Anticipate away

I hope the wait is far worse than the event. Don't get me wrong, being an unemployed homeless nomad is quite relaxing when you have great friends. I think hiking right now would be great as the weather is GORGEOUS out. I've been reading some numerous "tips" from past hikers and if I get to the point where I buy unpainted #2 pencils to save the paint weight on 1/3 of a pencil, please someone step in with a little "your going nuts" intervention. I consider myself a minimalist but perhaps there is such a thing as going too far.

The popular opinion appears to be that mental conditioning is #1 and then physical may or may not take you the rest of the way. Without an exercise machine for a few weeks now I feel the slow degradation in my VO2 capacity, but I'm sure it will come back quick enough. I feel ready, I guess.

Based on this last winter, we all know how unreliable forecasts can be. That aside the first week of hiking looks very nice according to weather.com. Daytime temps will be mid 60 & 70's with partly cloudy most days. The colder nights will be in low 40's (at 3000 ft). Thunderstorms are anticipated to roll through...Friday. Its nice my first day will not be spent hiding from lightening!