiking doesn't hold the same distractions as an office or home. The demands of it's tasks are condensed to finding water, eating food, making & breaking camp, and moving forward. I think with some prep and pre-planning (and a gear checklist), I'll be able to stay on trail, skirt any hazards, and ensure all my gear moves with me mile after mile.

Do you have ADD? What systems do you use that help you manage with or without medication? I've love to hear what everyone else does to keep their lives on track.

Gluten Free...

While I don't have Type 1 diabetes, what I do have is a gluten intolerance.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. A simple explaination is that when one has a gluten intolerance (or worse, celiacs disease), eating foods with gluten damages the villi in the small intestine and interferes with the absorbtion of nutrients from that food.

So basically, I can't eat foods that contain wheat, barley, barley malt, or rye. While this sounds limiting in what I can eat, it's becoming much easier to find gluten free (GF) foods. There are more and more items showing up in the grocery aisle that are specifically GF and are made from rice, rice flour, tapioca flour, garbanzo flour, etc.

The challenge lies in that most pre-made camping foods contain some gluten. AlpineAire is one company that has a whole line of camping foods that are GF. The other challenge is funds. While I would love to be able to buy 180 days of meals, that's just not practical on the pocketbook.

So, it's off to the internet I go. While I'm on the hunt for a food dehydrator, I'm also hunting down receipes that I can modify to meet my GF needs. Thankfully, I have an ace in my back pocket. My nutritionist Sally Hara. She is not only helping me to ensure I consume the right foods and level of carbs needed for training and the hike itself, but she understands a GF diet and can direct me to foods I didn't even know about. Yay for help!

Boots

The most important piece of gear any hiker needs is a good pair of shoes. Shoes can make or break a hike. A great pair will keep you moving and a bad pair can result in weeks off the trail.


A sales person once said "Picking out the right shoes to wear can be harder than picking out the right person to marry."  Well, I'm not married, but I know getting the right shoes can take a lot of time and patience.


First, you have to decide what type of shoes you want. Boot? Trail shoe? Waterproof? Lightweight? Sturdy? Color? Brand?


For me, I'm used to hiking in high-top, water-proof, Vasque hiking boots. Living in the Pacific Northwest and hiking a lot in the snow, I tend to want to keep my feet as warm and dry as possible. I have sneakers for running around Seattle, but have stayed true to my Vasques for the last few years.


Of course, hiking up to Camp Muir on Mt. Rainier is a tad different than hiking 2,650 miles across a whole variety of terrain. So, after much reading about what other hikers wear, I knew it was time to get some lighter weight trail shoes.


My first foray into the world of trail shoes started at REI where I found a wonderful pair of Keen light weight hiking boots. I went with a boot to provide a little bit more ankle support (torn a tendon a couple years ago) than a normal shoe would.


They felt great walking to and from the bus and around downtown. I took them on a slowly meandering 6 mile hike out to the Western most point on the contiguous US (Cape Alava, WA). They were great!


Then I went on a 10 mile hike. It was a great day and I was able to move at a good clip. That's when the problem started. By the time I was done with that 10 miles (4 hours), the boot had worn holes into the backs of my ankles. It's been 7 weeks since and those spots are still a bit tender.


So, the boots that fit great and worked for slow walking were sent packing back to REI.

A quick side note: I love REI's no questions asked, 100% satisfaction guaranteed return policy. As a member, I didn't need a receipt or an elaborate story as to why I was returning the boots. REI may not be the cheapest place, but for those important pieces of gear, become a member and buy it there. It's SO worth it just for that! (The 10% dividend at the end of each year doesn't hurt either).


Today I went back to REI to get another pair of trail shoes. This time, I stuck with shoes and not boots. After trying on several pairs, I bought another pair of Keens. I walked about 3 miles in them today and again, they feel great.


Time will tell how they do on a long trail hike. I'll go next weekend and see how they hold up. Wish my feet luck!

Test blog from phone

****Update****

Since blogger isn't letting me post a comment on my own blog, I'll just edit the original post. Take THAT blogger! :-P

Anyway, thanks all for the great suggestions. J - you know you are the one I'll be texting and such whenever I have reception. You can just string those together and post for me :-)

Liz - I guess I'm going to have to figure out how to journal on my phone while offline and then upload when I'm able. It has been added to my to-do list!

