I checked off another box on the logistics checklist. How am I going to get to San Diego? I am going to take a train. Taking the train is the perfect choice because it is going to force me to slow down. Flying there takes four hours or so. Taking a train takes two days!

So, I’ll board an Amtrak in Milwaukee, switch in Chicago, and relax and meditate until I reach San Diego. I also notified Scout and Frodo, so that on April 5th, I will look out for a van with a yellow pom-pom in the window. At their home I’ll switch everything over and try to go to sleep. I will fail to do so.

Then, in the wee hours of the morning on the 6th, I’ll pack up my gear and they will take me to the Southern Terminus. Pictures will be taken. Once the goodbyes are done, I will face north and take that first step. In my pack will be five days of food, a fresh canister of fuel and four to six liters of water depending upon conditions.

When I reach Hauser Canyon which is slightly more than 15 miles up trail, I will decide whether to camp there or continue the last five miles to Lake Morena and celebrate with dinner at the Oak Shore Grocery. There is no water at Hauser Canyon, so six liters seems about right.

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