Last week was my first full week home, and many hikers will tell you that they find it necessary to go through some type of decompression. They also find reentering the human culture a bit of an overload to their senses. These are not phases I go through after a long distance hike. I am rather eclectic and flexible, so going from the Sierra wilderness to my home an hour outside of New York city is simply another experience in a different environment. I am also pretty goal oriented, so my mind constantly plans ahead to determine where it thinks I should be headed and what I should be doing. I will admit that this can sometimes be more a curse than a blessing.

I spent 2 days in Reno, NV waiting for my flight home, staying in the Atlantis casino. I only gambled once, and was quickly chased back up to my nice room by cigarette smoke. I was amazed at the price of my room. It was very nice, and I spent 2 full days watching movies, wandering down the sidewalks of Reno, and eating non-stop. I think I put back on about 8 lbs in those 2 days.

Upon arriving home, I immediately began planning for the CDT hike in April. The difference is that this time I alloted a certain amount of time each day to the planning instead of obsessing over it for hours. I also planned my visit south to see family and friends, and immediately began working out.

Working out has been a pleasure. I max out my treadmill in elevation, and my speed is double what it was when I left. My feet were a tad sore initially, but this is slowly dissipating, and minimal compared to the soreness from the AT. I hope to actually be about 5 lbs lighter than I am now, when I start the PCT, although I may actually be about the same since I am working on building up a little more muscle. Fat is not an issue right now. I just have to work to keep it off.

I have already ordered Yogi's town guide, Wolf's guides, and Ley's maps. I will probably supplement the maps with some Delorme maps, but I won't be ordering these until I see Ley's maps. I went back and forth on the Yogi guide, b/c I quit using it on the PCT since it was not really necessary with the PCT Atlas, but I have a feeling I will need all the help I can get on the sometimes trailess CDT as I determine my own route in some cases.

On a side note...I think I may have mentioned this earlier, but it appears this will also be a solo hike. My partner in crime will not be available for this hike this year.

I am looking forward to the holidays. It will be good to see family and friends.

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