2016 PCT GEAR LIST // POST HIKE

It's always interesting when you start a thru-hike with the gear you think you need, but here's what I actually ended up with. You can look at what I started with here. Each piece weighed separately via lighterpack. I also have a VERY long overview on the bottom. I apologize for not having better photos of my gear or me using it, I'm not very good at asking people to take pics of myself.

Pack weight via lighterpack.com

My beloved Talenti jar that I will keep forever.

Basically all my gear spread out for a cowboying.

Zpacks duplex pitched on the side of the road between Big Bear and Agua Dulce, preparing for the next poodle dog section.

2016 PCT GEAR LIST:

PACKING:

• ULA Circuit lined w/trash compactor bag (2, I double lined my sleeping stuff)

SHELTER:

• Zpacks Duplex

• MSR Aluminum Ground Hog stakes (6)

• Zpacks tiny stakes (2) w/stuff sack

• Zpacks groundsheet poncho

SLEEPING:

• Zpacks 10 degree down bag, reg width/length

• Zpacks ultralight goose down hood

• Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite, small w/stuff sack

• GossamerGear Thinlight foam pad - 1/8"

• Sea to Summit Aeros Premium pillow w/stuff sack

• GooseFeet Gear down socks w/stuff sack

COOKING:

• Talenti gelato jar

• Optimus Titanium long spoon

• Zpacks cuben fiber 12.3L Blast food bag

• Opsak 12x20

HYDRATION:

• Sawyer Squeeze

• Smartwater 1L x 2

• Evernew 2L x 2

• Scoop made out of a broken Evernew

CLOTHING PACKED:

• Filson midweight merino wool long sleeve

• Icebreaker Oasis 200 lightweight merino wool leggings

• Town shirt from Prana

• Town shorts from sporting goods store I found in Big Bear

• Injinji toe socks

• Darn Tough ankle socks

• Mountain Hardwear Plasmic Outdry gloves

• Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer no hood

• Patagonia underwear

• Zpacks Challenger rain jacket

• Zpacks cuben fiber stuff sack

SURVIVAL & TOOLS:

• Swiss Army Classic pocket knife

• First Aid - dental floss, bandaids, ibuprofen, benadryl, imodium, triple antibiotic ointment, leukotape, bic lighter, hydrocortisone

• Repair Kit - cuben fiber tape, thermarest repair, tenacious tape, needle

• mini nail clippers

• Deet (only used when bugs were REALLY bad)

• Sharpie

• Map & compass

HYGIENE:

• Normal sized toothbrush

• Toothpaste

• Tooth pick floss

• Eucerin eczema creme

• Sunscreen

• Hand sanitizer

• Vaseline/Body Glide

• Deuce of Spades trowel

• Wet wipes

• Diva Cup

• 1 bandana, 1 pee rag

• Mini Wet hair brush

• Hygiene stuff sack

TECHNOLOGY:

• iPhone 6 w/case

• Petzl Tikka XP 2 headlamp

• Anker 10000mAh portable external battery w/cord

• Dual USB charger for iPhone w/cord

• Canon EOS M

• Canon charger

• 1 extra battery

• SD cards

• Earbuds

• Technology bag stuff sack

OTHER:

• Zpacks wallet - ID, 1 credit, 1 debit, health insurance card

• Sunglasses

• Sea to Summit head net

• Crocs

WORN:

• Columbia national park ranger shirt

• Brooks Epiphany III running shorts

• Icebreaker Sprite merino wool bra

• Patagonia underwear

• Altra Lone Peak 2.5 trail runners w/Superfeet insoles

• Outdoor Research sun hat

• Injinji toe socks

• REI Traverse cork trekking poles

• Wool buff

• Dirty Girl Gaiters

TOTAL BASE WEIGHT (minus food, water, fuel) = 14.15lb

SIERRA/COLD WEATHER:

• BV500 bear canister

• Black Diamond Raven Pro 60cm ice axe

• Hillsound trail crampon

• REI beanie

• North Face fleece

• Girlfriend leggings

By no means is this super UL. Some people I know have INSANE 5 lb base weights. I've learned that I just cannot be one of those people, I need my "luxuries" and comforts. I get cold, I don't like bugs and hygiene is important to me. I've decided my base weight lands in the normal range. Gained 2lbs from my original weight, probably because I added camera gear. At least it's under 15, but ideal UL would be around sub 10 and around 7-8, but who am I kidding?

Duplex holding up in the snow storm.

First storm to hit the duplex.

The only good pic of me in my badass poncho, photo by Nate and Meg.

This is literally my only photo of myself on trail in my lovely ranger outfit (which you can't even see bc the shadow is bad), with my lovely 2lb 9 oz bear can filled with 50 lbs of food.

THINGS THAT I LOVED:

• castle sized tent - I loved sitting in it and there is so much space to lay out all my gear

• groundsheet/poncho - the best of both worlds, giant sized groundsheet for all my breaks and poncho to save me from the rain

• ground hog stakes - SO sturdy

• foam pad - kept my neoair from slipping, extra cushion from the ground, nice sit pad

• down socks - I have a minor case of Raynaud's so it helped keep my toes from freezing at night

• food jar and spoon - best lazy person meal setup, no cooking, food is ready for me to shove into my mouth as soon as I get to camp, no sitting outside to cook with the bugs, if I didn't finish dinner I could eat leftovers for breakfast, sometimes I would soak meals for snacks when I didn't have normal snacks, long spoon is the best

• town clothes - I loved not having to wear your hot rain jacket/puffy or long underwear when doing laundry, I like having something somewhat clean to change into

• MHW gloves - even though they're not insulated, I used them almost every morning packing up and hiking out, the more you move the more it gets warmer

• rain jacket - wore it most mornings when it was chilly, great outer layer for warmth and had nice pit zips

• multitool - the best tiniest thing I carried, I used almost every tool quite frequently, all the blades were super sharp, knife to cut cheese/summer sausage, scissors for just about anything even to keep my mustache trimmed (yes, I'm serious), tweezers to pluck my eyebrows (I started doing it bc I got bored and it's therapeutic)

• nail clippers - used pretty often, another therapeutic thing for me

• cuben fiber tape - used surprisingly often for little tears in my tent, just nice all around repair tape for just about anything

• eternal battery - charged my iPhone super quick, about 4-5 times, needs to wall charge overnight to replenish entirely though

• canon mirrorless - best last minute purchase EVER, worth the weight which isn't even heavy compared to my Nikon

