Final Thoughts

The time has come. As I type this, I am on my way to San Diego to start the Pacific Crest Trail. I want to give a big thank you to my dad for taking the time to drive me out to California and to eventually pick me up when I am finished.

I am not really nervous to start, just feeling a little antsy and ready to get moving. It has been an amazing drive so far. Driving is the way to go, it is the only true was to get to see the country.

That is the bridge over the Mississippi River.

This is a wind farm on the Plains of Kansas.

My pack base weight ended up being around 23 pounds. The means 23 pounds without including food or water. When I added my food bag, it weighed 36 pounds. Once I add on 6 liters of water my final pack weight will be about 50 pounds. I went for a 3 mile walk with my pack at home, just to make sure everything felt comfortable. The first half mile was a bit of an adjustment period, but after that I fell into a groove.

My starting body weight is about 215 pounds. I'm hoping to get down to about 190 ish by the end of the trail.

Dad and I took route 70 west, and it was one of the most scenic drives I have ever been on. A lot of people found it hard to believe that we were driving across country instead of flying. Driving is the way to go, it is the only true way to see our beautiful country. I highly recommend everybody add a road trip down route 70 to their bucket list, it is a truly amazing experience.

Day 1 of driving we drove for 13 hours and stopped just shy of Kansas city. The second day we drove a whopping 15 hours through Kansas, Colorado, and stopped about halfway through Utah. On day three we drove from Utah to San Diego in about 12 hours. We will spend tomorrow exploring the city, and on Monday morning I start my journey! Wish me luck!