We’re Going to Disneyland!

As Sunshine and I prepared for our epic 2,652 mile adventure on the PCT, I noticed a change in my youngest daughter, Annika. Some called it jealousy, but she had a legitimate complaint. Sunshine and I had this great connection between us as we prepared, and we were receiving packages every day from our 19 sponsors. It was like Christmas for us, but she was feeling left out. I was starting to hear her speak negatively about her self, and she was clearly feeling less than special.

Our bank manager agreed to send Sunshine goodies for the trail, and Annika sheepishly hung her head and said, "I like candy too." The manager was so kind, and said "Annika, would you like to be sponsored too?" She then bought them both the same things. However, to complicate matters further, the friend (Shrek) who was dropping us off at the PCT Kick Off event wanted to stop by Disneyland for Sunshine on our way there. The hike was one thing, but how do you take one child to Disneyland, but not the other? As far as I know, there is no forgiveness for that!

While laying sleepless in bed like a little kid waiting for the trip to begin (it was like the night before Christmas for over a month), it came to me! We'd bring Annika with us to Kick Off! Win, win, win! She comes to Disneyland. She comes to Kick Off and becomes acquainted with the trail community, and she can see what all the excitement is all about for a thru hike. Shrek agreed to let her ride down with us. I called our friend Chipmunk, who was flying to Kick Off, and she was more than happy to fly Annika home afterward.

Crisis averted! Annika was immediately engaged once I announced that she would be joining us for both Disneyland and Kick Off. She joined us in packing, preparing, and of course buying essential supplies like treats, hiking clothes, and a butterfly net. She and Teresa, my wife, will be supporting us through Oregon in the month of August. Friends and family began sending her packages of camp activities and goodies to keep her busy while waiting on us to come out to the next road.

Kick Off was awesome! It was like camping with 700 of your closest friends. I have always found it difficult to find like-minded people to hike with in our area, but that's not a problem at Kick Off. Everyone dresses the same, has the same type of tents, wakes up early to get a jump start on their hike, and can spend hours telling you how they cut 5 ounces from their base weight. It's kind of like a weird hiking cult, except you don't have to drink any poisoned Kool-Aid... just Gatorade.

Annika had so much fun with us. Of course she loved the excitement of the trip down and Disneyland, but she absolutely loved chatting the ears off the hikers at Kick Off. The Pearl Girls watched her while Sunshine and I knocked out our first 20-mile day from the border. She is now excited about hiking and even asked to go on family hikes each day when she and her mother visited us at Hiker Town last month.

ARTICLE OUTLINE

• Hard Feelings
• Weather
• Feet/Health
• Trail Names
• Education
• Gear
• Flora and Fauna
• What's Next?

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