• CROCS!! - always, especially the bright yellow color, basically wore them every time I took off my shoes which is anytime I didn't need to be hiking, ended up using them a lot for river crossings after realizing walking in the water with my shoes was no bueno for me

• my hiking outfit - the $12 running shorts that surprisingly never got a hole in the butt, shirt that made me look like a ranger but also was thick enough to not let mosquitos eat through, I loved the length of and fit, it retained odor easily but whatever

THINGS THAT I SWITCHED OUT MID HIKE:

• got sturdier stakes, the titanium ones kept bending on me, I'm just not gentle enough for UL I've discovered

• the polycro groundsheet was a joke, it's literally like plastic wrap, everything stuck to it and you just rolled it into a ball to pack up (no other way)

• got rid of my tent stuff sack, I ended up just shoving it into the top of my pack

• went stoveless

• dropped all my moment lenses, too much work to switch lenses, always had dirt or condensation on them thus making photo quality bad therefore never used them, became dead weight to carry, I just wanted to pull out my iPhone, take some pics and keep walking, not do this whole screw on a lens every time

• dropped my umbrella in the Sierra, I basically carried it like 800 miles and only used it a handful of times, BUT in those times, it was a life saver with really exposed sections, but in the end it was just annoying to carry and barely used, I might as well just have suffered through those parts which is what I did in northern CA because I didn't have my umbrella anymore

• switched out my original desert shirt when I got to Mammoth because I wanted a new outfit, I didn't really like how it fit-was boxy and short, mosquitoes ate through it easily, all the dirt and stains were more noticeable but didn't smell as bad

• lost my old sun hat somewhere but the brim was becoming too flimsy, I LOVE having a full brim but switched out for a cap in NorCal, which was alright, it got hot fast, looked kinda funny on me

• didn't switch out but good NOTE to have: all your Opsacks and water bladders will break or leak multiple times on trail, make sure to buy several quantities of each so they're ready to ship out when they do break, replacing them became pretty normal or I would carry an extra bladder in case but if I didn't have an extra, I'd carry empty smartwaters which is fine but I don't like the bulk of them for extra carries

THINGS THAT I WOULD RECONSIDER:

• the ULA was good and very durable, but I never really explored other packs before, the circuit hurt my shoulders REALLY bad if I loaded it more than 33ish lbs but that's normal with any UL pack, I'd like to try the Zpacks Arc Haul or Hyperlite in the future

• as much as I love, love my duplex, I'd like to try a freestanding tent (Zpacks now offers freestanding poles that would be fun to try), you really have to find a good wide/flat space to have the perfect pitch and when that happens, it's like a dream castle, I also needed to find good dirt to pitch or else you'd have to get creative with rocks, it was also very difficult to pitch in strong wind

• I would like to also try a quilt next time, my sleeping bag was a bit narrow for me and I felt constricted at times, I dealt with it but it'd be cool to try a quilt

• loved going stoveless but if I made it to WA in the cold rain, I would probably have sent myself my jetboil for warm meals, cold dinners were fine for 1800 miles but I've heard it can really give you a morale boost in WA, it would also expand my dinners to things like mac & cheese (!!!), I couldn't soak pasta so I never ate it on trail which is why I craved it in town almost every time

• clothing wise, I would look into a wind shirt and a puffy from somewhere like Montbell, ghost whisperer was fine but became a pancake and I'm just not quite sure how insulated it actually was...it also was super fragile so I had tears and holes patched up with duct tape all over (once again, I'm not gentle enough for UL), I would also look into a pullover fleece like GB's Melanzana

• for glissading, I kinda wished I had some type of pants to slide on, I would always be in my shorts and didn't have time to change, so I would just slide down and cut up my butt/legs from the snow/ice, I wished I had my girlfriend leggings then bc I could just hike with them and slide just fine

• my headlamp I've had for years and is old but it would be cool to try a lighter USB charging one

• hiking shirt wise, it'd be interesting to try a short sleeve button up, long sleeves get a little annoying with rolling them up

• I would invest in a better quality sun hat, like a Tilley, strong brim that doesn't lose shape with washes

What I wear when it gets colds: Zpacks Challenger rain jacket, Girlfriend leggings, wool buff. AT LEAST I MADE IT TO OREGON!

THE END!!! So long and detailed but I hope it was helpful. I am happy to answer any q's. But basically, gear is whatever and different for everyone. You don't have to have the lightest, most recent gear to thru-hike, some people make it to the end with heavy, bulky REI stuff and that's okay. Don't be a jerk and judge others for not being super UL. In the end, we're all walking the same walk and it doesn't matter what we're carrying as long as we're trying to reach the same destination.

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GEAR LIST

This week I've been trying to scramble to get my gear list ready to be "presentable."  I had most of my stuff already and was just waiting on some last small items--mainly consumables and first aid kit type things.  Obviously, I have some things not measured, but this gives me a good idea of what my pack will be looking like.

Weighing a pair of running shorts on a food scale, using a mixing bowl to tare--a whopping 3.25 ounces.

View fullsize

View my full list via lighterpack.com (much more organized and pleasing to the eye).

PACKING:

• ULA Circuit lined w/trash compactor bag

SHELTER:

• Zpacks Duplex w/stuff sack
• Zpacks 6.5" titanium stakes w/stuff sack
• GossamerGear Polycryo groundsheet

SLEEPING:

• Zpacks 10 degree down bag, reg width/length
• Zpacks ultralight goose down hood
• Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite, small w/stuff sack
• Sea to Summit 8L Ultra-Sil dry sack
• GossamerGear Thinlight Foam Pad - 1/8"

COOKING:

• Jetboil Sol aluminum
• Snow Peak titanium spork
• Zpacks cuben fiber 12.3L Blast food bag
• Opsack

HYDRATION:

• Sawyer Squeeze
• Smartwater 1L x 2
• Evernew 2L x 2

CLOTHING PACKED:

• Filson midweight merino wool long sleeve
• Icebreaker Oasis 200 lightweight merino wool leggings
• Injinji toe socks
• Darn Tough ankle socks
• Mountain Hardwear Plasmic Outdry gloves
• Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer no hood
• Smartwool Micro 150 tank top
• Patagonia underwear
• Rain Shell
• Icebreaker Sprite merino wool bra
• American Apparel acrylic beanie
• Zpacks cuben fiber stuff sack

SURVIVAL & TOOLS:

