A vacation before my vacation. (or how to train in style!)

Aloha my friends. Work is officially over with and I got the nicest send off from all my friends. I continue to be blown away by all the love and support that I am receiving. When my friends took me out for dinner on my last day, they took turns sharing special moments they remember. It was a bit like being a fly on the wall at my own funeral and I am so touched and amazed that my friends think so highly of me. So far, that moment at dinner is the biggest gift of taking on this adventure.

This is the box of stuff that I packed up when I left. So strange how tiny and insignificant it looks.

Now that I am in Hawaii, I am becoming deeply relaxed and I am sleeping better than I ever. Deciding to come to Hawaii was a smart thing for me to do. I brought some PCT planning materials with the idea that I would continue my planning and organization while I am here...but this is Hawaii for goodness sake and so far I have eaten, slept, swam and laughed. Not a speck of planning or organization has occurred.

We are on the east side of the island at a truly lovely place that is quiet and peaceful. The loudest thing here is the birdsong. We are in tiny cabana with a shared outdoor kitchen and a water view on 2 pristinely manicured acres. The caretaker Brian is friendly and full of insider local tips. The first morning James brought me tiny apple banana's freshly picked off the trees while I was still lounging in bed. This morning I hacked open a green coconut with a machete and had fresh coconut water for breakfast. For a woman who loves to eat, this is the best place to vacation.

This is Brian the caretaker

Our flight here was longer than expected. We were supposed to fly out of Bellingham and have a 6 hour flight but there were unusually strong headwinds so we had to spend 2 hours flying to Sacramento and refuel and then spend 6 hours flying to Hawaii. It is usually a 4 hour flight from Sacramento but the headwinds were so strong that they added 2 more hours to our trip. We got in after dark and simply drove to our rental and crashed. Yesterday we slept in, visited with the caretaker, drove to a friends house to visit and then went to the south side to swim and watch the sunset. After sunset we drove to the town of Makawao ...to play badminton at the local gym. What surprised me was how physical the game is, I got a great cardio workout. I can't remember the last time I played and I had a blast...until I tried too hard to hit an overhead shot and spectacularly crashed on the hard gym floor. Today I hurt from head to toe. No one told me that vacationing was so painful!

 James and I at the beginning of the flight

James and I at the end of the flight

On our second day we ran across a female monk seal who was on the beach to rest. There was a volunteer present to keep the people away from her while she rested. Monk seals cannot sleep in the water and must come ashore to do so. I too have been doing some resting! I can't say I have done a lot of sightseeing but I have been doing some serious rest and repair while on the island.

  After seeing the monk seal, we went to a different beach to swim and saw some whales, including a baby whale. We snorkeled out a ways and when we dove underwater, we could hear the whales talking to one another. It was the most amazing sound!

Aloha! Done with work soon and off to Hawaii!

Well, I am down to the final days of work. Only one more week to go. Everyone at work has been encouraging and I am so grateful for that. My CEO Mike Glenn thinks what I am doing is way cool and has offered to purchase me something I really want for the trail.

Well, after thinking about it for a few hours I realized that I wanted a Bearikade bear can the most. I have been looking at them for months but have not been willing to splurge on one. I will need one for the Sierra's and the John Muir Wilderness. I enjoy having one even when the they are not required just to keep the mice and other rodents at bay. My struggles in the past have not been with the large mammals but rather the tiny rodentia! I can't remember how many times I have awoken to the feel of a mouse checking out my hair. It must make great nesting material. Luckily, I am a heavy sleeper and in my sleep drugged state, I am not really bothered by the little guys. I just give them a flick and fall right back asleep.

So thank you Jefferson Healthcare. This means a lot to me. I have really enjoyed my time working there and it is a bittersweet thing to leave after 15 years. It feels good to go with your blessing and support. Here is a link to a video of a bear attempting to get into a Bearikade. Ha! I win!!!!

I have been trying to finish some details for my trip. I have been trailing inserts for my shoes while I log the miles around town and I have some firm opinions. Some of them I had to stitch extra onto the toe area to cover my wide feet and that just seems ridiculous to me. The best ones have been made by Superfeet. I like both the copper ones and the green ones. I don't think I can go wrong with either one.

And here is my friend MariJo who supplied me with all of the Superfeet to try. She is trying to get her cat Dieter to show off his new fancy collar but he is having none of it thank you! Thanks so much to my friend for helping me take care of my feet!

 I have also decided what toothpaste I am going to use. Check this out, I am going to use glycerine free soap. It does not taste so good but it is simple to manage and I love the way it makes my teeth feel. I am going to cut it up on the band saw and take small squares to use as I need them. 

Here is my organization system as I plan. Pretty cool huh? It is just a million scraps of paper tossed into a pile. I must be changing because I have never been so unorganized before. Just ask my co-workers. I am usually the Queen of spreadsheets, timelines, Gantt charts and task lists. It is a brave new era for me and you know what? It is going to be just fine. It will all come together in time.

But, my big news that I want to share is that 2 days after I resign, I will be flying to Maui Hawaii for a 10 day vacation with my friend James. He had to really talk me into it because I have that darn German work ethic and I never feel like I deserve a vacation. I am glad he made the effort to convince me because I really need the rest and relaxation. I need to be charged up before I hit the trail for 6 months. I have never spoken to anyone who went to Hawaii and did not like it. My next couple of blog posts should be full of water, fish, sun and fruit. I can't wait.

Now it is time to go because I need to dry more olives for my trip.  Aloha, Korinda Kay