Pre-Departure

Well I am proud to say that I have officially earned the title of "Ramblin' Wreck" that adorns this blog!  I graduated from Georgia Tech with my BSME degree on Sunday and am quickly hurtling towards my departure for the PCT.  It's been a hectic week with lots to distract me from final preparations - but nothing worth complaining about.  The main thing is that the scope of my adventure has just gotten a little bit bigger.  I found out barely a week ago that I was selected for a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research in Australia for 8-12 months.  So Stanford is on hold until 2012; I will be flying to Sydney to work on solar energy whenever I get off the trail.  I am very excited to go back, but I've spent the last week scrambling to get paperwork squared away with everyone before I disappear into the wilderness (instead of prepping for Finals/the PCT).

Anyhow, I fly out to San Diego tomorrow evening and intend to start hiking the following morning.  My new pack is fully-loaded with gear and food; the only items I'll have to pick up in San Diego are a lighter, fuel for my alcohol stove, and enough Gatorade bottles to give me ~5 L of carrying capacity.  I never did get around to weighing what my actual base weight will be, but it feels like I've shaved 10 lbs off of what I usually carry in my pack.  "Golden Child" prepared the first four days of food that I will fly out with, and has mailed several more days worth of food ahead of me to Warner Springs.  From there, I'll take over for most of my resupplies by just buying food in towns.  The new diet will take some getting used to - a lot more nuts and trail  mix than I'm used to (I generally opt for more Cliff Bars, and even fresh fruit for the first day or two) - but it will also keep the weight/volume of my food down.  

I just talked with the "Trail Angel" in San Diego ("Trail Angel" is the general term for volunteers who work to support PCT thru-hikers by offering transportation, lodging, laundry, etc; they usually reside in towns near the trail and are typically affiliated with the Pacific Crest Trail Association/PCTA) who will be picking me up from the airport, and it turns out he's picking up three other hikers after my flight tomorrow.  So I should have some company the first few days.  I wasn't too concerned about starting at the border alone since I've yet to hear any stories about hikers having problems with the illegals (and I have been asking) - but it should ease the worries of my family.  

So I've got a little more than a day left to catch up on movies, study the water reports for southern California, and enjoy civilized comforts such as hot running water.  I'm starting later than "the herd" (sorry, graduating from college was a bigger priority), but it might actually work out for the best.  The Sierras got a lot of snow this year, but southern California also got a lot of rain apparently; so water shortages shouldn't be as big of an issue when I start out.  Starting late will also allow a few extra weeks for more snow to melt in the Sierras.  It would be premature to make predictions about what sort of pace I will keep and how far I will actually make it, as a lot can happen in four months of hiking, but I am confident that I have prepared for the factors that are under my control.  Whatever happens, my place shall never be with "those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat" (from a favorite quote by Teddy Roosevelt).