Pre Hike 6 May 2018

I slept surprisingly well last night. I woke knowing that today was my final day of life outside the PCT. And I know that I am not really ready but I have no choice but to go forward.
I am at Scout and Frodo’s house in the outskirts of San Diego. I arrived as lunch was being served. I just jumped right in and started meeting the other hikers staying here for tomorrow’s departure. I am now sitting outside in the backyard in a shady corner. The breeze feels wonderful against my skin. But it’s very hot in the sun and I can only imagine what tomorrow will feel like hiking. I am trying to keep myself hydrated but I feel depleted and I don’t know why. When I am in the sun my skin feels hot but a kind of heat that comes from within as if my core body temperature has suddenly decided to ramp it up a couple of degrees. But in the shade I feel okay. I continue to use my nerves as the excuse for the way I feel.

After lunch I was given a tour of the set up at the house. I prepare my sleep system for the evening in one of the three large white tents placed on the backyard lawn. I wonder if I will even sleep tonight? I am tempted to take an Advil PM to help but I don’t want to be sleepy in the morning. I want to wake up at 5am and feel energized, excited and ready to go. I look around at everyone’s gear. We are all carrying a wide range of packs, sleeping bags and pads. It’s really encouraging because we all had to at some point choose what would work best on the trail - what would be the most efficient, light and durable. Our conversations are centered on gear, the desert, water, hiking history and where we all come from. Everyone is so kind and generous with varying degrees of experience. A few hiked the AT. A few like me have limited experience. And yet we all start out at Campo and have to face the same trail conditions and distance.

The backyard is lovely. Flowers and large leafed plants line the backyard. A huge tree with thick branches covered in dark green leaves provides welcome shade.

Dinner is at 6pm but I find that I am already hungry being used to eating every few hours. I believe we will be given a talk about safety, water in the desert, fording rivers and other things we may encounter on the trail. Hopefully we will all have more opportunities to get to know one another. These are the hikers I will start with and I am sure I will see them in various places on the trail and the first campsites and towns.

I look at my gear and continue to wonder if I am made the right decisions. There is nothing I can do about it now but in my mind I still have doubts. I chose not to bring the free-standing tent poles for my tent so I will have to rely on the trekking poles. They simply cannot break on me.

So it will be a somewhat lazy afternoon. I should be reviewing my maps for tomorrow or going over the Garmin InReach to make sure I understand all of its features.

For now I want to sit and feel the breeze and smell the air and hope that tomorrow everything will begin to make sense.