Getting Ready in Boulder

We have been in Boulder for about a week now and time is flying by. Our friends Devin and Laura are putting us up in their new roomy place.

Today we hit Costco, buying large amounts of bulk nuts, bars, jerky, and cereal. This food is for our first 2 resupply boxes on the trail as well as the initial few days until Mt Laguna around mile 45.

The big PCT Kickoff party is this weekend and we are missing out on it. The bulk of this year's hikers are starting the trail as I am typing this. Honestly I am a bit sad not to be there. The kickoff is a huge tradeoff. You get ~100 people all starting the trail at once and having a huge party beforehand. I am sure that the camaraderie and excitement cannot be beaten, but the trail is extremely crowded for days afterward. My heart goes out to all hikers starting now. Especially our friend Erin. Check out her blog here: erinspctjournal.blogspot.com

Boulder is fantastic for getting ready. The weather is much nicer than Portland, even though it has snowed flurries a few times since we have arrived. A few days ago we had weather in the 70s. Today we are lucky to get above the low 40s. Thursday we carried full 30lb packs up 3000 feet to the top of 8500' Bear Peak. A slow and steady pace was all we needed. Along with the obvious benefits of training, it also serves to boost your mental confidence by telling you that you are ready to begin the journey.

And ready we are. Well except for all of the minute details that we still need to take care of. Our gear is still not fully assembled. Some stuff will be waiting at my Mom's place in Santa Fe. Other stuff is being sent to Laura in Prescott, our final destination before the start of the trail. I finally figured out my 'trail outfit'. Each of us has to live up to our team name of course! Zm has a fantastic trail dress that looks great. I needed shorts and a t-shirt that would look just as cool. The look is pretty much similar to last time, grey shorts plus a bright orange tee.

As I type this, Zm is cranking away on the sewing machine, and Devin is practicing jazz piano. Later tonight I will eat Korean food and play some Tichu.

Tuesday we leave Boulder and head South to Christine's (my mom) place in Santa Fe. The final round of logistics will be taken care of there.