And if you need and/or want a hiking buddy, let me know. I like winter hiking and snowshoeing so let me know and we can figure out when/where to meet.

Cheers!
Kellie

****End of Update****

Hi all,

I'm just testing blogging via my phone. Although I have a qwerty keyboard on my phone, I'm not sure if this is going to be the best way to blog while on the trail. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Of course, since I have no intention of carrying a computer with me, this may be my only option. Ces't la vie!

Happy day everyone!

Congrats to PCT thru-hiker Wired

Over the last few months, I've been reading a blog by Erin (Trail name: Wired). She's from Portland and on September 23rd, reached Monument 78, the offical end of the 2,650 mile Pacific Crest Trail. She's the 5th female to finish the trail this season and the 2nd solo female.

Her daily account of life on the trail, the emotional highs and low, the good, the bad, and the magic that she experianced has kept me grounded while planning my own hike. Her words remind me that this isn't going to be a simple stroll through fields of wildflowers, but a daily test of my mental and physical strength and endurance.

You can read about her entire journey here: Erins PCT Journal

Congrat again Wired on accomplishing an amazing journey!

Lingo

As I research this hike, I find myself coming across, and now using, terms that I wouldn't know unless I was researching this hike.

• PCT - Pacific Crest Trail
• Trail names - a name traditionally bestowed upon you by another hiker while on the trail. Some names include: Billy Goat; The Gingerbread Man, and Wired.
• No Flips, No Skips - This means hiking the trail from beginning to end without skipping to another section and then coming back later to finish the section you skipped.
• Jardine-ites - Fans of Ray Jardine who wrote "The Pacific Crest Trail Hiker's Handbook" that challenged some long-held beliefs about long distance hiking. The main focus is on reducing pack weight to the bare-minimum.
• Thru-hiking - is the term used for hiking a long-distance trail from end to end.
• Slack-packing - Stashing your heavy pack and only carrying the basic necessities to cover any milage that was missed or skipped. Most folks don't slack-pack for more than a day.
• Trail Angels - Folks living near the PCT who help out hikers by giving them rides to town, letting them stay at their home (showers!), bring snacks and other goodies to the trail, and stocking water caches for thirsty hikers. These Angels are the heart of the PCT community.
• Trail Magic - That cosmic energy that brings goodness to hikers, be it an unexpected water source when you're almost out, a cooler of goodies left for PCT hikers, or a ride into a town when you expected to hike it. All those little moments of unexpected wonderfulness :-D

I'll add more as I go. If you know of any that I've missed, let me know in the comments!

Planning for the really, really, really long hike

The Pacific Crest Trail is all about firsts for me. My first long hike. My first multi-day camping. My first blog.

So far, the hardest thing about this hike is planning for it. It's a little overwhelming at times. I've spent hours reading about tents...the square footage, the height, the weight. Does it have a fly? Do you need a footprint? Can you sit up inside it? How does it handle condensation? How fast can it be set up or taken down? And on and on and on. And this is just one piece of gear!

And don't get me started on food! Most everyone in my life knows my love of not cooking. Now I get to pre-plan 180 days of meals that can be cooked on a teeny tiny camp stove. The upside is that I've already got one-pot cooking down to a science. :-D

Then there is the logistics of the hike. Like figuring out how long will it take me to get to the next re-supply point and time it so I don't arrive before my supply package does. And how often to mail a supply package. What gear am I going to need on which part of the hike. Since the PCT goes through six out of seven of North America's ecozones including high and low desert, old-growth forest and artic-alpine country, I have to be prepared for anything!

Thankfully, there are some great resources specifically for PCT hikers and I'm surrounded by amazing people who are already providing support and help! So while I may be hiking by myself, I won't be alone.

To all those who's first words after I told you what I'm going to do was "How can I help?", thank you. Thank you SO very much!

Test Blog

This is a test. This is only a test. If this was a real blog, it would have some informative content and maybe a photo or two.