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Wednesday, April 15, 2015

One day before start - Travel and Trail Angels

Oh my gosh, HERE I GO! It is Wednesday, April 15.

I got up at 2 AM and my wife, Valorie, took me to the Seattle Tacoma Airport.



My flight on Alaska Airlines left at 6:30 AM and I arrived in San Diego at 9:15.

What is so amazing about this adventure are the people who support the hikers. They are called "trail angels".

This video explains who trail angels are (https://youtu.be/cVi6Ce0vvZM):





Bob Riess is one of these people. He is the original "trail-head hiker host" who pioneered the idea in 1999. He has hosted over 500 hikers, and helps them get last minute supplies, hosts them for the evening in his home, and then gets them to the southern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail at sunrise.

He met me at the airport and hosted me for the day and night in his home.

There are two other hikers here. One from San Francisco and another from Germany. There are two others arriving tonight. We will have an early breakfast and arrive at the trail head at first light.



Here is a short video about Bob and the work he does (https://youtu.be/7t4h5lUq25I):





Tomorrow morning I will start walking the trail. I'm not sure I will get much sleep tonight.

An amazing journey is just beginning!

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6 comments:

  1. NickkiApril 15, 2015 at 2:55 PM

    Oh Bob that is so cool! Thankful that you will have those helpers along the way! Good luck and I'm sure you'll be too excited to sleep tonight!

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  2. valoriezimmermanApril 15, 2015 at 3:39 PM

    I hope you get some sleep tonight, sweetie. There are not captions as such, but I don't think they are needed?

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  3. Paul ZimmermanApril 15, 2015 at 7:46 PM

    I'm excited for you, and proud that you've put in all of the work to get yourself to the start of your journey!

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  4. Joe AntushApril 16, 2015 at 6:01 AM

    Happy Trails BZ, have a GGREAT journey!!!!

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  5. Guy Rick BettsApril 16, 2015 at 7:16 AM

    I am sure you will do great and have an experience of a lifetime, prayers for you and your trail angels. .

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  6. Anne E. Z. JonesApril 16, 2015 at 3:52 PM

    Hi Daddy! I'm so proud of you to take on such a giant quest! You have inspired me while growing up with you strong will power, great sense of humor, almost unreal work ethic, how you made some jobs around the house not chores but almost like a game to get things done perfectly and have fun doing it too. You have an outlook kinda like "well, if you want it then take a step back, figure out what you need, make a plan and get to it!
    I'll be watching for your updates everyday!
    Oh!! What is YOUR trail name?
    Love you Daddy, little a

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