About Kaity

So, while I'm not normally a huge "talk about me" kind of person, I guess it's never too late to start!

I'm not a terribly adventurous person, so to speak, but when I do make spontaneous decisions, they're huge, life-changing ones!  I grew up on a small farm and was/still am involved in so many different activities it makes my head spin to think too far ahead. I played soccer on two teams, ran cross country, competed on the high school equestrian team in nearly every discipline in addition to open shows, showed rabbits, sheep and steers in Benton Co. 4-H, was on a swim team, was a youth leader, played piano (14 years) and French horn (11 years), and somehow managed nearly perfect grades the whole time. I have a wonderful family comprised of my happily married parents and two sisters, a dog, cat and two rabbits. I was born in Corvallis and raised 10 miles out of town, and then chose to stay close to home for college and attend Oregon State University. Here, I chose to major in fitness and nutrition after one change: I was 17 when I registered for college — when that happens, your parents then have to sign off on everything — and my dad decided I was going to be a pharmacist. The day I turned 18 I switched and it was definitely the right decision.

After a short break for the last few months, I will finish my degree and finally get a career in the nutrition/fitness field! This "short break" was not voluntary, but a good trade-off. I would have graduated in June 2012 in a perfect 4 years, but got an opportunity to play French horn in the OSU wind ensemble and travel to Reno, Nev., and a 2-week exhibition tour in Japan. Unfortunately, rehearsal was at the same time as a required class and that class is only offered once a year. I took the trip and now here I am, ready to finish my final 3 credits! It was a wonderful experience, and even just working at a retail store for the last 6 months has been great. Anyhow, enough on my life, time to get down to the real point of this blog: Our John Muir Trail expedition!

I have never been a "hiker." I camp in trailers and motorhomes with a boat at the lake. I don't like getting dirty. I am afraid of nearly everything, including snakes, spiders, bugs, blood, needles, the dark, bears, being alone, wolves, thunder and lightening, unknown sounds, strange foods, the list goes on and on. I have only slept outside without shelter once in my life, and it was ten meters from the porch. I make my sisters stick their hands in my boots prior to putting them on for fear of things in there.

Why would a person like me go on a 300 mile, month-long hike??? Because the opportunity arose and I have a tendency toward split second decisions! Like when I took up half-marathons because a friend asked me to while crying after she got broken up with. Or when I signed up for cardio tease chair dancing class. (Which is a blast, BTW!)

My bucket list is very short, as I do things as they are added to it. Here's to another great experience and many hilarious stories of our adventures as we prepare to be self-sufficient for a month!