Sunday, April 28, 2013

Best friends ever!

Before I left on this adventure, it hadn't quite sunken in yet that, potentially, I wouldn't see my friends for 5 months. These are the people that I spend countless hours with hanging around doing nothing but laughing, that will do ridiculous stuff with me on a whim, and that I could share my heart and soul with. To leave them would mean I was leaving some of the most important people in my life. The weekend before our plane flew out, I was supposed to go out with a few of my besties as a goodbye celebration. I met my friend for dinner and was told that we would meet our other friends at her apartment on campus. Little did I know that they were skeeming. I climb the stairs to her apartment, open the door, and see dark shadowy figures spread throughout the room. Before the lights were turned on and the "surprise" was yelled, my jawed dropped with a smile. Many of the people I didn't think I would have the opportunity to see before I left were there to see me off in the best way you could send someone off. Par-tay! I couldn't ask for better friends!

The rough part was to come. A couple days later, we had a "buzz Ryan's hair party" right before we said our final farewells. I think "I love you" was said far too much yet not enough. I'm man enough to admit that I cried as I watched them drive away. To my friends back home, you are amazing and I love you. Don't forget about me!

-Ry

Monday, April 15, 2013

Beer for Brains

So last night, Friday April 12, we had our Beer for Brains fundraiser for our National Brain Tumor Society Trail Angels, Give to Live cause. The turn out was great and we want to thank every single person that came out to support our cause and trip! It was so great to see friends that we haven't seen in ages, and spend time with family and friends that we will miss so dearly while we are away. Although the pace of the event was in full gear and we had to converse with as many people as possible in such a short period of time, we hope everyone had as much fun as we did! But now to what you have all been waiting for: how did we do? Drum roll please...................................................................................................................................

The Grand Total of money raised at Beer for Brains including donations from Mikey's Late Night Slice, Woodlands Tavern, the 50/50 drawing, bracelet sales, and individual donations is.........................................
$850!!!
Not bad for one night! So thank you all so much! This money puts the total money raised so far for the National Brain Tumor Society at..................................................................................................................
$2180!!!
And there are still donations coming in online, through the mail, and through pledges! We are sooo very close to reaching our goal of $2,650, one dollar for every mile of the Pacific Crest Trail! Please, keep it up! and Thank you again!
- Ryan, Lindsay, Janis, and Kristi

To make a direct donation to our cause, follow the link below:


To pledge an amount per mile we hike, follow the link below, complete the form, and email it to us:



Trail Angels, Give to Live!

As many of you are aware, our husband and father, Michael Shepard, was taken from us in June 2008 from a glioblastoma (an aggressive brain tumor) in his cerebellum near his brain stem. When we finalized our decisions to hike the PCT, we knew we needed a cause. There wasn't any other cause that hit so close to home than brain cancer research. Various forms of cancer, including brain cancers, seem to be becoming more and more prevalent as we continue to hear about family, friends, and friends of friends who are battling or were taken by the disease. Trail Angels, Give to Live has become our way of supporting and encouraging those affected. It is a fund that we created through the National Brain Tumor Society in hopes of raising $2,650 for brain tumor research, one dollar for every mile that we hike the PCT. It is through this hike and through this charity that we will individually and collectively remember and honor Michael Shepard, our father, husband, and friend who believed in living life passionately and positively, and others affected by brain tumors.


National Brain Tumor Society is fiercely committed to finding better treatments, and ultimately a cure, for people living with a brain tumor today and anyone who will be diagnosed tomorrow. This means effecting change in the system at all levels. The National Brain Tumor Society has a rigorous and thoughtful agenda, integrating research and public policy to bridge critical gaps. Starting with discovery science, to clinical trial design and the development of new therapies, there are many opportunities to make improvements and speed the momentum of new findings. Your tax-deductible gift will help support research for a cure and enable NBTS to provide up-to-date information about the disease to the many patients and families coping with it.



To donate directly to our cause, please follow the link below to our fund page:





If you are interested in making a pledge to donate an amount-per-mile to encourage us to keep walking, follow the link below, download and save the form, fill it out, and email it to us at



Pledge form address:




Thank you for your generosity and encouragement!

The bare necessities are Mother Nature's recipes


We have to carry everything that we need to survive while we're in the wilderness. Check out major items on our gear list! Pack weights to come.

