0 Days - 4 Days

What an experience!!  Seriously guys I have already learned so much and seen that crazy focused productive side of myself that I haven't seen since high school.  College was not as hard as my high school was.  This was like a Senior Project or something.  And it was so much work just for the preparation!  Now comes the lull, the hush, before the next round of hard work.  I have about 4ish days before my feet actually hit the trail.  Today was final prep day here in Stamford, CT with my mom.  It was map allocation day, teas, and deciding which tent to bring until my awesome tent arrives.  It could actually arrive tomorrow because it is en route according to the people at Mountain Laurel Designs.  I decided on the one I know, a small Cabela's solo tent that my dear brother, Khaled let me borrow a while ago.

I'm convinced I'm going to forget something important, but I know I won't.  Though I might.  But I probably won't.....

Something important like NO BAKE CHEESECAKE!

I'll know my base pack weight (weight before perishables like food and water) tomorrow, which will be really telling in how I've done with my attempts to keep the weight low.  The lower the pack weight the less likely you are to get injured, the easier it is on your feet, and the faster you can safely hike.

I have "completed" my spreadsheet with my locations where I will be in towns, including addresses and dates for New Mexico and estimates for Colorado. I would love anyone who wants to send along trail notes or yummy things to contact me directly and I will share the document with you.  I feel better doing that than publicly posting the dates and places I'll be at as a solo female thru-hiker.

I will be able to get emails and messages along the way thanks to the solar charger my dad gifted me and an external battery that a good friend Alex gifted me.  Signal is on and off, but it is there, so you'll be getting updates as often as I can manage and definitely when I'm in towns!  I love to hear from you all while I'm doing this, and any motivation is good motivation.

Off to a final restaurant meal with my mom before leaving for Texas tomorrow morning and New Mexico the day after that!