The Final Countdown.....question mark?

The Nephew (Eli) and I

I've been instructed to update my blog by multiple friends and have been avoiding it for the usual reasons, one of which being I'm trying to not get myself worked up before the hike.  I feel as though it's almost setting yourself up for failure- I think it must just be one of my pre-hike superstitions. People have been asking how excited I am this week, and it's gotten me thinking about how excited I am.  I believe I'm beyond the excited stage, and in the purgatory between having most things done and actually beginning to walk north from the Mexico border.  Though recently, I've been talking with a lot of friends who have gotten me more excited, so I go up and down.

The checked bag of food I brought- 49.5 lbs!

Fidget and I talking resupply

As I have hiked long trails in the past, and have vague memories of how tortuous waiting to start another amazing journey can be, I planned two trips for the month of March.  The first one was to Colorado, and was a multi-purpose visit.  I was able to visit the many friends I made while living there, get to see my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew as well as babysit while they went out for her birthday, AND drop off my resupply stuff/talk trail with my friend  Fidget who'll be resupplying me.  It was really great to see everyone and get to hang out with some family (both trail and genetic).  I spent just enough time there to get more motivated to hike and travel.

Drop-n-Roll Rappelling in Spry Canyon

I got back to Utah just in time for some great rock climbing weather and canyoneering season has officially begun!  I went canyoneering with a new trail friend (Drop-n-Roll) because she was on a road trip passing through on the same day I was doing a canyon with some new friends- what timing!  It was cold and fun introducing a new person to a canyon in Zion NP.

Also, staying busy helps the time pass faster, and I was/am doing my darndest to forget that I still have time to wait until starting  the CDT.  I'm trying to repeat the mantra: Be Here Now.

I'm currently in Asheville, NC visiting some of my best friends, including some from the Appalachian Trail, along with my good friend Tom who recently biked across the country.  We've been talking about our past adventures together, as well as future plans for the many more adventures to come.