Osprey 65 liter backpacks
Marmot down 15 degree sleeping bags
Sleeping bag liners
Thermarest Z Lite sleeping pads
Stratospire 2 and Double Rainbow Tarptents
Tent ground sheet x 2
Backpack rain covers
Ultralight cook set
Platypus 3 liter water bladders
Black Diamond Ergo Cork trekking poles
Rubber pole tips
Katadyn water filter
Water purification tablets
Gatorade bottles
Flashlight/headlamps
Camera
Cell phones
Watch
Halfmile’s PCT maps
Bear Vault canisters (to keep bears out of your food)
Shoes: trail runners
Dirty Girl Gaiters (to keep debris out of your shoes)
Microspikes (snow/ice traction for your shoes)
Base layer shirts (Under Armour)
Base layer pants (Under Armour)
Socks (moisture wicking)
Running shirts
Running shorts
Down jackets
Hiking pants
Frogg Toggs ultralight rain suit
Peter’s Head Nets (mosquito head net)
Beanie/balaclava
Tilly hat
Sunglasses
Gloves
Camp shoes that double as fording shoes
Hygienic items
Medicine
First aid supplies
Duct tape
Knife
Flint
Compass/thermometer
Deck of cards

F.A.Q.

So when people find out that we're doing this 5 month hike - that is just as ridiculous sounding to you as it is to us by the way - they tend to have some curiosities (e.g. What the hell are you thinking?!, or You have to carry 5 months of food?!). So let me take this opportunity to clear up some of your uncertainties and address your inquiries.

Q: What the hell are you thinking?!
     A: As D-Day creeps closer, I'm beginning to ask myself the same question. It is a crazy idea. There is no getting around that. But we are pumped for this adventure! Now is the time to do it. We are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to take 5 months off from normal every day life; we are out of school (for now), we have not quite met our desired career goals, and we have generous and unyielding support from our friends, families, and coworkers. This adventure may have started off as Lindsay's pipe dream that most blew off, but it has become a reality that drives us all. We may not make it the entire 2,650 miles. We understand that. Shit happens. But we are sure as hell going to try. As little as we are able to get outside and experience true nature in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, we are passionate about the outdoors and cannot wait for our soles to hit the backcountry.

Q: You have to carry 5 months of food?!
     A: As big as these guns are *kisses biceps*, I don't think they are quite capable of lifting the several tons of food required to feed a hungry hiker for 5 months. Instead, we will carry approximately 3-7 days worth of food at a time and resupply whenever we arrive in a trail town. For an extended time prior to leaving for the trail, we have been dehydrating food and stocking up on dry food that we will repackage and ship to the local trail town post offices. But our resupply method doesn't stop there; we will also be purchasing goods in town to supplement our mailed portions. It is also in those towns that we intend to engorge ourselves with as much hot and fresh restaurant meals as socially acceptable. Feel free to mail us as much food (and wine) as you want ;)

Q: Do you sleep in a tent?
     A: 5 star hotel every night. Yes, we sleep in a tent. We invested in 2 high quality, ultralight backpacking tents from Henry Shires Tarptent that weigh a mere 2.5 pounds each. Split that weight between 4 people and you've got hardly any weight on your back! We even have these super comfortable 1/2 inch foam sleeping pads that give the phrase sleep like a rock a whole new meaning. Brings us close to nature!

Q: Do you shower?
     A: If Gaia cannot stand our stench any longer, she will rain upon us. Unfortunately, we will likely have to bear some nose-bleeding body odor. I just hope the deodorant sticks make the weight cut! Other than rain, we will wash in streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes. And when we earn the sparse opportunity to sleep in a hotel bed after hiking though the wilderness into town, we will bathe as nature did not intend.

Q: Where do you use the bathroom?
     A: Does a bear shit in the woods? If he doesn't then I don't know where we are going to go.

Q: Are you taking a cell phone? How will you charge it?
     A: Yes, we are taking our phones to use for blogging, pictures, communication with our resuppliers and loved ones at home, and, of course, emergencies. The PCT is said to have service on approximately 70% of it's length. However, we do not intend to always have our phones turned on. We invested in a solar power charger and have external battery packs that we will charge in town.

Q: Are you taking a gun to protect yourselves from bears?
     A: Nope. I am a highly certified bear whisperer with a PhD in bear wrestling.

Q: What about rattlesnakes?
     A: Ah rattlesnakes you ask. Rattlesnakes have these rattley things on the ends of their tails that make noise when they shake them. When they do that, it means "I'm letting you know I'm here. I don't want to bite you but I can if I need to defend myself. So back the F^(K away!" and we intend to do so. However, if all else fails, Lindsay is a vampire. She can suck the poison out like Edward did for Bella.

