My shakedown hike; walking from hostel to hostel in San Diego

Two bags?

Hello, lovely people. Only two more nights until I hit the trail! I’m slowly starting to land here in the United States. The last weeks at home flew by. Seeing loved ones & saying goodbye, Easter weekend, cutting my own bangs way to short, researching the trail and teaching my last yoga classes. The plans for a real proper shake down hike flew out of the window. My gear had been patiently waiting to be packed in a corner of my room. I didn’t want to check my bag on the flight to the US, scared that my precious gear would get damaged, so I got an old bag from a secondhand store. The idea was to put my tent stakes, trekking poles and some other small stuff in there. The day before my flight that other ‘small’ bag was almost as big as my backpack. Huh? I guess I finally understood the goal of shakedown hikes.. whoops!

Shakedown hike in San Diego

It’s not that I didn’t train with my backpack fully packed. I did! I hiked to my parents to camp in their garden, I walked to friends in other cities and to work, just never with all my gear at the same time. Luckily I didn’t have to stress because I had a few days in San Diego to figure things out. So there I went from hostel to hostel, adjusting my gear as went. My shakedown hikes here in San Diego proved to be just fine! Also made some people happy along the way with the stuff that I didn’t need. It’s probably not perfect yet but I’ll learn as I go, plus I’ll find out what will work for my when I’m actually on the trail. What’s the fun in knowing everything beforehand, right?

Walking through San Diego

A bit shaken at REI

So far I am loving it here. It is my first time in the States and it still feels unreal that I am going to walk through the whole country. I went sightseeing (the seals at La Jolla made my day!), took my time to get over my jetlag and tasted lots of good food. My first trip to the REI (a big outdoor store) was intense. I blame the jetlag. It was early afternoon but my biological clock was shouting at me that it was time for bed. Another thing that made it hard was that a lot of gear was sold out. So the carefully thought out plan of what to buy had to change right there and then. Luckily the people at REI were super kind and helpful. My first lesson; letting go of fixed plans and just go with the flow. In the end everything worked out and I’m happy with my gear! A full gear list will follow soon.

Seals living their best life at La Jolla

Ready to go!

I can’t wait to be at the southern terminus, curious how the first steps on the PCT will feel. It’s going to be a hot week out there. Hopefully the hot yoga classes I teach back home have prepared me a bit for this. Tomorrow I will go to Scout & Frodo, legendary Trail angels, who take hikers into their home the day before they start. They have been doing this for many years already. So incredibly generous! After reading ‘journeys north’, written by Scout, I’m very excited to meet them. The nerves are here but in a good way! For now I’m shaving my armpits for the last time and repacking my backpack for the umpteenth time. Let the adventure begin!

Thanks to all of you for the sweet messages & support!

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Comments 1

  • Jhony : May 1st

    So well written. And with a name like yours, who needs as trail name? very cool.
    Thanks for letting us follow your adventures
    Good, happy, walking

    Reply

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