Ready, Set, GO!

It's not a race to Canada but it can feel that way when the thought of getting snowed on in northern Montana is in your head...
So what is it like to prepare for 5 months on the CDT?  Hours and hours of map sorting, gear checking, and food..... lots and lots of food.   There are some fabulous resources out there that previous hikers have put together, but there is still a surprising amount of planning that goes into something like this.  And since up until recently I had 1.5 full time jobs, it was a bit of a challenge just to find the time.   I have prepared a total of 28 resupply boxes that contain maps, guidebook information, and the majority of my diet while on trail.  Over the next 5 months I will consume approximately 100 Snickers bars, 300 packets of instant oatmeal, 4 XXL bags of Peanut M&Ms, 120 packets of Starbucks VIA, 60 Ramen packets, and as much junk food as one hungry hiker could dream of consuming.  Jealous?  The american diet is perfect for hikers =-) salty, fatty, calorie dense food.  I have been dehydrating quite a bit of my own food such as veggies and spaghetti sauce.  Of course WinCo is a hiker's paradise with powdered cheese, instant beans, bulk hummus powder and couscous, and rice noodles. I do try to buy a few things in the small mountain towns to support the economy but it's just so much fun to put yummy meals together ahead of time.  It's a LOT of work but worth it in the end for sure.

I'm nervous and excited, I can't believe this is really happening, and I can't wait to start walking.  It's like returning home.  I don't know what it is about the trail but it just feels right.  To walk through some of the most stunning country day in and day out and to challenge my body doing something beyond what normal folk call "possible".  Thru-hiking might not be for everyone but I'm one lucky gal!

Fun fact about the trail community: we go by Trail Names instead of our "real world" names.  This is a tradition that may have started on the Appalachian Trail but has quickly spread throughout the hiking community.  Many names have stories behind them, most are given to you by another hiker... Singe was cooking in her tent/vestibule one evening, Pickles LOVES pickles, Lotus is always doing yoga at every chance she gets, Chief was a retired firefighter, Lancelot had lots of blisters.... you get the idea!  It can even create some interesting scenarios when you don't actually know someone's real name. HAH.  It's a really fun way of being known by a name that means more than a few letters on a birth certificate.  Me? I'm Beads =-) I've got beads in my hair and they have been there since high school.  It's that simple!

Well my flight leaves for Tucson, AZ in 4 hours and I still have a bit of packing to do...  see y'all on the trail!!!!

Happy Trials!
~Beads