• Swiss Army Classic pocket knife
• First Aid - dental floss, bandaids, ibuprofen, triple antibiotic ointment, moleskin, bic lighter
• Repair Kit - cuben fiber tape, thermarest repair, tenacious tape, needle
• mini nail clipper
• Supplements - multi-vitamin, electrolyte

HYGIENE:

• Zpacks ultralight travel toothbrush
• Eucerin healing creme in contact lens case
• Aveeno Baby SPF 55 in contact lens case
• 1 oz Nalgene bottle hand sanitizer
• Deuce of Spades trowel
• TP, Diva Cup
• 1 bandana, 1 pee rag

TECHNOLOGY:

• iPhone 6 w/case
• Moment lens wide
• Moment lens tele
• Petzl Tikka XP 2 headlamp
• Anker 10000mAh portable external battery w/cord
• Dual USB charger for iPhone w/long cord
• Sony earbuds

OTHER:

• Wallet - ID, 1 credit, 1 debit, health insurance card
• Fake Ray-Bans
• Sea to Summit head net
• Liteflex chrome umbrella
• Chapstick

WORN:

• ExOfficio Super Dryflylite Shirt UPF 30 long sleeve shirt
• Brooks Epiphany III running shorts
• Smartwool PhD seamless strap wool bra
• Patagonia underwear
• Altra Lone Peak 2 trail runners w/Superfeet insoles
• Bearded Bros cap
• Injinji toe socks
• REI Traverse Powerlock trekking poles
• Original Buff
• Dirty Girl Gaiters

TOTAL BASE WEIGHT (minus food, water, fuel) = 12.4lbs

You can view my gear list here in full.  It's much easier to read there--I couldn't get the list to embed in my blog.  I will also be updating that list to my most current gear as I finalize the rest.  

But yep, that's it!  I've compiled all the things from various blogs and people's suggestions, but mainly from Carrot Quinn because she's my hero.  I will most likely have some tweaks here and there before I leave, but I wanted to make sure my base weight was under 15lbs.  So yes!  I'm pretty stoked that it is.  I may throw in some extra luxury items or extra layers once I get my consumables weighed out.  But don't forget, I'm going to be carrying a week's worth of food and water, so my total pack weight will actually range from 30-35lbs.  I've read you can carry up to 4L of water at a time throughout the desert, yikes.

And yes, there is no sign of a DSLR.  There's just no way I can carry 5-6lbs of camera gear and have to worry about batteries/charging.  This number is insane because as you can see, my camera gear would literally be the same weight as my big 3--that would not be wise to bring it with me.  It's SO hard to focus on miles when you're trying to take photos and have a heavy ass camera digging into your shoulder/collarbone.  And I'll probably be way too exhausted to wake up in the middle of the night to take star photos, so the tripod I'd be carrying around would just be dead weight.  It is sad to leave the big ole cam, but I know I'll be complaining how annoying it is.  The only thing I may do is ship it to the Sierras or Crater Lake.  Plus, iPhone takes great photos, so it'll be fine.

Today, it was also announced that the long distance permits will be open on Feb. 1st.  So come Monday, I will finally be able to apply for a permit/official start date!  And then I can buy my one way ticket to San Diego.  I feel like once I secure a start date, I can get the ball rolling more on my schedule and resupply.  Hopefully the next time I write, I will have a date, but it might take a few weeks to process.  I am learning there is so much patience to be had in this whole process.  It's especially hard when you're mentally ready to go, but not necessarily physically ready.

FEARS ABOUT THE TRAIL

Today, I wanted to share my fears about the trail.  Yes, I do get asked those same questions all the time: "Are you going to carry a gun?" "What if a bear attacks you?" "Are you starting alone?"  And yes, I am terrified of all those things, but no, I will not carry a gun.  I thought it might be interesting to list all my fears here now and see how I feel about them at the end of my trip.  I know some of these may seem a little ridiculous or stupid, but hey, these are just what I fear.  I can't help it.

1.  BUGS

From upper left corner: black widow, scorpion, tick, fire ant, mosquito

This might be silly, but all my life, I have feared all types of bugs.  I apologize for these gross pics in your inbox, but that's exactly why I fear them.  You're lucky I didn't post the ones of them on someone's skin--I suggest you probably don't google search those images.  First of all, a black widow.  I've never encountered one before and don't really know anything about them, but any spider that is poisonous pretty much terrifies me.  Second, I've never seen a scorpion before, but damn those claws look deadly.  Third, THE TICK.  I'm pretty sure everyone fears the tick and would rather not let these things burrow their heads into your skin and suck out all the blood from your body and puff up into a gross looking bubble filled with your blood.  But worst of all, they carry Lyme Disease.  No further explanation needed.  Fourth, I've grown up with fire ants in Texas, but I just still hate ants in general.  I hate how they travel in huge packs and can crawl so fast onto your body before you have time to flick them off.  And lastly, not just any mosquito, but a swarm of them.  I've heard they can get pretty bad, so I'll be looking forward to using my first mosquito head net when I face my mosquito fear.

2.  RODENTS

Rodent infestation.

I've been hearing so many stories of the rodent infestation in Washington.  The thought of them crawling on my tent or getting inside and picking at my hair/crawling on my body is quite frightening.  And then the thought of people who get used to them being around all the time and just brush them off with their hands is also unfathomable to me right now.

3.  ODORS

Odors, it's a legitimate fear, ya'll.

This is probably the lamest of all my fears, but all my life, I've literally had a fear of odors.  But what kind of odors you ask?  Particularly the gross, sour, rotten, foul, smelly odors.  This can range from armpit odor, to foot odor, to sweaty clothes and even that mildew odor.  Is this weird?  Maybe.  Let me give you a little Asian history lesson.  East Asians are born with fewer apocrine sweat glands than westerners--these are the glands that make you smell.  It's not that we don't sweat, we just don't carry as much of the smelly glands as others do.  Yes, I sometimes do smell in my pits, but it's typically only if I'm somewhere super hot for a long period of time.  I used to always wear deodorant in Texas, but when I moved to the northwest, I stopped wearing deodorant because I barely sweat up here.  And when I do, it's rare that I smell like BO.  I also hate the smell of foot odor.  It's NASTY.  My feet almost never smell for some reason.  But I had this terrible memory in college when my dorm mate came home one day from class, she took off her shoes in our tiny 7x7 room, and my nose literally started burning from the toxins released from her sweaty feet.  I almost passed out and had to run out of the room.  My life has never been the same.  I also cannot stand the smell of wet clothes or laundry that has been sitting in the washer that wasn't thrown in the dryer.  My nose is just VERY sensitive and I can't stand odors. I am officially ready to become immune to my own foul body odor.

