Oh man, two weeks left! It’s been busy and I’ll only be busier heading into the final stretch. On the plus side, I’m pretty much ready at work to head out. On the hike side, there are some things to do. But first, the updates!
- One more backpack out of the way. It was gorgeous, and I know for sure that I can make it at least 13.5 miles with full pack weight already. And I smelled the best at the end of the trip that I ever had because I was a little overenthusiastic throwing my pack off and my bug spray exploded.
- Thank you barre class! My feet are sore on long hikes, but none of my muscles are.
- I bought a new sleeping bag that is half the weight of my last one. And it’s magenta!
- My manager is amazing and adorable and she bought a map of Washington so the office can follow my progress on the wall.
- The blisters from the second pack blistered again. But my friends introduced me to body glide. Holy hell how did I now know about this stuff before?! Blistered solved! I’m preaching that gospel to everyone and have already bought my parents a bar each. I had the heel blisters starting the 27 mile hike last weekend and they were totally fine! Also, thanks to the magic of socks with built in liners. My bony, bony feet are saved.
- Food accumulation is at full steam. I spent an evening with a nice mediocre glass of wine sorting what I already have. My poor roommates have steadily been loosing pantry space. Now my room is half REI and half box igloo. Picture below.
- Today I decided to go to Trader Joe’s on my way home to just see what they might have that I need. 30 minutes and an irresponsible amount of money later, I actually do have all of my breakfasts, non-bar snacks, beverages, and cookies. And a few jars of pasta sauce to attempt to dehydrate. The most interesting purchase was tuna. Tuna is something I have teased my best friend about for years, because she loves it more than a sunny day, but the smell sends me running. It’s a testament to our friendship that she used to eat a tuna sandwich for lunch every day in middle school and I still sat next to her. Just for fun I bought some because I’ve been joking that after a week or two backpacking I will eat anything.
- I’m getting so excited that I can hardly sleep. I’m only surviving on excitement and coldbrew. Not bad for a narcoleptic!
- My coworkers keep having dreams where I am mauled by bears…
- Brief highlights from the to do list: activate my gps, figure out what the hell is wrong with my boots/feet, buy and assemble resupply boxes, photocopy the guidebook with the smallest font that I can read, keep a close eye on snow reports, and sign up for the WTA hike-a-thon! Miles the marmot is on the shirt this year! If you don’t know about it, mosey over to https://www.wta.org/get-involved/join/hike-a-thon/hike-a-thon-how-to-create-promote
- Questions: Why did I buy a whole container of gravy at Costco? Am I going to get around to becoming a dehydrating chef or will I be eating 35 freeze dried meals from REI? I do love the lasagna.
Wilder Wanders 