Although I had applied for my permit on Jan 24th, my start date of April 23rd was not official until receiving last Wednesdays email with my approved permit file.  I noticed the email while I was behind the bar working.  I was so excited I excused myself and went into our walk-in beer cooler and let out a very loud triumphant yell.  Luckily I wasn’t the closing bartender that night, because I could hardly contain myself.  Although there are still many more steps to getting ready for my hike, getting this is one of the most vital pieces of the puzzle.  Without it, I would not be allowed to thru-hike the trail.  All the planning and all the training would be for naught.  I would have to wait for next season to hike the PCT, one Year from now.  However, I received it, and I’m going to make 3000 copies and wallpaper my room with it. OK, just a few really, one for carrying and a couple for back-up.  I am Officially Official.

• PCT