4.  THUNDER/LIGHTNING STORMS

Photo from Google Images.

No explanation here really.  Who wouldn't be terrified of being stuck on a ridge during a storm?

KIND OF FEARS:

4.  GETTING LOST

I have zero map and compass navigational skills.

Since I lack any navigational skills, one of my biggest fears is also not knowing where I am.  However, Halfmile, has some pretty good maps/apps for hikers that I feel ok about it.  But maybe if my phone dies, the GPS won't work, so then I'd be pretty effed.  You can never rely on technology, so I should maybe look into learning how to read a map and compass.

5.  ANIMALS

Left: Mountain lion, Right: A bear patiently waiting for some dinner when I approach camp

My animal fear has gone down quite a whole lot over the last year.  Maybe it's because I finally saw my first bear last summer or just getting out on my own more and realizing that animals are more afraid of you than you are of them.  But I have yet to run into an animal that's right on the trail in front of me, yikes.  I figured I'll deal with it when I get to Kennedy Meadows.

6.  RIVER CROSSINGS

Some intense river crossings.

I have read that there are some pretty gnarly river crossings on the trail, quite dangerous ones actually.  For some reason I am not as worried about them as I am about the bugs, but I'll make sure to always cross with people or something.

7.  RATTLESNAKES

Rattlesnake in the desert, waiting to take a bite with dat nasty tongue.

I feel like I should be more afraid of rattlesnakes, but I think because I've never been around one, I don't really know what I'm in store for.  Or maybe because I just hate bugs more.

And I think that's actually it.  You can say some of these are quite irrational, but I have no shame here.  It'll be interesting to see how most of these things will become the norm within just a few weeks: sleeping with rats on my head, constantly checking my body for ticks and ripping them right off when I do, learning how to take cover during a storm, all while smelling like a huge walking armpit. 

OVERWHELMED WITH GRATITUDE

Wow, ya'll.  This week has been filled with so much gratitude.  I am overwhelmed with all the support and kind words everyone has shared with me! I was a little hesitant on sharing so much, but it's evident that God wanted me to testify His grace and goodness in my life.  My last blog post was just a small bit of me, but I am so grateful on how many people were encouraged by it!  I was literally shocked by the response I received, and so thankful that some of ya'll took the time to read through the whole thing...thank you!  Especially those who also sent me a text or comment about it.  I didn't realize Squarespace made you login an account in order to comment, so I apologize to those who wrote a long comment and it didn't save!  :(  I think I fixed it now though.  But my mom was one of them that wrote something and couldn't get it to post but wrote:

"This is your mom...it is so touch my heart...after I read the words and lots of precious pictures...I now know you are not a baby girl anymore...you grew up yourself with intelligent young lady....very bright...very brave...very independent...very mature...you are not my baby girl anymore..like you said I didn't give you much when you were little...but you grew up so intelligent...you know what you want in life...you are so brave..you want to experience the outdoor activities...nature beauty in the woods....you are so enjoying the valuable / nature lifestyle ....I now truly understand you...we all believing God...Trusting on him...only God will help us through all the difficulty...mommy love you so much...and will always give you 100% support...May God stay with you from the begging to the end...he will send Angels on your shoulders.... even you don't see him.. Every step he is with you.....towards the successful ending..."

I don't know what the deal is, but I feel like I know so many parents who like to use a bunch of "...." when they type, so I left the text in all its authenticity, grammar errors and all.  I shared what she wrote with some folks who know her and were all brought to tears.  Just to know how much she's been through, it was so sweet to read that from her.  Asians aren't exactly the most affectionate to each other.  We never grew up saying "I love you" or give hugs really, so we've come a long way since then.  It also gave me a sense of peace that she understands why I'm doing this now.  When I first told her about it over Thanksgiving, she just didn't get it and asked why I couldn't just go find a real job.  But she's always wanted me to do what makes me happy, so she was supportive.  Both of us started following Jesus around the same time, and it's encouraging to know that we both trust God in our lives now.

But in other news, besides being so busy with trying to finish that blog post (it took me like a whole week to write out), it's been an encouraging but also hard week.  Hearing some unfortunate news about some different people I know had been on my mind as of late.  They are currently in my thoughts and am reminded that life is precious.

Last week, I finally was able to go real snow camping.  I knew I had to get in at least one snow camp trip before I started really training on the weekends.  We went to Artist Point at Mount Baker, and it was the most majestic.  We had a super rad group of friends and had so much fun.  I'm trying to get away all winter without ever using snowshoes, and I think I would've been totally fine if we hadn't misrouted.  By the time we realized we were going the wrong way, it was starting to get dark, and I had used up most of my physical exertion. 

If you see this view, then you are NOT en route to Artist Point.

I definitely was the last of the group the entire time, but the others wanted to help me out because we had to climb up this STEEP ass ridge after getting back on route.  Well, we made a shortcut and thought we could make up steep snowy powpow before dark.  Amber ended up taking my 800lb pack, and Mike took her's (so yes, he was carrying 2 packs haha).  

Amber being a boss and carrying up my pack.

As we started climbing, and even though I didn't have a pack on, we were all post holing and sliding right down.  Even the others with snowshoes on were having trouble.  I mean, I was barely making it up and didn't even have my own pack on haha.  It took us FOREVER to finally get up the ridge, and the sky was turning colors and glowing over the ranges.  Amber had such a tough time getting up because she was carrying my heavy ass pack, and her snowshoes weren't even working anymore.  Everyone was pretty much a beast for getting up.  I think we all had thoughts of turning around to just get back on the normal trail, but we were SO close that we just HAD make it up.  I was seriously dead from exhaustion.

Check out that incline, Elise is literally on all fours trying to get up!

When we finally made it up, we weren't even at Artist Point yet.  It was already dark, but I just knew we had keep climbing till we reached it.  I was determined to sleep above the trees with Shuksan/Baker views.  Everyone agreed and we followed the snow packed path until we "thought" we were there.  Doing snow things in the dark is kind of fun, but next time I'll make sure I actually have my headlamp.  We were trying to find a good spot to set up camp, and there was this mini hill that I wanted to check out.  I ended up climbing up there and knew it was the perfect spot.  I made everyone do their last climb for the night, and we all agreed it'd be a good spot for sunrise.  It was exposed, so I was a little worried about the wind throughout the night, but I knew it would be worth the view in the morning.  All of us were way too tired to fire up the stove for a legit dinner, so we ate some frozen bars and called it a night around 6pm.

