Mind, Body, and Gear

Whenever I run, as I begin a homeward direction, I break down the distance before me. I mentally delineate ‘home stretches’ according to land marks, bends in the road, anything really. Then, I chant to myself “I am on the home stretch of the home stretch”. Depending on the ground I have covered, I may keep track of as many as five ‘home stretches’, each subsequent section being shorter than the last.
This mantra policy carries over in my life. Right now I am on the ‘home stretch of the home stretch’s home stretch’; although perhaps ‘home’ is the wrong word. Two more weeks in Montana, four days in Chicago with the sister, tag down at home base and then a six am flight to San Diego is the ultimate objective of the current count-down.
This week I purchased two of my final ‘bit ticket’ items. I am now the proud owner of a Fujifilm camera which nestles nicely into a traveling soap dish. The controls are simple and the little guy seems pretty durable. It turns on quickly and runs on AA batteries. I purchased two, 4MB memory cards; one to hold current pictures while I mail the other one home for my parents to dump onto a computer, then we trade back. The chips’ 1000 picture capacity should allow for plenty of space.
I decided to support the mall industry with my shoe purchase. For starters, whoever thought it a brilliant plan to call their chain of shoe stores ‘Athlete’s Foot’ must not have thought it through all the way. Either way, the little fellow was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about his wares. We found the lightest running shoe and I jaunted and hopped about the shop floor as he asked what might possess a girl to walk 2500 miles. He demonstrated a different way of tying the shoe so as to keep the heel from slipping and I do believe I will be quite happy with my Grid C2 Flash Sauconys. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say the weakest feature on these shoes is the adhesion of the soles to the material. Most of the shoe is covered in webbing which is run through by doubled stitches and the width and support are to my liking. I purchased them a size larger than what I usually wear because many miles and much heat provoke a good deal of swelling.
Using the Campmor website, I invested in a bug head net and pants to protect me from those crazy making freaks of nature. I also purchased a discounted down jacket which had received positive reviews and weighs 12 oz. And with that, I do believe I have most everything I need.
This past week I have been experimenting with pop can stoves. Fortunately a Montana ranch has a plethora of denatured alcohol in the form of HEET, a gas line de-freezer. As the kids were up at my house, a couple of them got involved in the stove building and comparing procedure. One morning one of the boys grilled his hamburger on the oven while another of them and myself each used our own made stoves to compare speed of cooking. While I had meticulously punched many tiny holes around the lip of my stove, the other boy had ruthlessly gouged chunks out of his. I figured this would make for less efficient fuel use, however, the difference was not enough for me to gloat over. Besides, his burger finished cooking before mine, leaving me a little miffed.
I continue with my indoor exercise practices for 'building core strength' although I am able to punctuate it more and more with outdoor romps and rambles. I have yet to make it any distance out of this area but I do hope for at least one overnighter before I head out of this great state. Thus far, my body is retaining her winter layers, although I can feel the muscles developing underneath. I am sure, as with most of my other hikes, I don't begin to shed weight until I am sctually out on the trail, and once that happens, it goes quickly. I am quite excited by the prospect. All this to say, things are coming along and coming together.
In response to my Auntie’s queries from last week, yes, my main contact will be my parents. I will do my best to keep a regular blog as I make it along the trail, although the apparent closing down of the Pocketmail people will not make that as easy as I had hoped. Most likely I will find a way to write from the trail and will have to mail those to either my parents or one of my friends back home who will then post it to the internet. This will keep my journal a few safe weeks behind actual progress providing a buffer of safety in case someone out there is just so taken with my words that they come looking for my wonderful self. =P
As far as contacting me on the trail, I will be carrying my cell phone for emergencies and when I hit town. I will leave my parents with a list of post offices and my approximate arrival date. That way, if any of you lovelies want to send a letter or package of yummies, it can be accommodated. I will let you know once I have that together and can probably email the list if requested.
Now it is past my bed time so I will conclude with this word of wisdom:
Poop.