Journal Entries

Training hike today, bigger of the two loops behind the house. Getting better each day with acclaimation to the altitude here.

Had dinne4 and drinks at our favorite place here The Raven Cafe. Best sweet potatoe fries in town.

Van came back from the shop still waiting on fuel filter to get replaced. Back at the shop Monday morning to finish filter install.

More van troubleshooting the fuel issue and error code. Tried to remove the fuel filter but decided to bring the van to a shop instead. Not my cup of tea working on the van. Feels like I should of made a decision sooner but it’s part of my path to want to do things myself and not reach out. Message is I have the means to utilize others expertise and not be hung up about what it costs. Took the van to a local mechanic to fix.

Ate lunch at Bills Diner with Kurt and had a beer and a great hamburger. Also hike the larger of two trail loops behind Kurt’s house. Then walked with Kurt and Carrie around the neighborhood later in the day.

Feeling good but was a bit tired last night. Still not 100% on west coast time.

Nice FaceTime conversation with Karyl after she reached out about needing support with making her smoothie. Love that woman.

More hiking and getting acclimated to the altitude here in Prescott. Hiked the shorter loop up behind Kurt’s house today and getting used to the much drier climate. Which will greatly benefit me during the first 700 miles of the PCT.

Worked on more insulation in the garage area of the van. Started laying out the solar gear that will be mounted to the driver side wall in the garage. Will attach gear to 1/2 plywood and screw to the van shell.

Feeling a bit nervous about the start of the hike, knowing all will work out.

Talked to Karyl tonight, big shifts happening at work and her as Managing Partner in PAG. Nice to hear her standing in her power and creating a boundary.

Took a break from hiking and working on my Sprinter van. Starting the insulation process in the garage area and running a wire that will be a part of the charging system. Creating the system so the alternator will charge the house batteries when the engine is running. Very important. The system will also allow the solar panels to charge the starting batter if need be.

Another prep hike for me today. 5 miles mostly up hill, a good workout and a beautiful day to be out in the wilderness here in Prescott Arizona. The trail system around here is amazing. I am feeling pretty good being at about 6k feet elevation. My body is dialing in and I am looking forward to what’s next.

Wirkes in my Sprinter van some and I feel I am balancing both preparing for the PCT and getting my van ready for after the trail.

Honored to be hosted by my brother-in-law and sister-in-law here in Prescott.

Easter Sunday hike in Granit Mountain Basin with Kurt and Carrie. Feeling really good about how my body feels in 5k-6k altitude. Ran across some havolinas down by a creek bottom. A short 3 mike hike with some nice elevation Gaines and loses.

Grateyfor the fine meal Carrie prepared for Easter and we also got a visit from Jessie. Great conversation and sharing after dinner.

Saturday was spent doing a nice training hike on part of the Prescott Loop Trail Segment 1. Kurt, Carrie and I did the 4.7 mile segment in the afternoon. I am getting used to the altitude change it seems. Looking forward to what is next.

Today was spent fixing a few minor glitches in the van. Rattled and investigating error codes from the check engine light. Points to a fuel pressure sensor or clogged fuel filter. Further research need to locate and replace these items.

Feeling pretty good about the trip so far and my decision to push on to Prescott.

Managed to get a shirt hike in with Kurt and Xiddy dog. I felt good with the altitude Chang from zero to 5400 feet here in Prescott. Looking forward to a longer hike today on parts of The Loop trail that goes all over town and is a total of 54 miles.

Woke up Thursday morning in Amarillo Texas to upper 30’s temps and a stiff wind from the north. Plans were to visit my former sister-in-law in Las Tusas, New Mexico but instead in turn into an all day drive to Prescott because of a check engine light and a coolent low warning light. Solved the second issue with refilling the coolent reserve tank with coolent. I made the decision to not stop in Las Tusas and just drive to Prescott.

Arrived at Kurt’s House in Prescott after about 10 hours drive through northern New Mexico and Flagstaff Arizonna. Beautiful wide open spaces. Lots of masas and snow capped peaks. What a beautiful country we live in.

Today Wednesday March 28th I arose early in Harrisburg MS and got on the road. The day was me trying to get west as light rain fell on my van for 9 hours. The road was good and the traffic pretty light. I made my way across Mississippi and into Louisiana. Memories and feelings began to make themselves known and presented me with lots of opportunity to reflect. The rain still falling.

I get to Dallas and the preferred route on the GPS was around the north side of Dallas but not when I missed my exit while on the phone with my amazing son. Instead the route became right through Dallas. What a tangled web of roads and flyovers my journey became. After another missed exit and a uturn I was back heading Northwest.

The trip from here to Amarillo was long but created a space for further reflection and conversation. My dear friend Adam Pacitti called and shared his workshop experience with me. What a time to be present with another fellow traveler. More conversation with my amazing partner, soulmate and support system, my wife Karyl.

Made to Amarillo after 13 hours of traveling across most of Mississippi, all of Louisiana and a good part of Texas. Didn’t realize how tired I was, till I allowed myself to rest.

Visiting my former sister-in-law today at her home in Las Tusas, New Mexico. Haven’t seen her in at least 15 years and she was a big part of our lives. Feeling drawn to connect.