One month to go

Resilience

I’m getting butterflies in my stomach every time I think about my start date. The anticipation of starting a thru hike fills me with as much trepidation and angst as giving a speech in front of my peers about the anticipation of starting a thru hike. I read that the fear of public speaking is the most common phobia ahead of death, spiders or heights. All of which you could face on a thru hike of the PCT. As the time draws near, and I am prepared for adventure, only anxiety remains!

Last week I was headed back through my neighborhood from my usual weekly “practice” hike in the fores. While trying to get some creative content for my next reel, I wasn’t paying attention to my footing and slipped and fell on the icy sidewalk. Ouch! I mainly bruised my ego, as I fell right at a busy intersection for all to see. One motorist even turned around and pulled over to ask if I was okay. I hastily replied, “Yes I’m fine, thank you.” But the whole PCT had flashed before my eyes in that split second, and I wondered if my thru-hike dream had been crushed?

I had less than a mile to walk home and felt like crying at the thought of a patellar fracture or an ankle sprain. Devastating. But I walked in the house, sat down and regained my composure I realized that I was actually quite resilient and it would take more than an icy sidewalk to put me out!

Snow in California

This week my mind shifted to a more serious concern, the record amounts of snow falling in Southern California.  There have been news reports of people wading through waist deep snow and being stranded in their homes. Residents needed to be dug out in mountain communities from as much as 10 feet (3 meters) of snow. Even roads were closed, residents had no power, and roofs have collapsed from the weight of the snow. According to the PCTA, 183 miles of the trail in San Bernardino National Forest are closed for public safety. There are other sections of the trail that remain closed due to high snowfall and potentially hazardous conditions. All of this has led to hikers delaying their anticipated start dates.

Reading this has caused me some anxiety and I have had thoughts of changing my gear or delaying my start date. It has made me realize that my thru-hike of the PCT may end up not being a true thru-hike, a continuous footpath from one end of the trail to the other. But that is okay with me. I have proven to be somewhat resilient (see icy sidewalk fall, above) and it would be remiss of me to think that I would not face any obstacles on my journey. So, I am going ahead as planned and believe that my hard work and preparedness will serve me well on the trail!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Shout out to all my family, friends and everyone I’ve recently shared my hike with who is eager to follow me on my journey. I appreciate the support.

“Resilience is when you address uncertainty with flexibility”. by Anonymous