Take a hike!….Our Carla (Gavin’s fiancé) and her Mom – Robin certainly DID, 500 miles from the start of their little jaunt at the border of Mexico, continuing then into the upper Southern California mountains they temporarily stopped, got on a bus to Barstow where I drove to pick them up. I then turned right around and brought them to Las Vegas for a well needed rest before they resumed their “Pacific Crest Trail” hiking adventure!
(Mexican border to the Canadian border – approx. 2,650 miles, all on foot and you carry ALL your stuff on your back, including your water, which is very heavy!) YIKES! (If you saw the movie “Wild” staring Reese Witherspoon, you know how this works. In fact, Reese looks a lot like Carla!)
As they started this unbelievable trek, (estimated hiking time 4-5 MONTHS!!) I bought a “Pacific Crest Trail” Data Book to better understand the details of their efforts. Carla’s Mom, Robin also bought a GPS tracker to wear that ties into an on-line map tracking program that anyone with the password can check in anytime and see their progress. It’s called “SPOT-Ready for Adventure.” You can check progress on a large map that can be magnified down to exactly where they are on the PC Trail, in great detail. VERY COOL! And, very safe...take a peek HERE!
Anyway, you’ve heard the expression of what do you get the gift for the girl who has everything? – our gift giving riddle was what do you send the girls who have to so carefully measure the weight of everything they have on the hike, which they have carry on their backs every day? Well, now that we’ve mapped out all the daring details, here are some interesting gift items not to hinder our courageous hikers. We also thought our readers would enjoy + share these gift solutions for family + friends that love the outdoors. Our 3P one stop shop for any outdoor gift is REI!
With expert help, items that were shipped to Carla and Robin along the way were –
- Inspirational notes to chew on with a pack of chewing gum
- Gavin’s favorite “Chocolate Mint Astronaut Ice Cream”
- All natural sunscreen and lip balm
- Water enhancers
- Energy bars
- Freeze dried Salmon (apparently a delicious delicacy for camp cooking)
- Carla’s fave – Pretzel Crisps that we knew would get gobbled up very quickly
- The Hit of the Day – 100% wool “Darn Tough” socks with a lifetime warranty, available HERE!These were such a help to sore and blistered feet, the girls picked up a few more pairs while visiting us. These are well worth the $20.00 a pair price for endurance long-distance hiking. Carla and Robin told us that they’d had a really hard few days and when they got their new specialty hiking socks on from us, they thought they died and gone to heaven!
A tip Brenda learned on her Mission Trips is to pack in a sturdy zip lock bag to help keep items dry and sorted and can be used for other purposes as you can identify items easily when digging into very full back pack.
Our time with the girls was a treasure. Marissa was surprised to tears to see Carla appear unannounced at her Bridal Shower. Along with Marissa’s thank you’s while everyone was introducing themselves + tears turned to laughter as Carla (with her sharp Canadian dry humor) announced who she was, that she from Canada, and basically had WALKED here. (And she DID!)
Well, with part of this adventure behind them and both happy, healthy, and re-vitalized, it was back to the Pacific Crest Trail for Carla and her Mom! Brenda sent her one last belated birthday surprise that will be greeting her when she arrives home to Canada. A brand new package of 700 count sheets! Our girl loves quality bedding…and after tents + sleeping bags we couldn’t help but welcome her home and tell her how proud we are of her courage + endurance! You go Carla!
We hope to hear about your camping stories and outdoor escapades this Summer!
