Two years ago I gave my granddaughter the book Wild, by Cheryl Strayed. She read it at least two times, maybe more. That was the beginning of her dream and now it is becoming a reality. In sixteen days my 20 year old granddaughter, Alexis, will be heading for the California/Mexico border to begin her 2600 mile hike-through on the Pacific Crest Trail from Campo, California to the Canadian border. It will take her about 5-1/2 months and who knows how many pairs of socks and boots. She has been planning this hike for a year and now it is becoming a reality.
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| Lexi's resupply Bible |
There are no grocery stores on the trail so she will be carrying enough food and water to last at least one week at a time, sometimes longer, or until she arrives at the next re-supply station. These are post offices along the way that will hold the mail and packages sent to the hikers. She will have to find her way down from the trail to the towns or villages where these post offices are. That in itself can takes days and be a challenge.
My garage now looks like a food supply warehouse with boxes and boxes of food and other supplies she has parceled out, packed, numbered and addressed for us to send to these post offices so they will be waiting for her at strategic times.
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| Just some of the boxes of food and supp;ies |
Lexi has made trips to Costco for huge boxes of crackers, energy bars, nuts, dried fruits, foil packs of tuna, cans of sardines and Vienna sausages, and peanut butter, just to name a few items. Then she and her mom went to the Winco discount food store in the Roseville area to raid their bulk food bins for dried meals and powdered milk, more nuts and seeds, etc. and put it all in little plastic bags to be added to the re-supply boxes. Lexi’s dad will mail some, I will mail some and her mom will mail some.
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| Dried meals |
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| Good old peanut butter and mac & cheese |
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| These boots were made for walking |
On one hand, I am very proud of her for her determination, research, and planning. Even though she has been backpacking since she 5 years old, carrying her own little backpack, following her mom and dad into the mountains of Washington, this is different. She will be depending on her own resources, foresight, ability to find and carry water, and survive sometimes brutal conditions as she plods 15 to 20 miles a day toward her ultimate destination. On the other hand I have to trust in her abilities and grit so I don’t lie awake at night wondering if she has been eaten by a bear or beamed up by an alien space ship. She won’t be alone. Her friend Spencer is going with her and I’m sure they will meet others on the trail, but grandmothers do have a tendency to be worry-warts. So I’m going to put her in God’s hands and pray she is safe, not too uncomfortable, has the time of her life and with Godspeed, returns to us in one piece with amazing stories and even more amazing photos. Yes, she is taking her camera and tripod so she can record the journey with her artist’s eye.
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| Chicken Paillard with rice and sauteed asparagus |
Last night Lexi fixed one of our favorite dishes for dinner, Chicken Paillard. (Her recipe is in my 11/05/14 blog.) I am going to miss her cooking for and with me but I think I will miss her sweet voice singing in the shower and practicing with her guitar as she writes the songs she records, the most. I will miss our talks and the life she brings to this house, but I know in my heart that this trek is what she should be doing and now, when she is young and strong and determined, is the time she should be doing it. Vaya con Dios, Alexis Rae, my fierce and wonderful granddaughter.
