One does not plan a thru-hike, one can only prepare.  Honestly, that goes completely against how I have lived my life.  I am by nature a planner.  I have to give that up.  Here is what is going to happen.

March 30th is my last day at work.

I will spend March 31st through April 2nd to get my gear ready.

On April 3rd I will board an Amtrak train in Milwaukee.  I will switch trains in Chicago a couple of hours later.  I will relax and meditate as I transition to trail time.

On April 5th I will arrive in San Diego.  I will look for a van with a yellow pom-pom in the passenger side window.  That will be a van driven by Frodo, a trail angel.  He will take me to their home where I’ll pack up all the stuff I took for the train ride and send it home.  I will meet some of the hikers I am hiking with the next day.  I will try and go to sleep.  I will fail.

Early in the morning of April 6th, I will awake and pack up my gear.  I will be taken to the Southern Terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail.  Pictures will be taken.  Once the goodbyes are done, I will face north and take that first step.  In my pack will be two days of food, a fresh canister of fuel and four to six liters of water depending upon conditions.  I will hike to Hauser Canyon which is slightly more than 15 miles.  I will stop there and assess my situation.  The next five miles requires a significant altitude change.  I will camp there in Hauser Canyon or I will hike the last five miles to Lake Morena and celebrate with dinner at the Oak Shore Grocery.

That is it.  That is the plan.  Beyond that is all preparation.