Prep # 16 -- From San Diego Final Stage Point

Dear Jim,

I had a fantastic time visiting Portland last week. I'm glad I took the time to visit prior to my hike. Reconnecting with so many friends helped me settle my ever fluctuating nerves about my approaching adventure.

Tim and I drove thru Redwood Forest in route to San Francisco. We picked up a twenty-something hitchhiker who had endless stories. He left behind an odor when we drop in a town along HWY 101. Tim and I then made our way delighting in the gorgeous sunlight and warm temps (75+) to the Bay Area. We spent the weekend visiting friends, hiking and starring off at the bay. Our group had stumbled upon a regatta on Saturday. The transformation of the competing boats from homogeneous colored sails to brilliant billowing spinnaker sails was awesome.

I took greyhound to San Diego yesterday. And today, I'm taking care of some final logistics. I realized as I spoke with my host Carole (mom of PCT hiker Gazelle 07 & 08) that I've spent the majority of my effort these past 4 months working to raise money and awareness for the Al Forthan Scholarship Fund. To put it into numbers, I'd guess 70% of my effort so far for this hike has been for the Al Fund. This numbers will change drastially when I start walking.

So today I'll be writing - with gratitude- more thank you cards. Then doing laundry (I've been in same cloths for 5 days) and showering. Then I'll pack up and hit the trail sometime this week.

I hope your family is well and thanks again for allowing me to crash at your place for a week.

In Love,
Casey

Prep #8 -- Bob's Red Mill

SUPPORT: Thanks to Bob's Red Mill for donating 160 servings of 10-GRAIN CEREAL. I have enjoyed this cereal on past adventures. I am excited to have a bulk of my breakfasts on the trail be so highly nutritious as Bob's 10-GRAIN CEREAL. One of my greatest efforts for this PCT hike will be to eat healthier and more mindfully then I did on my AT thru-hike in 2004. As trail breakfasts go Bob's 10-GRAIN CEREAL is one of the best options: Low travel weight, great taste, nutritious, and easily adaptable for variety (honey, molasses, dried fruit, etc.) and cooks easily with just water.

To explain this donors contribution let me tell a bit of my efforts. In addition to asking everyone to donated to Al Forthan Scholarship Fund, I wrote letters to some of my favorite product manufacturers. I thought I might get some in-kind gifts and allow myself to focus more on Hiking for Recovery (H4R). I have a few more letters out there and I'll see how things wrap up i in the end. I am very grateful for everyone contribution to my two loves. Change (i.e. the work of the MRC and Al Forthan Scholarship Fund) and the Outdoors.

Fundraising: I recently have expanded my fundraising efforts. Part of the reason I'm fundraising is to connect people. Simply having a financial goal doesn't necessarily encourage a large quantity of donors. So now in addition to my $1.00 per mile goal, I'm hoping to get one donor per day. That is approximately 150 donors one for each of day of my five months I plan to be on the PCT. (Tell your friends quickly)

Personal: The weekend of 2/8-10 took me to Chicago on a last minute trip (4.5hour drive) to visit my roommate from JVC in Portland as he was visiting the Windy City. Bernie decided to travel back to Ohio with me and spend the week travelling NW OHIO and SE MI. I didn't get much work done on the PCT planning. However I had a delightful time reconnecting with my beloved friend.

Prep # 5 -- What about Casey?

Well, I'm quirky. I'm industrious and I like long walks (less on beaches more in the woods - HA). On a more practical note, I awoke nearly every morning for 18.5 years in NW OHIO at my parents home. I honed my skills as a plumber under Master Plumber Tony (my dad). I went to college to learn and my studies didn't infer with this goal. I drifted from a Music major to and Economics major, completing college with that as a BA and minors in math and music. My favorite theme of college was that most people didn't know I was econ. major, especially each new class. Many of my peers and acquaintances thought I was computer science (I was doing some research getting press), religion (I was involved in various groups), philosophy (I think and talk a length), music or other. Only my closest friends could correctly bubble in my area of focus (plus the 6 other econ majors).

I chose to graduate early to hike the Appalachian Trail in 2004. (more on my outdoor experience in another post). The AT experience was immense. I'm not certain I've ever been as depressed a the half way point. Sure I had joyful moments, but pain some times crystallizes in my mind. Then again, I did want to leave nearly every day for the last 440 miles. Oh, well. I stuck with it, meet wonderful people and had my life changed.

Now four years later, I have language to understand the results of my hike. See before hiking, I was sometimes called a "robot," or heartless, even a relative of Spock or Commander Data and worse. But the winter after the AT, I teared up to Jerry McGuire on television. Yep, my rational mind had ran out of fuel to chew on during my 7 month hike and my heart filled in the gaps, finally getting some space to breath.

The fall of 2005 I joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corp (JVC) . I moved to Seattle, WA. to spend time with individuals most of society ignores, the homeless. I signed up for additional year, and was placed in Portland, OR. My second year in JVC, is when I worked at the Men's Residential Center and learned about the Al Forthan Scholarship Fund.

August 2007 my service year ended and I road-tripped back to Ohio. Three weeks later, I entered a 6-week silent meditation retreat with the Insight Meditation Society. Again, my heart-mind has changed forever as I spent time in great stillness listening to my God. I was on retreat when serendipity placed the notion to raise funds specially for Al Scholarship. In all actuality, I'd find it more convenient to not raise money at all. However, I listen and respond to the movement of my God's Spirit and this is what's going on for me now. Bummer -- obedience (note: in Latin, obedience root is Listening-- sweet huh!!?!?).

Six days of discernment (Jesuit Style- fool) prayer, and I decided to prepare for the PCT hike 2008. I'm excited for now. I find it easy to be excited when I'm not actually 'experiencing' my questions but only researching them. Certainly the first few days, weeks, miles and months on the trail will be trying my nerves. "did I bring enough, too much. Why am I doing this...." "shut up mind, relax and have fun." " you know you're not going to do that..."
Hopefully my lessons from the AT won't direct too much of my decisions. Number one lesson: POOR DECISIONS MAKE BETTER STORIES