This post was written in Danish in February 2018 and later translated into English. Only the language changed.
I have now reached the point in the process where “everything” is in place, and the waiting game can begin.
That is the hardest part of the whole thing, I have to admit 🙂 time drags, but I think I can win this waiting game 🙂
There are still a couple of small things not in place yet, but they are things I will sort out when I land in the USA. Which I do on 31 March
First of all I need a SIM card for my phone, since my subscription with 3, and their 3 Like Home, is completely useless for anyone travelling for a longer stretch.
That means I have to buy a plan that works while I am in the USA and has enough data for me to upload my Vlogs. But that should be solvable.
Then I am missing a couple of small things for the trip, but I have booked a hotel right next to REI in San Diego (a big outdoor chain) so I can get that sorted too.
I am also staying with a Trail Angel couple in San Diego before starting the hike on 5 April, so that is my chance to sort out anything I might have overlooked, and to meet some of the people I will be seeing on the trail as well.
Resupply
Resupply I am taking in my stride. I am bringing food for the first 2-3 days, and I know I have enough to reach the first place where resupply is possible. After that I think it comes automatically 🙂
I have decided not to worry about it any more, because you can quickly end up with a very detailed plan that then turns out not to hold.
And I actually think that would be more stressful than just taking things one day at a time.
But I will find out soon enough. Right now I am just playing it cool 😉
And goodness, how fast time goes! Sitting here reading my post back, it strikes me that I am leaving “any minute now” – crazy!
Training before the trip?
Since I do not need to buy anything else (finding all the gear I needed was one of the best parts. MEGA good fun 😉 ) and have read my way through the internet for information about the trip, I have started training instead.
That means walking to work and home again several times a week, including a lap of Damhussøen in the morning too. I could of course go to the gym, but whatever I do it is never the same as walking outdoors, up and down hills and so on, and we do not exactly have a lot of those.
But by walking with my backpack (loaded, obviously), my feet and back will at least get used to the load, and the rest should come along the way.
The plan is to take it easy at the start, since that is often the mistake many people make (so I have read). They thunder out of the gate at 100 km an hour and, after a couple of days, end up needing a day or two to rest their legs and tend to some ugly blisters.
I have set aside plenty of time to complete the trip, so I can afford to take it steady at the start and then later get going with some long, long days of 30, 40, 60 km. Or that is the idea, at least 😉
Good morning Rod!
SO if you see a guy in the morning with a backpack on, looking like he would rather be at home in bed 😉 do say “Good morning Rod!”.
My morning walk starts at 8, around Damhussøen, then out along Roskildevej and up through Vesterbrogade, before I end up at work around 9:30 ish.
Let the waiting game begin 🙂
Gear: the full setup I carried on the PCT is on the PCT 2018 gear list.