1 day to go.

I just returned from one last hike to test more of my clothing in the wind, and to keep my legs fresh for Thursday. I'll be starting the hike with in a bit of pain, because my lower back started aching a few days ago, and my right knee is sore and clicks when I walk. The good news is that when I hike, the back pain feels better, and I bought a knee brace that really worked on my hike tonight. I expect to be in all kinds of pain during the next few months, so all this is no big deal.

Highway 1 in the distance below

I've been going on 5 mile walks with near full pack weight and all I can say is my pack is heavy. It sucks, but I can't do much about it now except suck it up and go with it. My base pack weight is 18 pounds, which is actually about average for the PCT. I had been cutting my gear down, but decided to stop worrying so much. I mean, all those thru-hikers in decades past hiked with 70+ pound packs. I'm not too worried.



My plan is to fly to San Diego in the AM, take a trolley to El Cajon Transit Station, then take a 2 hour bus to Campo, where I'll find water, take a pic at the Southern Terminus, assuming someone is there to take one of me, and start hiking at around 2-3 PM. It's not the early start I wanted, but I don't really care about that. OTC Craig, from Craig's PCT Planner left Campo late and he's a hiker hero of mine, so I'm running with it! I'm just hoping the airline does not lose my pack...
Hopefully I can sleep between now and then. I'm very excited, and this combined with my brutal insomnia is wreaked havoc on my sleep lately. I'm really hoping the Trail sorts this out for me, otherwise I'll be a thru-zombie. (I hate myself for making this joke)

Finally, a note on this blog. I will try to post as much as I can, hopefully daily, and whenever I get reception. One thing that bothers me is that I can't edit my posts, so please excuse the typos.I will be as honest as possible and relate my feelings no matter where they fall in the spectrum.I also decided to primarily use the iPhone camera to save weight, so please forgive the occasional shitty picture; I'm still learning how to iUse it.
THANK YOU FOR READING!!!
See you on the Pacific Crest Trail!!

-Brett Pallastrini
PCT Class of 2015