New Toys! and things I will miss..

I got my ice axe last week and oh is it ever sexy! My crampons (Kahtoola Microspikes) just came in today, have to pick them up from REI. As excited as I am about them, there's no way I will go to a store until after Xmas. Not only would I have to deal with the craziness in the parking lot, but I also have to drive by an already very busy LA International Airport...no thanx! I'll wait!

I was doing some training the other day and while hiking, I thought about the things I would miss ever so much while on the trail for five months:

My comfy bed at night
my kitty, Pheebs
looong hot showers
my friends
hanging out with Mary Thursday nights watching Grey's Anatomy with wine in hand
walks on the beach at sunset
watching the dolphin surf the waves in the morning
real food and fresh brewed coffee everyday

No training this week :-(

I have been sick with the flu all week and still feel like poop. I hiked a short four miles yesterday and it helped with the congestion but I had a fever afterwards. It's a good thing I love green tea! I have been asked by a friend, what I would do if I got sick on the trail. I told him I'd crawl back into my tent and sleep until I got better.

Some people say I am hard headed and strong willed, others say just lucky. Either way, I am fortunate to be able to walk again. Yesterday, I decided that when I finish my journey I want to write a book about it, and donate all the profits to two charities. One will be for research in spinal degenerative disease, which is what my best buddy and hiking partner, Droopy dog, passed away from in April. The other will be for people who need wheel chairs and can't afford them.

Day two: training

I did my second day of training today with my friend's dog Duke. Not for mileage but for speed. Only six miles round trip.... downhill was easy of course and at the end of three miles I took a break with Duke and I cleaned up some trash left behind by previous campers. I reminisced about when I used to go to that campground with my dog before he passed away. I really miss him.

I also remembered that, just two years ago, that three miles seemed so long for me and laughed to myself when I realized how short three miles actually is. The thought of hiking almost 2700 miles was something I couldn't even fathom back then, although being in the wilderness for five months was. As we headed back uphill to the car, I was thankful for Duke being so young and energetic as he pulled hard on the leash, which made me hike a little faster than usual. I am not real fast going uphill normally because of my pelvic hurting when I go too fast. I think I was slow today for some reason. Elevation gain was approximately 1500' and we did the six miles in two hours. Last week I was up much higher in elevation and did 16 miles in eight hours with 4700' elevation gain. My pack was loaded up both times, with water and other stuff for weight, 20+ lbs. I am training in my Montrail Torres..they feel like they weigh about 4 lbs each, but I think that's more like total weight. When I get those Montrail Hardrock running shoes on my feet in April I'll be turbo charged!

When we were at the campground, we heard a really large bang and both of us looked at each other like maybe thunder, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I thought maybe it was the kids I passed by, getting into something they weren't supposed to. But an announcement was just made on the radio, explaining the sound. It was the shuttle landing at Edward's Airforce Base, 100 miles away...wow!