Today is my birthday. It is also one month til we hit the trail. Almost everything I own that I don't need for the next month is in a storage unit. All the big items I need for the hike are purchased and either here or on their way. I have alternate and back-up footwear for when they wear out on the trail.  I have a bunch of freeze-dried food ready to be shipped to me to supplement what I can buy in towns on the trail. All my monthly bills are on auto-pay. We have researched available water along the trail and set up a schedule for the desert to make sure we have enough. I have read multiple autobiographies of people who have hiked the trail to learn from their mistakes and try and prepare myself as much as possible.

And I still get anxious thinking about the trail.

I have never done more than a single night backpacking trip. I have never even gone on vacation for more than a couple days at a time. This will be a huge step away from anything I have ever known.

While this causes me anxiety, I also welcome this fact. Stepping away from everything will help me step out of my routine, and hopefully not just go back to that routine when I get back.