Tomorrow is the big day! My friend Bryan agreed to drop me off at the trail to make up for being such a jerk during Wrestlemania. He tried to sell me his old BMW over the phone for $12,400, but I knew that it wasn't worth $5,000 from all the breakdowns he's reported on Facebook over the past year. He means well but I think his celebrity has gotten to his head.
I went ahead and packed up my bag today. I am as prepared as anyone else who has ever tackled the trail, and succeeded. My pack weighed about 65 lbs at first, so I had to carefully shed about 10 lbs. I obviously couldn't get rid of my Garmin, cell phone, or ps3 slim, so I ditched my hot plate, water purifier, compass and maps. They were just weighing me down.
The next thing I did was call my friends and family and say goodbye. I wouldn't be gone forever, but to them it may seem that way. My brother Matt said godspeed but knew better than to wish me luck. My best friend Scott told me that he believed in me and knew I would do it this time. My friend JM told me that he didn't care and to stop calling him. Dad didn't answer. All in all it was a pretty tearful day for my friends and family. I can only imagine what it would feel like to hear that the sun would be vanishing for the next few months.
I do have some bad, non trail related news though. Apparently I owe the government about $3,500 in Federal taxes. For the sake of independence, I do not use the company CPA to do my taxes. All I need is for him to share my personal information with Dad or Grandpa. It is none of their business. My accountant at H&R Block told me that I shouldn't have claimed six of my deductions. Apparently kids have to be yours to claim them as a dependent, and roommates don't count either. I talked with my family and I think it is taken care of, but we’ll see.
"[w]ater purifier, compass and maps. They were just weighing me down."
ReplyDeleteNot sure why you copied text and posted it as a comment, Tommy. Anyway, I am too busy to say much on the eve of my departure.
ReplyDeleteEverything is looking good. I rechecked all of my gear. You might think it is unwise to leave the maps and compass, but the Garmin has all of that built in. Maybe you are living in the past, and are not a fan of modern technology.
I am having a big pasta dinner tonight so I can load up on carbs before the big day. I have trained a lot, but I know tomorrow is going to be tough. My adrenaline is already keyed up as I think about returning to where it all began.
Ahh, scared people will find out this blog isn't real?
ReplyDelete