The first day of a long journey

This morning I weighed my pack with food, and two bottles of water and screamed in shock. 18 kg! Despite all the packing and repacking.. so I am walking with about 18kg. The heaviest I have ever carried.
I drove in an Uber to the border together with "Flow", a 22 year girl working in a bar in Michegan who just got back from climbing a 6000 in Tibet and has already walked the appalatian trail and the continental divide trail, AT 22 !
How crazy is that!.
Another man, had just come back from climbing a 6000m peak in alaska at -50 C together with his uncle. Before that he was working in an Australian mine and then sailed across the atlantic to do the PCT. This is a generation who works to live and is totally uninterested in career, family and house.
I thought I would walk together with "Flow", that was very naiv, she started off like a porche and after 2 km I gave up. This is where I realise that there is a difference between 22 and 65, and so, during the day, I was constantly being passed by others. Quite a challenge for my ego!
As we drove, the lady in the uber mentioned that she has never seen the region so green, the record snow also brought record rain, and so, instead of walking through an arid region I am walking through a flower paradise with a million different scents that I have never smelled before. Once again I am in God's garden!
I stopped after 11 km after having filtered water at a stream and looked for a place to pitch tent. Nothing in sight, and so ended up "cowboy camping" on a flat rock with beautiful view over the mountains and valleys.Lue lisää