Walk it Out

I stumbled upon a brilliant sale at Next Adventure Saturday when I stopped in to get some rain pants before heading to the woods for some hiking and mushrooming. I scored a great lightweight down coat (9 oz), 2 pairs of thick Wigwam socks, a pair of Injini socks to try out (thinking the toes thing will drive me crazy, but we'll see), zip-off hiking pants, and a UV-proof shirt; no rain pants, but an awesome haul. Talked myself out of getting the pack I was eyeing--figured better to try it out properly before deciding so I don't end up with something that rubs me raw. Excited to be building my gear pile!

I'm so lucky to live in such a beautiful place. I headed to the Salmon Huckleberry Wilderness on the hunt for enough canopy to keep the worst of the rain off and yummy mushrooms.

Mushrooming was lovely. I found an amazing haul of lobster mushrooms, a shrimp lobster, chicken of the woods, and a varnished conch.

Couldn't bring myself to keep the strip club job. Too...against everything I believe in. Still trying to figure things out. It's been a tough week, but the time in the woods did a bit of good. So looking forward to being on the trail. So much to sort through to get to that point though...

Walking

"In [Walter] Bejamin's terms,  to be lost is to be fully present, and to be fully present is to be capable of being in uncertainty and mystery."--A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit

Right now I'm doing a lot of walking of a different kind to get ready for the PCT. I'm looking for a new job, one that pays better and feels better. I took what I could get when I got here, and now I'm looking for something better.

I've got a second night of trial bartending at a local strip club tonight. I jokingly told someone recently that I would strip my way onto the PCT if I needed to. I guess this is turning out to be more true than I realized.