Homeless and Jobless, but Still a Lot to Do

My last day of work happened last Friday, and now I’m officially moved out of my apartment. My thru-hike doesn’t start for two more weeks. So now what? It feels like I should be set to go, but there’s still so much to do! Two weeks out and here are my to-dos:

See all the important people

I said goodbye to my friends in Austin, but all my family and many closer friends are up around Northern Illinois. (As well as the gracious in-laws that are letting us store our stuff in their basement. Who said being 24, married, and moving into your parents’ basement was such a bad thing?) Seeing family and close friends will be a good boost of pre-trail moral and a rare chance to hang out with all my cheerleaders.

Complete a four-day shakedown hike

My hiking partner (aka husband Alex) had minor knee surgery to prepare for this trip, and we haven’t had a chance to go on a backpacking adventure since then. Partially because we’ve had so much else going on, and partially because Texas has been wicked hot. We’ve got some different gear to try out, and making the test run during the infamous 100-Mile Wilderness didn’t seem like the smartest idea.

Get better at hanging a bear bag

I know this sounds silly, but so many thru-hikers say this is one of the most time consuming camp tasks. On previous trips this has been laborious only because the bag was so heavy. Although the perks of backpacking with friends is not outweighed by the heavy bear bag. Either way, we’ll have two Ursacks with us and will need to know how to use them. Using them well will just be a plus!

Perfect my newest addition – iPhone 8 +

I’ve had a DSLR camera for a long time and really struggled with what my photo situation would comprise of. My camera was far too heavy and bulky, but recommended replacements were expensive. My iPhone SE didn’t cut it – even with the addition of an olloclip. (Highly recommend. Such a fun little accessory to shoot with.) I settled on a phone upgrade to the iPhone 8+ because it was the most cost and weight effective solution. Wanna see the pictures I take? Check out my Instagram account here. AT pictures coming at you in roughly a week and a half.