Mt. Shuksan at around midnight

I got up at 11pm and shot till around midnight.  It was cold but not the worst I've ever been in.  It was surprisingly calm and peaceful out there.  I noticed the sky was a little bit more interesting facing Baker--there was some light pollution on that side.  I don't know what the deal was, but even though it was a new moon that night, for reason I didn't get a clear view of the Milky Way.  I don't really understand the night sky; I am clearly no expert.

Mount Baker and lots of light pollution.

 I thought my night pics were pretty mediocre--there just wasn't much to work with.  And all my glow tent ones were okay.  My ideal shot would've been taken at a higher angle so you can see more of the Shuksan range, and the glow of the tent could've been more even, but I did get a cool meteor in it.

Glow tent pic with Shuksan in the background.

Aaron generously let me borrow his 4 season tent for this trip.  We were debating on taking either this Mountain Hardwear one or the Black Diamond I used all last summer, and I'm SO glad I ended up taking this one.  It was heavier, but it photographs much better.  We're all about what looks good, you know?  MH even picked it up on their Instagram.  It's just kinda funny because I think I could've gotten a better pic if I would've spent more time on it, but glow tent pics are always hit or miss.  They are so tricky.

The view outside outside our window.

Waking up was INCREDIBLE.  I have never seen the things that I saw.  We had 360 views of Baker, Shuksan and all the ranges.  Our shoes and water were all frozen over, but we saw the most beautiful sunrise and color in the sky.  Absolutely gorgeous.

Mount Baker at sunrise.

I barely ate breakfast because I was so excited and running around taking a million photos.  The sun finally peaked over the Shuksan range and warmed us up.  The sun had never felt so good.  We hung out for a bit and packed up--it was so hard to leave our beautiful spot!  I think it took us only like 30 minutes to get down haha.  Probably because we were actually on the right trail, and it was downhill.  The weather was spectacular that weekend.  Even though I normally love clouds, I think having that clear of a sky up there made it that much more amazing.  What an epic trip with some amazing people.

Mike taking a potty break with the most spectacular view

This week I also met up with some ladies who have hiked the PCT in the previous years.  I got some good insight and listened to some stories.  My fears are still the same, but I am ready to face them.  I'm also kind of rethinking my resupply strategy.  I want to eat well and would rather not fuel my body on Chips Ahoy or Pop Tarts, but sometimes at these gas stations, it's all they have.  I think I'm going to be looking into some better dehydrated meals again.  I decided mid February is when I will start downsizing my house (getting rid of big things in the living room, start boxing up things, purging my closet, etc).  That way, I'll have some nice space in my living room to sort all my gear/resupply.

Until next time!

WHY AM I HIKING THE PCT?

I figured maybe some of you might be wondering why I want to hike the Pacific Crest Trail?  Is it because I've grown up camping and hiking my whole life?  Is it because I don't want to get a real job?  Is it because of Reese/Cheryl?  Or is it because I'm looking for a way to escape real life?  Don't mind me if we get a little personal here.

Left: Me sitting on a Honda in Taiwan, Right: My only exposure to the outdoors as a child

First of all, let me give you a background on my little life.  I was born in Massachusetts, November of 1986.  I never grew up doing "outdoor" activities (like camping, hiking, climbing etc).  I mean, we played outside, rode bikes and went places, but that was it.  Both of my parents are from Taiwan and immigrated to the states before they had my sister and I.  I've been to Taiwan a few times when I was little, but I can barely remember a thing.  I'd love to revisit though.

Left: I'm in the red with my sister--I've always been into snacks, Right: Mom, sister (hiding), me and my daddio

I have to say, I do feel like most of my childhood was a blur.  We didn't grow up in a normal family household, but who's actually normal these days?  There was a lot of conflict between my mom and my dad's side of the family (they all lived in MA), so we technically lived life as both of my parents were "separated."  I think divorce is looked down upon in the Asian world, and my mother desperately wanted out.  My dad's side of the family lived in Burlington, and my mom was in Lexington.  We would go back and forth between homes as if they were divorced; I don't think I really understood what the deal was as a child.  I felt like we were kept in the dark with all the family drama, and honestly, I still don't really know the deets to this day.  All I can say though is that my mom has always worked her bum off to support my sister and I.  I finally got to hear some of her story this past Thanksgiving--she is a warrior.

In 1995, when I was 8 year old, my father passed away.  He had been sick for awhile, but I never really knew from what.  I recently found out that he was diagnosed with Hepatitis B (I guess back in the day, they didn't have the vaccines for it).  He had gone through a liver transplant, but his body ended up rejecting the liver and that ultimately caused his death.  I was so young and barely understood what happened--I think I was numb to the whole situation.  I don't remember feeling any emotion at his funeral.  After that, my mom pretty much took us girls and left the great colonial state of MA, there was nothing left there for her anymore.

This is a Texas flag.

That brought us to Texas.  My mom's older sister was living in Houston, and it was a good place for her to escape since she had family there.  From there, I feel like that's where I gained most of my independence.  My mother was now a widowed single mom.  She had to work nights, so she could make more money to support us.  My mom was not really around during my childhood, so my sister and I basically raised ourselves.  Even though my mom was not present, she kept a roof over our head, put "food" on the table, and cared for us so much.  I think the Asian love language is through financial support, and that's how she showed it.  I felt like when we moved to Texas, we were finally free.  Free from the abuse, free from the "prison-like" home in MA, and free from family obligations.  But we never had any sort of rules as kids.  She never told us to do our homework, study, apply for college, etc., and we had no curfew.  My sister and I were pretty much free to do whatever we wanted, but I think I can say that we turned out just fine.  Sometimes the "hands off" approach in parenting isn't so bad after all.

