PCT 2007 Day 32 – San Diego

PCT 2007 Day 32

Day 32; Zero #2 / 4-26-07
San Diego
0 miles; 1835.74?? total miles
Sunny; 70’s

Today I got up late since I didn’t have to ride. I finished up my morning tasks just about the time my folks showed up.

We packed the bike (and trailer) up and headed back to San Diego. We took my route so they could see my ride. Once to town we hung out at the hotel in Old Town, had lunch; did laundry then it was errand time. We went to the bike shop for the boxes for the bike and the trailer. After that we stopped at REI and I got a sun hat, suntan lotion, and squeeze bottle for my contact solution.

We headed back to the hotel and boxed up the bike and figured out the food situation. Next it was dinner at a nice Italian restaurant, which was great. The food was delicious.
We went food shopping after dinner and the rest of the night was spent figuring out food drops. This process bothered me to no end. I’m really worried I’m going to lose too much weight and it’s going to affect my hiking in a negative way. I worry I’m not taking the right foods to get the nutrients and calories. Between my mom snoring, my dad’s heavy breathing, and my worrying I was up most of the night. Plus I don’t sleep well inside now. I get too warm and the fact that the air doesn’t move bothers me. It was dead air. Tomorrow I start north!

MESSAGE FROM SCATMAN’S PARENTS: We flew in from Boston and had cloud cover until Lake Powell; then the mountains, valleys and desert came into view from 35,000 feet in the air. It was breathtaking in its wilderness state. Yet on Thursday morning as we left San Diego, which is close to sea level, and travelled east on Interstate 8, our opinions changed. The route out took us over mountain range after mountain range with long bridges spanning deep valleys, to an elevation of 6,000 feet with views over 5+ miles. From there we descended to the US/Mexican border. Jim and I looked at each other with the same thought ‘our baby is going to hike this’?

Scatman 2011- This was a typical Zero Day, lots to do and too much to think about.  The food situation really really brought me down.  I had to just stop looking at the food and walk away.  I just couldn’t deal with it.  On the bike I had options every few miles and it wasn’t a problem.  When you hike you need to leave town with all the food you’ll need until the next one and maybe a little extra.  It was stressing me out and I had even started hiking.  The process would get easier but I did have one more episode like this one in Agua Dolce.  The grocery store was empty and I was supposed to be be buying for the next two stops and the leg I was about to do.  The third leg I was buying for was the Sierra.  I  didn’t want to enter those without the right stuff.

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Scatman

Get out there!

You can check out my Appalachian Trail or Continental Divide Trail journals too!