Day One

I’m writing from the plane, we are off to Mexico!

I am excited, nervous, and shocked that it is time to go already. Dale and I get to fly in a few days early to explore and make some purchases to prepare for the main portion of our trip.

It was definitely not simple to get to this point. Balancing college life and training for an expedition was harder than I expected. From midnight stair climber sessions in fuzzy cotton socks and my mountaineering boots because I hadn’t done my laundry, to contracting Strep a week before the trip (ruining my last week of physical training)—it definitely felt at times like not the right time to be taking this trip—but upon reflecting, I don’t think it will ever feel particularly easy to fit in a trip like this into anyone’s life.

All in all, training has been going fairly well. Dale, Mark and I were able to do a final training hike up Mailbox Peak, which features 4,000 feet of elevation gain over the first 2-3 miles. It also features a mailbox, of course. I definitely was humbled on that climb, but also encouraged. Our team is feeling really strong!

I’ve been telling myself that I will finally be able to take a breath once I make it onto the plane, and I certainly do feel that relief. Packing was very smooth, unless you count the two hours I spent on my kitchen floor trying to find the leak in my sleeping pad, or when my dog decided to relieve herself in the middle of my down sleeping bag, and of course I had no detergent on hand to wash it out with.

I am so grateful for and impressed by the support from people not even coming on the trip– our team is much larger than just the six of us. Rides to the airport, tips and advice about gear and routes, a home contact watching our itinerary and actual trip progress closely, awesome stuff.

~Paige

Follow the trip: https://share.garmin.com/dalerae