If You Give a Hiker a Tennis Ball

I leave next week to start the first leg of a three part walkabout.

I. AM. SO. EXCITED.

In my planner I have written next to my intense budgeting regime “how bad do you want it?” And I have painstakingly saved, scrimped, paid off all my extras and as of my last work day yesterday – met my financial goal for my 2025 adventure!

Last night as I was mentally preparing myself to wake up today and start packing up my apartment I decided instead to pack my backpack. That led to me taking out my sleeping bag and after hugging its plush feathery goodness to my face, that led to me rapidly inserting it into my front-load washer.

It was a hikertrash mini series of “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”

fave piece of gear – sleep is priceless on trail!

Fun fact, if you put tennis balls in the dryer with your freshly, properly washed, down sleeping bag, it helps loft it up. You can hear angels singing along with the rhythm of the bouncing tennis balls as it goes round and round. And this morning I pulled a mile-high floofy Starfish cocoon out of my dryer. 

Don’t sleep on being kind to your gear. It’ll last so much longer and in return carry you more miles than your expeditious little heart can imagine. 

Something else that filled me with joy while procrastinating from packing up right now – bracelets. If you have ever met me, you would be shocked to see my left wrist without them. (I know my friend P.U.M.A. was when I met her for lunch last week) But being a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) I sadly cannot wear my collage of memories while doing bodywork. 

so many hearts and places connected to these!

This morning, they are back where they belong, and I can actually breathe easier – it means it’s almost D-Day. And I’m so ready for it.

Never stop exploring. Embrace the suck. I. Believe. In. YOU. kk ily <3

~Post Script~

Hi. I’m NEMO.

Any of y’all seen this screen on your Garmin MINI inReach before? I can’t get NEMO to turn on. And yes, that’s his name. He’s orange and has a special fin and crosses the world on adventures. Of course his name is NEMO.