I’m leaving in about 36 hours. Finally have shipped resupply boxes, and stopped re-thinking all my gear choices: time’s up. I’ll continue to tinker on trail, sending home or abandoning stuff that’s not worth the carry, swapping in new items, etc. It’s customary to photo and catalog all this stuff for reference. Such as if…

I start my hike Monday, 7 March. I’m about to pop from excitement, obsessively packing and repacking pack, resupply boxes, etc. I desperately need the starting bell to stop my second-guessing of everything. I’m well prepared. Or am I really?

I decided in autumn of 2020 that I wanted to attempt a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in 2023. A bit over sixty miles has been my longest backpack to date. The PCT is 2,653 miles from Mexico to Canada, wildfires and other trail closures permitting. Preparation — mental, physical, logistical — has…