Prep Week #7 ~ One Week To Go

This past weekend, I took a much needed break from all the thinking and planning of the hike, so my blog post will do the same.  You guys are like... You're unemployed and need to take a break?  HA.  Yes...absolutely. The reason: I'm spending most of my time researching, reading, planning, shopping, scouring online forums, etc..  The rest of the time, my mind is constantly occupied with any and everything related to the hike.  Late last week, I was starting to see double.  So a weekend road trip, planned over a month ago, was perfectly timed.

I drove down to State College, PA to visit my ol' west coast friends Steph, Jay, Donna and Dorian. They were kick-ass hosts and it was awesome to see their new day-to-day lives in such a completely opposite place as where I'm used to seeing them... southern California.  Jay is Assistant Coach of the PSU men's volleyball team... the highest NCAA ranked squad in the country outside of California.  So we toured the Penn State campus and watched dominant back-to-back Penn State victories on Friday and Saturday nights.  We also sampled the local watering holes, watched Olympic curling, played Wii and generally raised hell.  It was fantastic all around... with special fantasticness credited to Steph's appetizers and breakfast quiche. Thanks so much guys! and Donna... get that neck better!

Anyway... I had to get away from hike planning for my own sanity.  Mission accomplished. Now that I'm refreshed, I'm back in the thick of it this week.  My 8th and final "prep" blog post comes this coming weekend and I'll fill-in all that is taking place in the final stretch.  

The hike begins 1 week from tomorrow and I can barely sit still.

-Nate