It's official! On Monday, April 25, 2011, I'll be headed to San Diego so I can start my hike of the Pacific Crest Trail ... all 2,650 miles this time.

When I tried to hike the trail in 2008, I didn't make it all the way to Canada, but I did learn a lot, took some great photos, and lost about 50 pounds. I'm really looking forward to loosing that weight again!

Here are some important rules that I set for myself to help me make it all the way to Canada this time:

#1. Don't go home ... for ANY reason! If I want to make it to Canada in a single season, it has to be my #1 priority. Everything else will be priority #2, #3 and so on. If something really important comes up, it will just have to wait until I get home in September.

#2. Take a zero day now and then. It's important to take a day of rest. If I don't, it will affect my body and my spirit. In 2008, I don't think I took enough zero days where I found a nice place and just sat there, relaxing and enjoying myself. I plan to do that about every week or two this time.

#3. Hike one more mile. In 2008, there were plenty of times when I would come to a great place to camp in the late afternoon, and I'd say "You better camp here ... there might not be a better place" only to hike about a mile the next morning and find an equally if not better place to camp. So, this time around, I plan to hike "ONE MORE MILE" at the end of the day. Now, don't get me wrong. I might stop at a great camping spot, take off my pack, cook my dinner and relax for a while. But after I've taken a break, I want to get going again and hike "one more mile" before I end for the day. If I do that often enough, it will boost my total mileage and help me get to Hope, BC Canada by September 15, 2011.

So, sit back, book-mark this site, check in once in a while, send me a text to 541-549-1339 (Yes, I'm taking my cell phone, but I won't have service very often), drop me a word of encouragement every once in a while, come visit me on the trail when I'm passing by your neck of the woods, and look forward to seeing me again in September, 2011!