Last Week

The last week has been a whirlwind. I got a lot done, but was not very active – either way, 8-10 miles a day to start is gonna kick my butt. I was able to see a lot of family which was so fun. Some came all the way from Hawaii to see me off. We had fires in the snow, steamed lobsters for dinner, and fun trips to finish getting all of my last-minute gear. In a flash, they were gone, leaving me with my seemingly unending list of things to do before getting on a bus towards Georgia, and my mom to deal with many of my pre-hike jitters and freakouts. Unending love and support which I was so grateful for. She pulled me back when I needed it and pushed me forward, towards this dream of mine. Now in Atlanta, that baton has been passed to my dad, who will see me off by Springer.

I tested trail recipes,
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including “egg crystals,” which were all kinds of weird, not to mention very easily burnt.
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I put together my first few days of food, then the next – which I mailed to my first food drop!
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Of course, I only read the details in the plane about how these should be wrapped in plastic a few times to prevent critters from getting in before you arrive.

I tested various first aid things:
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One day while my mom was doing errands, I asked her for M&Ms, since we hadn’t purchased any to put in my trail mix yet. When she got home, she had a surprise for me!
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Do I have the best family, or what?

Just a few days ago, my mom joined me at our favorite hair salon for an…update:
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And as I write this, the plane is landing in Atlanta.
What?

I leave Saturday. Saturday!

I AM SO FREAKIN’ EXCITED!!!

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