Taking Back Sunday // Northstar, probably somewhere around 2002-03

From Junior High to High School, life was pretty mediocre.  I never participated in sports, clubs or fun things.  I basically had no hobbies, but I wasn't a loner or anything.  I had friends from all different "groups" at school, I felt like I got along with all of them for some reason.  But I mean, I also had no clue what real "friends" were either.  My friends were always disposable to me, if they had wronged me in any way, I would drop them like flies.  In my sophomore year of high school, I got really into the punk rock/pop-punk/screamo scene and going to shows.  Music was my idol, but it was probably some of the best times of my life as a kid.  I would go to shows on school nights, mosh a bit, scream my lungs out to the words of my favorite band's songs, take photos and meet some amazing people.  Sometimes I would want to see a band multiple times that I would drive to Austin or San Antonio (around a 3 hour drive from Houston) after school, see that show, rock out, drive back home that same night, sleep for like 3 hours and wake up for school the next morning.  But remember, we had no curfew/rules, so my mom had no clue we were doing this.  Not that we were hiding anything, it's just what we did (whatever the hell we wanted).  Also, shooting live shows was where my photography began.  I would just use disposable cameras or my 35mm SLR, and I had a ton of fun.  I spent SO much money on film/printing back in the day, but it was my new hobby.  

Circa Survive, 2004

After graduating high school, I moved to San Marcos, TX where I attended Texas State University.  I declared my major in Business Administration in Accounting because well, what else do you choose as an 18 year old right out of high school?  All the other Asians were doing it, so I thought it was the most logical thing to do--choose a major with numbers (though accounting is technically more rules and ethics) because I might be good at it.  Like most average kids, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life at that age.  I wasn't the computer or nurse kid, so I was clueless on what major to choose.  In college is where I learned to study for the first time.  I discovered in order to get good grades on exams, you had to actually read the textbooks (I promise I'm Asian, okay?).  I excelled all four years in college, made Dean's List every semester except one (got my first and only C and was so bummed haha) and graduated Cum Laude.  This was a big deal to me, because in high school, I just didn't care about studying/making good grades even though math came naturally to me.  I was just the average kid trying to get by.  I also picked up photojournalism during this time.  I was a photographer for our newspaper for a few years and became Photo Editor my senior year.  I feel like that's when I really grew my passion for real photographs of real people.  None of dat posey fake over edited shit.

One of my photos printed for our newspaper, March 2008

So where does Seattle come in?  Well, I planned a little trip to visit Seattle my last year of college (mainly because I was working at Seattle's Best Coffee in our college town), and I loved looking at all of the pictures of the city we had up in the shop haha.  It was literally that famous coffee cup photo with the public market sign that drew me in.  So I was like, "I have to go to this place that's covering all of our walls," and then BAM.  I made the decision that I should move there after I graduate, whether I had a job or not.  I sold all of my things, packed Ellie (my trusty little Honda Element) to the rim and drove her across the country to the northwest from the lone star state.  All 2,181 miles, and we knocked it out in 3 days. It's not super easy to get a job in a new city with no one you know, especially if you have a super basic degree like a BBA in Marketing (btw I changed majors my junior year).  Also, the recession was still going on in 2009, so like most other recent grads, I ended up working as a barista at Starbucks.  Did I really spend 4 years of my life working my bum off in college just to come back to the same job I had when I was in high school?  Yep.  I didn't know a single person in the city, so I had to find a place to live off of craigslist, but that ended up going down the crapper.  That's a whole other story that I won't get into.

A photo from my first Seattle visit, November 2008

Enter Jesus, the One Almighty, the Alpha and the Omega.  I spent most of my life growing up in the Bible Belt where everyone is a "Christian," but all of those "churchy" kids were just a bunch of hypocrites to me--I had no interest.  I had no clue who Jesus was, what the bible was about; I didn't care.  I never rejected it or anything, it was just never on my radar--there were other more important things in life than some dude and church songs that I didn't understand the words to.  I feel like a bunch of different things happened in my senior year of college, and meeting Jesus was one of them, the best one.  I ended up finding a church (no names here....) in Seattle where I got plugged in right away.  Everyone I met in my small group was so loving, welcoming and generous towards me.  If you knew me my first year in Seattle, you are very dear to my heart.  My faith grew immensely that summer and in the fall of 2009, I was baptized and officially gave my life to Christ and no longer wanted to live life for myself, but for Him.  I literally felt as if I had been living my life with a blindfold on before I met Jesus...it's so weird to explain.  He died for me, for my sins, and so that I can live this very day.  The Lord completely softened my heart in parts of my life where I was so stubborn and unforgiving.  I mean, hello, I used to make fun of all the churchy kids and Jesus back in the day!  Who did I become?!  But I feel like the biggest thing that God has taught me is how to love others the way that He loves us.  I seriously think I had no clue before.  I no longer viewed my friends as "disposable" and wanted to pursue the people that had been put into my life and really value them.

"Test everything. Hold on to the good." - 1 Thessalonians 5:21

This verse has stuck with me ever since I became a Christian.  I like to apply it to my relationships with people.  God wants us to "test" everything, does this "thing" reflect the truth of God?  Are we discerning what is put in front of us, and how are we going to honor Him once we figure out it is "good?"  We shouldn't be quick to judge or disregard anybody or anything that is placed into our lives.  But you know, I've done that numerous time that I can't even remember.  He's taught me to put aside my preconceptions and seek what is true according to His word.  Once you know that truth is "good," hold on to it, because you just might be missing out on a really good thing.

Some silly looking pics of me riding during STP, my crotch was destroyed, July 2013

If you're still with me here, thanks for reading so far.  I plan on getting to the hiking part, I promise.  All my life, I've never really been "athletic" or into sports.  I never was lazy, I just didn't see it as a priority.  I've always been infatuated with mountains though.  I used to look up photos of some of the most majestic peaks and save them to my desktop.  It's weird to think now that I've actually been to some of the places I used to dream about.  I was technically always a chubby kid growing up.  In 2012, I was laid off from my desk job and was forced to rely on photography (mainly weddings) as my main source of income.  Because I worked from home, I finally had time to put my health as a priority.  I think it was something I've wanted to do but never fully did it because I was working so much.  But I look back now and think it was probably all excuses.  In that first year or so, I dropped around 45 lbs by cooking at home and joining the gym.  It was a super weird/embarrassing time in my life when I had to tell the public about it, but it completely changed my life in its entirety.  I realized that my health is far more important than any work deadline.  Our body is a temple, and God tells us to be good stewards of it.  Why had I always been putting my health on the back burner?  Laziness.  Not necessarily physically, but mentally.  That switch in your head has got to click in order for you to change your lifestyle.  But from there, I got super into cycling and did my first STP bicycle ride.  I rode 204 miles from Seattle to Portland in 2013, and it was one of the best things I had ever done.  I realized I had a mental shift in long term goal setting and learned how to be consistent with my goals and actually achieving them.  Then I told myself I was going to learn how to run, and so I signed up for my first 5k on Father's day in honor of my dad.  I learned how to run correctly without injuries and then registered for my first half marathon the next year.  Remember, prior to all of this, I never did any type of exercise for fun haha.  Who did I become?

