I returned home last week to tie up some loose ends with my resupply plan as well as to finish school and graduate, what came was so much more than that! This week has been so full of love, blessings, and congratulations that it is making it really hard to get back on the trail! Oh don’t you worry, I’m heading back out on Wednesday! I am just excited for so many things… I finished my last 2 classes at San Diego State University and then on Friday I attended the commencement ceremony for my graduation from college! I had ten guests who either got off work early or took the entire day off just to honor my achievement. My parents, my brother, sister and her whole family, as well as the love of my life Brian, his mother and my friend Danielle attended. The next day, Brian proposed to me at Mission Trails with a ring that he made himself from fallen manzanita wood. He inlayed it with silver and jade from a rock we found together while exploring a riverbed in the Northern California Redwoods. It is beautiful, and I couldn’t ask for a more loving and committed man. Both our families received the news with welcome smiles and hugs. Being away from him while hiking the trail is one of my most difficult challenges of this hike, especially now that we have a lot to talk about and plan. The idea is when I get back we will start the planning (In September) and will be married in March or April of 2014 (less than a year away). After the wedding, we’ll set off into our future together by finding a place for us to share our life. No idea where yet, that is the exciting part!
I am working on my last few boxes and small details before I begin hiking again and will be posting blogs weekly or biweekly, so please keep checking back. 🙂
Wilderness Within 
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
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Thank you so much Uncle Michael! So glad you’re reading 🙂 Your card was so sweet! Watch for my card in the mail. Stay Tuned!
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Hello Trekkinlady!
I work at REI in San Diego and I had the pleasure of meeting you’re mom Debbie? I think it was?, it’s been a week or so and I’m bad with names lol… but we talked for a long time at the cash register because she told me you were doing the PCT and that I had thru hiked it in 2011 so she was excited to hear that someone else had done it.
I hope I reassured her that you will be fine and have the most amazing time of your life as I did. I know you follow the PCT-L, as do I, and have already heard of all of the advice you could probably want to hear. But if there is anything I can add is listen to your body, it is an amazing machine. Don’t listen to the hype and create very short term goals. There is definitely mental toughness that is needed at times but if you embrace the brutality anything can be overcome.
Congrats on the Graduation and Engagement! What a great time of your life. Now go live your dream! Have fun on the trail tomorrow!
Your REI friend and follower,
Ryan Allouche
PCT 2011 Trail name “Rhino”
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Rhino, thank you for reassuring my mom, she is actually handling it pretty well. I definitely need to listen to my body more and the short term goals really help mentally, making the task of hiking so many miles not so daunting. I go water source to water source and figure it out from there depending on how I feel. Though, the idea really is very daunting and my biggest fear is not being able to make it, but I am going to do everything in my power to get there. Wish me luck! Anyway, it is super sweet of you to follow my blog after speaking with my mom. Stay tuned! I’ll be in Agua Dulce tomorrow. 🙂
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Auga Dulce the cultural center of southern california!!!!! HA HA !!
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