My typical day – The Trek

I am SO good at camping!

My typical day starts with me getting up between 4 and 5 to pee and I usually stay awake. I check my watch to see how well I slept, check the weather, check for emails or texts if I have service, or play music while I make breakfast.

Look how much my sleep has improved!

Breakfast almost always consists of two packages of oatmeal with a trail mix and mixed nuts. I listen to the morning chorus as my oatmeal cools and scroll through FarOut to see what awaits me and plan my day.
I clean my coffee maker by making coffee after breakfast. I LOVE at least one cup of Folgers Instant in the morning. After that, I switch to Celsius or Alani packs.
Planning starts with water. Where is? How far is it? Can I trust the source? I drink about a liter every five miles on the coldest days. On hotter days or longer trips, I need a lot more. I can carry up to 4.5 liters, but MAN that’s heavy. Ten pounds of water!
I grab snacks from my lunch bag and load them up for “lunch.” I don’t really have lunch; I only graze during water breaks. I carry PowerBars, meat sticks, and lately, those honey waffles. I also keep Liquid IV, SALTT or LMNT in there, plus some Adderall and Goody’s powder.
My snack bag has my adorable nieces in it.

The weather is always wrong, especially when it predicts rain. I think the weather is still more stable and easier to forecast on the plains of Indiana than in the mountains.
I break camp. Nothing screams «start your day» like opening your air mattress and hearing all the air rush out. I empty my tent and pack everything slowly as I wake up. Basically, I wait for the Motrin to activate.
I take down my tent, pack everything up, and check the camp one last time before loading up.
Around 6 or 7 I start walking. I don’t like leaving camp early in the morning. I let some other fool clean up the cobwebs for me!
No matter what, I start the day by choosing 10 to 20 songs. I put on my headset, hit shuffle on my 2,000 downloaded songs, and start walking. I like to count songs in my head Casey Kasem style.
After 10 songs, I stop for my first quick water and smoke break. Then I continue walking.
Walking. Walking.
I listen to Audible, talk to passing hikers, play music, and do everything I can to distract myself from the miles. If I get stuck in my own head, I can spend hours in a dark place. I think about Liz, my children and my family. When things get dark, I swap the audiobook for music.
Sometime between 11 and 2 (a big spread, I know), I stop for «lunch.» I find a nice spot, a perfect rock, stream or viewpoint and it takes about an hour. I take off my boots and socks, air my feet, eat snacks, take Motrin or Tylenol if I need them, and drink plenty of water.
Then I walk.

I pray for places of interest. I pray for a break in the green tunnel. I’m looking for a bird, a deer, a cool bug, some mushrooms, anything to break up the monotony.
I usually choose my shelter or campsite in advance so I can arrive between 6 and 8. I like to get to camp around 7. I drink water, set up camp, boil water, and set up my tent.
By this time, I’m usually starving, so I set up my tent and bed before eating. If there are people around, I will socialize and chat while I eat.
Between 8 and 9, I go up to my tent, watch an episode of whatever is streaming on my phone, and usually fall asleep within the first few minutes.
Apply. Wash. Rinse. Repeat until satiety.

Post script:
I’m struggling mentally because I know I’m not on pace to finish on October 15th. I can’t get the miles per day I need to and I keep falling behind.

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