Selfie on my first backpacking trip through the Enchantments, October 2013

Then finally comes in the hiking.  I've always enjoyed hiking but never really pursued it.  I'd probably go here and there but was never something I got really "into" like all the other things I did.  I was taken on my first backpacking trip to the Enchantments in the fall of 2013 and absolutely fell in love.  We thru-hiked 18 miles in two days, and I snow camped for the very first time.  I think it's safe to say for a first overnighter, it was pretty gnarly.  I've never felt so much pain and joy to be surrounded by God's beautiful creation, right here in Washington state.  When I got home from that trip, I said that I would teach myself how to backpack.  I didn't want to rely on others to take me out--I wanted to learn things for myself and do it right/well.  I'm not about half-assing things.  I want to do all the research and prepare for things before I step my foot out.  It's just how I am. 

My bebe Clyde and I on our first solo backpacking trip together, August 2014

The following summer, I set out on my very first solo (kind of) overnighter.  I was absolutely terrified of all the things: getting lost, seeing a bear, breaking a leg, falling off a cliff, dying.  But I can't tell you enough--if you never face your fears, those fears will always be the things that will hold you back from doing the things you really want to do.  There's this weird sense of confidence whenever you get back from a solo trip.  It's like "I planned my trip, brought the things I needed, could've changed a few things, but hey, I made it out alive and survived all on my own!"  It is literally just that simple and from there, I grew more confident in my place in the outdoors and went out almost every weekend I could for several months.  I truly found my passion.  A friend had asked me that summer, "Wang, out of all these things you do (cycling, running, backpacking), what do you think you love the most?"  That really got me thinking.  I had come to the conclusion that I finally settled on backpacking because  1. The mountains are always calling and I quite literally, must go  2. I love walking somewhere that a road cannot lead you to  3. Everything you basically need is all on your back  4. You have to work really hard to get to a really beautiful spot  5. I get to take photos

J, D, and I in Banff for Paul's workshop, the trip that forever changed our lives, photo by Jenny Linquist, August 2013

I can't forget to mention that in August 2013, Jenny, Dorothy and I took a night photography workshop in Banff, AB taught by the master himself, Paul Zizka.  I am pretty sure that trip completely changed my life with photography and pursuing the outdoors.  Paul loves teaching others his craft, and it's apparent how much passion he has for what he does.  He and his family are truly an inspiration to me.  I got pretty obsessed with night photos on every overnighter I took.  There was just something SO exciting about coming home after a night out shooting and loading them onto my computer.  It's like when you're out there in the cold shooting in the dark, you don't really know what you're getting until you're at the screen, and it's always a surprise.  Sometimes the photos will suck, and sometimes there'll be that one shot.  The excitement made me want to keep getting out, and every trip was a learning experience to figure out how I can improve the next time.  I loved working hard to get to a remote location where there were no cars and stay up all night shooting the stars.  I loved it, I loved it all.  

The very first time I was on the PCT on the Mount McCausland trail, October 2012

I had first heard about the Pacific Crest Trail when I accidentally stumbled upon it during a snowy hike in 2012.  It blew my mind to know that there was a trail that took you all the way to Canada; I couldn't quite believe it at first.  It didn't strike a chord until a few years later.  Yes, I did see Wild, I tried to read the book but never finished.  I think Cheryl told her story well, and things were a lot different back in 1995.  I feel bad for all the criticism she received, but oh well, that's what happens when you share your story to the public.  I pondered about what it'd be like as a female hiker walking from Mexico to Canada on foot, and the thought of carrying only what you need on your back for 5-6 months.  I loved it.  But I was also terrified.  Do you really have to start alone?  Well yeah, no one else is going to quit their job and commit half a year to walk across the country with you, and there's no way you'd stay with them the whole time since everyone has different hiking styles (you'll be lucky if you're still bffs with them in the end).  The only thing that was setting me back was starting alone, then I found out most folks have to start solo because of those same reasons. I discovered a huge community of thru-hikers on the interwebs, and from there, I was committed to researching on how a person becomes a thru-hiker. 

I spent 3 days alone in the HOH Rainforest and walked 37 miles in and out to Blue Glacier, August 2015

The summer of 2015 is when I attempted to see what long distance hiking actually felt like.  I wanted to see if my body could even do it before I attempted something like that.  I spent every weekend out till I reached 20 miles/day.  The first time I did a 20...man did my feet HURT.  Your body isn't exactly tired, but you have this excruciating pain throbbing in your feet.  You can barely walk and your toes are red and swollen.  But...I did a 20!  And I was still alive and felt like I could do another 20 the next day, that's all that really mattered.  I went on quite a handful of solo trips that year, really testing my fears: the bugs, the animals, the weather, the navigation.  I survived.  I got to see SO much of Washington, the coast, the North Cascades, and I even went back to Banff and frolicked around BC.  My body was finally getting used to hiking in the teens every weekend, and I just couldn't get enough of it.  One thing that I started to realize near the end of the summer was how vulnerable I was when I went out on my own.  Sometimes my brain just NEEDS to get out on a solo trip.  Most people think I'm this super extroverted social person, which I can be, but I really love doing things on my own.  It's probably because I'm selfish and want to be in control.  Fortunately, I really enjoy meeting people on the trail.  It's so easy to relate because they're already doing the same thing as you, and they are always friendly because hikers are just happy.  I feel like everyone is much more comfortable around each other since we are all vulnerable in the wilderness together and can talk about anything and everything.  A lot of times when I'm out many miles away from the trailhead, I use that time to pray.  I pray for my friends, my family, my fears, my blessings, my desires--the Lord's desires.  I love walking and talking out loud to God.  People probably think I'm a crazy person talking to myself, but oh well.  The voice helps scare off unwanted bears (I hope).  The wilderness had become my church every weekend.  Sometimes I reflect on what my life is like in the moment, how I get to live in such a beautiful place in the great northwest, and I don't deserve any of it.  I could be stuck in hot, brown, flat, ugly Texas right now, but I'm not.  I was brought to WA for a reason.  Whenever I get back from a long solo trip, my mind is completely refreshed, and I remind myself on how I want to image Christ in my real life.  It's exactly what I need when I get sick of the city life/people.  The outdoors has been my little retreat.