Q: What do you do about *lowers voice to a whisper* the Mexicans?
     A: There seems to be some concern from friends and family about being so near the border and the presence of illegal aliens. I say, if it ain't illegal, it ain't any fun. Can anyone say new best friend! But really, we have to hike 20 miles from the border to the kick off event at Lake Morena the first day because it's not advised to camp within the first 20 miles of the PCT. So we will only be at the border for a short time and there is apparently a strong border patrol presence in the area due to the PCT.

Alright, enough with sarcasm. Time to be serious. This trip has its dangers. It comes jam packed with potential hazards, illnesses, and ailments. We will encounter wildlife. We are entering their home. We will inevitably acquire some blisters, cuts, scrapes, body aches, and sprains. We run the risk of dehydration, starvation, giardia, and falling off of a cliff. We have to be attentive and prepared for any number of things to happen. This is why a motto of ours has been and will continue to be always take preventative measures. We don't want to have to deal with any of these hazards or ailments, just as we don't want to have you worry for us. Thus, we plan to be attentive, take precautions, and preform tasks safely and hygienically sound. Just know that we will be OK!

Why A Boko-Maru With Gaia?

We chose to call our Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike A Boko-Maru With Gaia because we wanted a name that encompasses the physical, mental, and spiritual undertaking that this journey will require. From Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, a Boko-Maru is a ritual of the mingling of awarenesses. It involves pressing the bare soles of one's feet against another's soles. Through the soles of our feet, each others' souls we shall see. Sole to sole. Soul to soul. Gaia is the Greek goddess of the Earth. She is the great mother of all: the heavenly gods, the Titans , the Giants, and the Sea gods. Gaia is our Mother Earth. This hike will take us back to minimalistic ways and bring us closer to the natural world, closer to Her. And so, as we place the soles of our feet against the elements, we bring ourselves closer to a mingling of awareness, intertwining our souls, and becoming one with Gaia.



Sole for Soul

First blog post to get this up and running!

Hello readers! It's Lindsay, Ryan, Janis, and Kristi! This blog will follow our adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail as we attempt to traverse the western U.S. from south to north through deserts, mountains, and forests on nothing but the soles of our feet. Everything we need to survive for five months - food, water, clothing, shelter - we will carry on our backs, only stopping in trail towns to resupply approximately every three to seven days. For all of the information you could ask for on the PCT, we have posted links to the right of the page that will direct you to The Pacific Crest Trail Association, up-to-date trail conditions and closures, water reports, PCT news, topography maps, and the Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off (ADZPCTKO) event. Following is some background on the PCT.

The Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges, which lie 100 to 150 miles east of the U.S. Pacific coast. The trail's southern terminus is on the U.S. border with Mexico, and its northern terminus on the U.S./Canada Border on the edge of Manning Park in British Columbia, Canada. The trail runs continuously through California, Oregon, and Washington. The PCT is approximately 2,650 miles long and ranges in elevation from just above sea level at the Oregon-Washington border to 13,153 feet at Forester Pass in the Sierra Nevada. The route passes through 25 national forests and 7 national parks. The route is mostly through national forests and protected wilderness. The trail avoids civilization, and covers scenic and pristine mountainous terrain with few roads. It passes through the Laguna, San Jacinto, San Bernardino, San Gabriel, Liebre, Tehachapi, Sierra Nevada, and Klamath ranges in California, and the Cascade Range in California, Oregon, and Washington.

We begin our trek early morning of the 25th of April, 2013 in Campo, California at the California/Mexico border. Kristi's family is generously picking us up from the San Diego airport, hosting us overnight, then providing transportation to the border. We plan to start off strong on the first day of our journey, hiking 20 miles to Lake Morena Campground, the host of Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off (ADZPCTKO). This event offers seminars, up-to-date information on trail conditions, last-minute equipment checks, an opportunity to get to know your fellow hikers, and plenty of inspiration and guidance from those who've gone before. Here we will meet many of the approximately 300 (on average) thru-hikers that we will be attempting this expedition with. Although this hike is unguided, we will be backpacking with this mob of people during the first few weeks after kick off until we split at different paces. We plan to use the experience, expertise, and guidance of those out in front and those hiking with us. After all, it is said that the PCT community becomes your PCT family.

Keep checking back for updates on our trip! Happy trails!  - Lindsay, Ryan, Janis, and Kristi