I accept post cards, baked goods, strange requests and general wellwishing at the following addresses and approximate dates (dates are when I pass through).
7/9/07
Erin Noble, c/o General Delivery
PCT Hiker, EDA 7/9/07
9900 Echo Lakes RD
Echo Lake, CA 95721-9400
7/14/07
Erin Noble, c/o General Delivery
PCT Hiker, EDA 7/14/07
Sierra City, CA 96125-9995
7/20/07
Erin Noble, c/o General Delivery
PCT Hiker, EDA
Belden, CA 95915-9998
8/2/07
Erin Noble c/o Castella Post Office
PCT Hiker, EDA
20115 Castle Creek RD
Castella, CA 96017-9998
8/10/07
Erin Noble, c/o General Delivery
PCT Hiker, EDA
44717 State Highway 96
Seiad Valley, CA 96086-9998
8/15/07
Erin Noble, c/o General Delivery
PCT Hiker, EDA
Ashland Post Office
Ashland, OR 97520-9998
8/23/07
Erin Noble, c/o General Delivery
PCT Hiker, EDA
350 Resort DR
Diamond Lake, OR 97731-9710
Thursday, June 28, 2007
It's Here
The day is here; I’m leaving Claremont for good. I was starting to wonder, so leaving is relieving in a way. Of course it’s also sad, as I say good bye to friends. I’ve had some quality time hanging out with old friends during my extended summer stay on campus, but I’ve also met some great new friends. Both partings are rough.
I freaked out a couple nights ago, as I realized exactly how much work I still had to do prepping for this trip. It feels like that world is months in the past. Two days, 3 Costco trips and a wild dash to the post office later, I’m on the other side of that hurdle. I’m not scared, or apprehensive. It feels good as I prepare to dive in for the long haul. 2 months is no pittance, but I’m ready.
Will this trip help me find what I want to do in life? I hope so, because otherwise I’m pretty screwed in that department. However, I already feel like the time, money and effort spent on this endeavor has been worth it. I know this will be an amazing experience and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
One last thing to do before I leave… buy a ticket to China! But, that’s a whole nother story (or maybe blog…). I’ll try to update this site as frequently as possible, although I’m not sure which resupply points will have internet access. Hopefully all of them, but that seems a little optimistic.
See you on the other side! Except you Hal, I’ll see you on the trail.
Erin “bear lunch” Noble
I freaked out a couple nights ago, as I realized exactly how much work I still had to do prepping for this trip. It feels like that world is months in the past. Two days, 3 Costco trips and a wild dash to the post office later, I’m on the other side of that hurdle. I’m not scared, or apprehensive. It feels good as I prepare to dive in for the long haul. 2 months is no pittance, but I’m ready.
Will this trip help me find what I want to do in life? I hope so, because otherwise I’m pretty screwed in that department. However, I already feel like the time, money and effort spent on this endeavor has been worth it. I know this will be an amazing experience and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
One last thing to do before I leave… buy a ticket to China! But, that’s a whole nother story (or maybe blog…). I’ll try to update this site as frequently as possible, although I’m not sure which resupply points will have internet access. Hopefully all of them, but that seems a little optimistic.
See you on the other side! Except you Hal, I’ll see you on the trail.
Erin “bear lunch” Noble
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
REI and Practice
Today I went to REI. REI has a lot of cool stuff. I spent a lot of money at REI… Well, I guess that’s kind a how it goes when you need to get a new backpack. The good news is that my new backpack is sooooo comfortable. It makes 60 lbs feel like 30 in my old one… YES!
I also took my gear for a dry run today. Good thing too, because the first thing that happened was a broken shoe lace in the parking lot. No worries, I still got to hike 8 miles up and down Mt Baldy. First time I’ve ever used trekking polls, and I love them! Thanks Mary Beth and Erich. Only problem is, I started getting blisters on the sides of my hands. Guess I’ll have to start using them more… I don’t really see that being a problem.
