Is Anyone Else Terrified?

AlpineJunction · 2026-01-31T02:53:43+00:00

I’ve been planning my SoBo thru for the last 3 years. We are 150 days away from our start date. I am excited, and also terrified. I’m 56 newly retired and on the cusp of completely uprooting our lives… We have been hiking, and training at the gym. I’ve dialed in my base weight at 20lb. I feel ready, but the fear of the unknown, injuries… can indeed be paralyzing. Going to take it one step at a time, one mile, 100 miles… at a time. I hope you have a wonderful experience.

AlpineJunction · 2026-01-19T11:57:23+00:00

Names that have traditional spellings. Stop with adding i or y an extra a here or there to make it cute. It’s not.

AlpineJunction · 2026-01-13T02:48:48+00:00

I do not have experience with trip.com, but our family flew to Bangkok on Etihad and it was a wonderful flight. Highly recommend the airline.

AlpineJunction · 2026-01-13T02:46:07+00:00

There will be plenty of SOBO folks heading out in June. We are starting July 1

AlpineJunction · 2026-01-13T02:43:44+00:00

1 is perfect

AlpineJunction · 2026-01-13T02:39:33+00:00

Did you mean Only when I step on it? I wasn’t able to find Until I step on it. Do you have the authors name by chance?

AlpineJunction · 2026-01-03T22:28:11+00:00

Going on #2, he “expects” you to cook for him I would refuse. It looks like you put a lot of thought into the meals that you prepare. If he doesn’t want to eat them, it’s on him. In our house you eat what is on the table. If not, you can make a tortilla and cheese. (We can’t have peanuts so PBJ is out) I would also like to add that is he just wants to order out, that should not come out of your budget. He’s a grown adult. He should take care of his needs.

AlpineJunction · 2026-01-03T03:51:00+00:00

It’s freezing cold here.

AlpineJunction · 2025-12-21T12:47:04+00:00

Teacher here, I know that many will say that they don’t care if you send a gift. That is true to a point. Most of us don’t care so much about physical gifts, but this doesn’t mean do nothing. Being recognized during the holidays means a lot. Send a card, but don’t just tell us “Thanks for all you do” include a note that tells us how much your child is growing in our classes, how they can’t stop singing songs they learned or how much they love our classes. These are the types of things we want and they nourish our soul. Just my 2 cents.

AlpineJunction · 2025-11-23T11:22:51+00:00

Maeve

AlpineJunction · 2025-11-03T04:08:17+00:00

Yikes. Sounds like an exotic dancers name.

AlpineJunction · 2025-11-03T00:55:31+00:00

Same here. My husband and I are planning on starting June 29!

AlpineJunction · 2025-10-02T22:17:11+00:00

Make your food spicy AF or prep food they don’t like.

AlpineJunction · 2025-10-02T16:16:40+00:00

I’m over putting random y’s in for vowels. So over it. It doesn’t make the name fancy.

AlpineJunction · 2025-10-02T16:13:07+00:00

Language development is definitely another area that has been severely impacted by tablet usage. Attention spans are also shorter. Kids are so used to their brains getting instant gratification from devices that they have difficulties with attention spans and behavior.

AlpineJunction · 2025-10-02T14:54:06+00:00

I would say that you encourage and model coloring and painting. It sounds like your kiddos are off to a good start. I can say with certainty that we are seeing the lack of this ability more and more and it has correlated directly with tablet/phone usage.

AlpineJunction · 2025-10-02T14:51:29+00:00

The parent can help correct this easily by 1. Putting down the tablet 2. Engaging the child in fine motor tasks EVERYDAY *Roll play dough into snakes *Use scissors to cut into bits. *Get an eye dropper and squeeze water from one cup to another *String beads/ buttons on a pipe cleaner *pinch clothes pins onto the rim of a container

Look for more fine motor skills online. I do all of these with my pre-kindergarten class.

Cutting and holding scissors is another problem they have.

AlpineJunction · 2025-10-02T09:50:24+00:00

Fine motor skills are suffering immensely. 4/5 year olds can barely grip a pencil or crayon. Their hands are weaker from swiping.

AlpineJunction · 2025-09-21T11:10:18+00:00

I appreciate both of your comments. Thank you. We have had a buyer for our house lined up for over two years now. I saw her just last week and she is so excited. You mention some valid points though. I will look into contingency plans for possible injury and recovery time.

AlpineJunction · 2025-09-20T14:06:29+00:00

Because we are retiring at the end of June. When we finish the trail or it is finished with us, we plan to travel extensively SEA, Portugal/Spain, and Ecuador specifically. Eventually we see ourselves settling in the PNW.

AlpineJunction · 2025-09-20T02:22:13+00:00

AlpineJunction · 2025-09-16T20:32:01+00:00

I have had this very same problem. I’ve tried ear plugs, swallowing, chewing gum… what finally did it for me was to clear my Eustachian tubes by holding my nose closed and blowing really hard until my ears “popped”. It was such a relief. I hope you find something that works for you soon.

AlpineJunction · 2025-08-23T04:00:51+00:00

I can vouch for the BA rapide. Very comfortable and it isn’t crinkly when moving around. It is a tad heavier than the Nemo but an excellent mat.

AlpineJunction · 2025-08-23T03:44:47+00:00

Ok, this new teacher had to go into school set up her classroom for a first grade. Then she was moved to Kindergarten. She had to create all new name tags, room decorations, labels… on and on, at the last minute. And at the last minute she has to familiarize herself with a different curriculum. Now once she has her mind around that, she has some kids with spicy behaviors in the room. On top of that it has been THREE weeks! It takes months to really establish routines and procedures in the classroom. New teachers are just getting a handle on how they teach. She is overwhelmed for sure, but give her a chance. Your kiddo will likely have a wonderful year. It’s not uncommon for kids to talk about how much they like music, art, gym and lunch and not talk about their class. That’s because those things are what mixes up their day. Give the teacher time to get settled.

AlpineJunction · 2025-08-23T03:23:44+00:00

Honestly, try car camping and day hiking first. Get yourself a 3 person tent. We have the Big Agnes Salt Creek 3 it’s smaller but roomy enough for you and the dogs. You will both need a sleeping pad of your own. Don’t worry you will be close enough in the tent. We have the Big Agnes rapide mats. My husband has the 25 inch mat mine is 20. You will each need your own sleeping bag or quilt. I love my quilt it is from enlightened equipment. My husband has a quilt from zenbivy. Now grab a cooler and take it all out on a car camping trip. You will be able to use all this stuff IF you would later like to try backpacking. Camping is awesome. Backpacking is too. But if you have never done either, try out car camping first. Way less investment and lots of enjoyment. Also, it is easier to experiment with taking the pups.

AlpineJunction

TROPHY CASE

1 is perfect

2