April 17 -- Almost ready to go

I made myself stay up late last night because of the time change. I didn't want to be up at 4 am with nothing to do. I actually slept until 5:30 am here, which is 7:30 am at home. That's late for me. It felt good. I was up in time to see the Kiwis off. I hope I meet them again on the trail. They are very interesting. Love the accent!

I actually had a hard time going to sleep last night. I was so far from home. I missed my babies and my home and everything else I know well. I pondered the enormity of what I am about to undertake. I was very emotional. I finally fell asleep, telling myself that I could ponder it in the morning. I then slept well.

I spent the day food shopping for the next six days. My next resupply will be in Julian, which is 79 miles up the trail. I bought too much food. I will suffer from the weight of it until I eat it. I hope I will want to eat. People tell me I won't want to for awhile, until my body adjusts to the altitude and air and physical exertion. We'll see.

I'm sad to say that my pack is too heavy. I've got it loaded with food and water now, and it weighs a ton. Too much. I will suffer until I figure out how to minimize the weight and distribute it properly. These next few weeks will be very, very hard as I acclimate. Try to prop me up. I will need it.

Shortly, I will be enjoying homemade Indian food that several us prepared, along with Scout and Frodo. It looks and smells delicious. It will probably be the most healthy food I will eat for quite awhile. At least until I get to a decent-sized town.

As you can see, I've added a slide show feature to the blog site. You can click on the photos and see them larger. I won't be able to add photos until I get to a computer and upload them from my camera, so be patient. I may post a few photos into the blog with photos I will have taken with my phone, but the bulk of my photos will be taken with my new camera, which I can't share without a computer.

I leave for the trail tomorrow morning at 6 am PDT. Jan will be taking 11 of us. Scout told me that it was 43 degree at the trail head this morning when he dropped off the Kiwis, but it probably warmed up quickly. Someone mentioned rain moving in, but I haven't seen the weather report lately. Hopefully, it won't be torrential.

Okay, peeps. I might be out of touch for awhile. Hard to say. I will post when I can. If I haven't posted, it means I don't have service. Just hang tight. I'll get back to you. Wish me luck!