Today reminded just how meditative hiking can be. I got into a great rhythm and it felt wonderful. All sorts of random thoughts that were buried in the back of my head boiled to the surface. I’ll spare you the details, but the mind is much louder outdoors. That is, you can listen to yourself very clearly while hiking. This is getting me excited for the real thing…
I also took my gear for a dry run today. Good thing too, because the first thing that happened was a broken shoe lace in the parking lot. No worries, I still got to hike 8 miles up and down Mt Baldy. First time I’ve ever used trekking polls, and I love them! Thanks Mary Beth and Erich. Only problem is, I started getting blisters on the sides of my hands. Guess I’ll have to start using them more… I don’t really see that being a problem.
Today reminded just how meditative hiking can be. I got into a great rhythm and it felt wonderful. All sorts of random thoughts that were buried in the back of my head boiled to the surface. I’ll spare you the details, but the mind is much louder outdoors. That is, you can listen to yourself very clearly while hiking. This is getting me excited for the real thing…
Thursday, June 14, 2007
An Introduction
At the beginning of my senior year at Pomona College, I figured out a solution to my problem. You see, I had no idea what I was doing with my life nor where I was going after college. It seemed like most of my friends had some semblance of a life plan whereas I had been actively avoiding planning the future since September. This lack of direction wasn't the problem, however. I like not knowing where I'll be in six months, it creates an element of excitement in my life that I want to enjoy while I'm young. The problem was the dreaded professor/relative/friend question: "So, what are you doing after college?"
Any college senior is intimately familiar with this question. Some jump at the opportunity to discuss their new job or fellowship. You know when you get up in the middle of the night, groping for the light switch as you look for the bathroom? That initial shock as the light first hits your eyes and you try to shield yourself from the penetrating brightness is similar to how others react. Okay so I’m being dramatic, but you get the point.
I wouldn’t be writing this if I didn’t have some experience as a member of the latter group. I quickly discovered that my typical answer would not suffice as a conversation piece. "I'm not sure, I haven't really thought about it..." generally elicited a quick reassurance that kids my age are too worried about rushing into careers anyway, followed by a deliberate avoidance of the subject for the remainder of the conversation. Yet despite not being a verbal participant, my lack of future plans too often remained a major player, gesticulating at the conversationalists as we strived valiantly to ignore the subject.
My solution was born out of a personal joke and my current obsession was born from this solution. Early in the year I started telling myself that I would hike home. I think I was drinking a glass of wine when the idea struck me. Remember, I go to school over 1000 miles from home so at the time it seemed an absurd proposal to me. It gave me a good couple of laughs, and it quickly became a quick answer to the question. Somewhere along the line, I became fixated. Then I became obsessed. Now, I’m actually going through with it.
This blog will depict my trip plan, trip photos (hopefully), my thoughts and any crazy problems that I come across. Once the trip starts, the amount of material going up on this page will depend on internet access. Who knows when I’ll have access to a computer, but when I do I’m sure I’ll have some crazy stuff to tell you and some gorgeous photos to post. Enjoy!
Any college senior is intimately familiar with this question. Some jump at the opportunity to discuss their new job or fellowship. You know when you get up in the middle of the night, groping for the light switch as you look for the bathroom? That initial shock as the light first hits your eyes and you try to shield yourself from the penetrating brightness is similar to how others react. Okay so I’m being dramatic, but you get the point.
I wouldn’t be writing this if I didn’t have some experience as a member of the latter group. I quickly discovered that my typical answer would not suffice as a conversation piece. "I'm not sure, I haven't really thought about it..." generally elicited a quick reassurance that kids my age are too worried about rushing into careers anyway, followed by a deliberate avoidance of the subject for the remainder of the conversation. Yet despite not being a verbal participant, my lack of future plans too often remained a major player, gesticulating at the conversationalists as we strived valiantly to ignore the subject.
My solution was born out of a personal joke and my current obsession was born from this solution. Early in the year I started telling myself that I would hike home. I think I was drinking a glass of wine when the idea struck me. Remember, I go to school over 1000 miles from home so at the time it seemed an absurd proposal to me. It gave me a good couple of laughs, and it quickly became a quick answer to the question. Somewhere along the line, I became fixated. Then I became obsessed. Now, I’m actually going through with it.
This blog will depict my trip plan, trip photos (hopefully), my thoughts and any crazy problems that I come across. Once the trip starts, the amount of material going up on this page will depend on internet access. Who knows when I’ll have access to a computer, but when I do I’m sure I’ll have some crazy stuff to tell you and some gorgeous photos to post. Enjoy!
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