Met some amazing WTA volunteers, Rick was one of them, September 2015

One of the biggest parts of my summer was getting involved with Washington Trails Association.  I learned about trail maintenance and worked on trails with some of the most genuine and inspiring people I have ever met.  I think to work with your own two hands on what really goes into building a trail was so eye opening; it's definitely NOT a walk in the park.  The craziest thing is that most of the volunteers who do this kind of work are all retirees.  To think, I'm this young, healthy person who is selfish with my time, but use the trails to get my outdoors fix.  And then there's these 65 year olds who don't work anymore but are spending their leisure time working a full day (often a whole week) with physical intense labor, building trails--for free.  Mind blown.  I feel like the young people need to have that switch click in their heads to realize that we are literally the generation that will be taking care of our precious trails when all the older people are dead.  These trails have been around for SO many years, and they weren't made by the magical trail fairies.  People had to physically cut logs, collect rocks, build some steps, dig out roots, widen a path, and cut some branches with their own bare hands.  It's hard work ya'll, and I can't emphasize it enough that people should join a work party to see what really goes into building just even a small part of a trail.  And remember, some trails go on for DAYS, how long do you think it took the trail people to build these back in the day?  FOREVER.  Let's take care of our trails, ya'll.

This is what I look like now, all ready to go in my Zpacks bag, photo by Jenny Linquist, June 2015

If you've read up until this point, then wow, you must be one of my best friends, or are just really curious, so thank you.  I think I may have overshared and written a short story about my whole life/autobiography, but I wanted to share everything that has led up to this moment, and this is my story.  So what's the main reason I'm hiking the PCT?  Probably because I love walking so much, being outside, surrounding myself with mountains, meeting trail people, and it's the perfect time for me while I'm still young and healthy.  I mean, I plan on doing this until I'm old, but it's a great opportunity for me to do it right before I turn 30!  I feel like I'm so obsessed with all this stuff now as an adult only because I didn't grow up privileged doing this as a kid, so I'm just trying to catch up on all those years I missed out on.  ;)  It's kind of weird to think that I would ever be doing something like this or who I've become.  Everything in my life has shaped who I am today, and I would never change a thing.  By no means is this going to be an easy trip.  I don't even know if I'll finish, but I'm pretty motivated when it comes to long term goals.  Unless I get injured or if there's bad weather, I don't really see myself quitting.  I want to keep one of my favorite verses in my head whenever I'm faced with a really tough day, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance," - James 1:2-3.  My desire is to share my faith and story with the hiking community; Christ is the reason I am doing the things that I am today.  I hope and pray that God will lead me well in this next season because Lord knows I can't do this alone.  In the end, it's all mental, and it's not going to be myself that gets me through it.

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." - Philippians 4:13

NEW YEAR | NEW BLOG

It's finally the new year, and things are starting to get more real.  I just set up this PCT specific blog on my website.  I think I'll start writing about my planning process, and we'll see how much energy/time I will have in actually blogging throughout the hike.  My plan is definitely to have photos, most likely all iPhone, but the content will range from my final gear list, resupply strategy, what I'll be doing with all my belongings, leaving Seattle, and the start of my thru-hike.   I've heard it's pretty hard to blog while on trail, and the best way to update people on your whereabouts is probably through Instagram, so I'm not setting any expectations for this blog.  Merely for my own memory, or if any of this information is useful to others.

As of Jan. 9th, 2016, this is my what my apartment is looking like; living authentic.  There is gear exploded everywhere tonight as I scramble to mail out my last remaining calendars while I am packing for a snow camping trip tomorrow.  I pretty much just keep all of my gear in the corner underneath my cloud until I need it. So far, it's been working well for a little storage place.  I have more stuff right now because I was collecting a bunch of snow gear, but my house should hopefully go back to normal in a few weeks.

I officially told my nanny families that I was going on a long hike this spring, and that was probably the biggest weight lifted off my shoulder.  Everyone was SO supportive and excited for me.  I think if you're debating on when to tell your employers (which is what I was doing and so anxious about it), it's best to tell them WAY sooner than later if you have a good relationship with them.  I felt like once I told them, I was able to get the ball rolling on my final preparation for this thing.  And now that it's finally 2016....it's starting to sink in more.

Next month is permit applications.  For right now, I'm not really sure what I'm doing nor do I have a plan yet, but I did generate a schedule via Craig's PCT Planner.  I just wanted a small idea of what it was going to look like, but honestly, all this shit makes my head hurt to look at.  So I'm just taking baby steps and not freaking out last minute.  I also ordered Yogi's PCT Handbook.  I've heard mixed reviews on whether or not it's helpful; I think it should be good.  All of the small detail things can get really overwhelming at times, so it'll be nice to have some type of guide to tell me what to do.

Gear wise, I'm just nailing down my last things.  A few small things here and there and figuring out consumables/hygiene stuff is what's really left.  

Food wise, I've decided to on mailing myself boxes only to the more remote towns without good groceries and smaller boxes of hard to find items.  I've also decided I want to eat as healthy as possible while actually ON the trail.  So this means, whole ingredients as much as I can.  We'll see what really happens though.  I also want to start making a google docs of how many calories are in certain things because I have no clue right now.  I'm also starting to pick out which foods have more calories/oz and those are the things I should be buying.  Generally, you want to choose foods that are at LEAST 100 calories/oz and ideal is around 120 if you're lucky.

Training wise, I'm starting to get back in the game on an exercise schedule.  Not exactly my ideal routine, but just getting consistent again.  Then when I start really training, I plan on hiking 20's every weekend, running/cycling, core strengthening, and lifting throughout the week and incorporating intervals in all the areas.  Last summer, I also trained on the stairs with a weighted pack, so that was kind of intense but maybe I'll try that again.  The weather's been SO cold lately though.  It's been really hard for me to run outside.  I normally love running in the cold, but I've been wanting to be warm and cozy all the time now...not sure what's happening to me.

I think that is all for what I've been trying to do lately to prep.  Nothing too crazy yet.  I'll update next time I do something more interesting, it'll probably be my finalized gear list or something.  I'm getting close!

P.S.  I'm reading Carrot Quinn's book, Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart.  I love how Carrot writes so honestly, and it's very entertaining thus far.  She's been giving me great ideas about food too!  If you haven't heard of her yet, go take a look at her blog, I think you'll enjoy it.