I have officially been on the road for 6 days and by tomorrow’s 9am, I will have travelled a total of 150km of trail.

Physical updates:

My socks have not been properly dry for 4 days and that is making for some exceptionally uncomfortable blisters. I feel a sharp pain in my left heel when I try do down dog and a quad pull seems just completely out of the question. I have been eating my big meals at night, making sure I am ready for the next day; on the trail it’s mostly foods for quick energy and water<3 My back is starting to adjust to my pack — I can feel it!!

Mental updates:

It seems that even here, the “oh you loved that? Just wait until you see ________” and “oh, tomorrow will be super easy! I did 35km that day!” is inescapable. It seems that even here, I am learning the importance of filtering the “advice” I receive from others; I simply cannot bear the burden of bad advice.

Note: I am becoming painfully aware of my tendency to think about the destination for the day. I have trouble taking breaks because I just want to get to wherever I am meant to be setting up for the night. As I get more tired, it becomes harder to take in the beauty and acknowledge the immense range of what I see in just one day.

Things I did not expect to love but do:

The food. The quick oats I eat for breakfast come in so many different flavors, one of them being “creamy caramel,” and I get to carry a jar of peanut butter because *versatile* and also YUM and tonight I emptied a packet of Uncle Ben’s pre-cooked rice into a pan with a can of “Mexican style beans” and some El Paso taco seasoning and I am just having the absolute best time. I think it is mostly about resourcefulness and I am certain this entry will not age well but, hey, I am just pursuing truth here.

And the cold, hard truth of this moment is that I go to bed excited to drink freeze dried coffee the next morning; the truth is that all of it tastes better because it gets prepared in the little pot that I lug around on my back for 8+ hours every day.

And that is just the truth!

“If you could travel back in time to give one piece of advice to the you who started this trail, what would you say?”

This I what I asked BB today. And I do not quite remember their answer. But I have decided I would like to write a note to the me who is days away from finishing the trail:

Dear Ninety-Mile Beach Alex,

if you have made it this far, it is because you have learned how to take breaks, take care of your feet, take only what you can carry and take your time for what it is. You could have left the trail on your 7th day and you would have still accomplished something huge. I am proud of you for choosing this challenge every day for the past 4ish months and while I cannot know where you are off to next, I know that you will remember this forever. I already do.

Love, the you you left at Birchwood Station

xx