The Pacific Crest Trail is roughly 2660 miles. The exact number of miles I will hike has many variables. I may have to walk a different trail other than the PCT for a while due to closures caused by forest fires, protecting endangered species, bigfoot sighting, etc. I will have extra miles walking into town to resupply. I may choose to walk a few extra miles to hike to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite or Cinder Cone in Lassen National Park. If all goes well, I will walk one hundred or so marathons before next winter. My parents tell me that I have always liked walking, that from the moment I learned to walk, I wanted to walk and not be carried. this worked out well as I had two younger sisters by the time I was 3 and being carried was not an option.
Q: who are you going with? I plan to hike with myself. My grandfather once said to me "if you are bored with yourself, think of how others feel around you. they may think you are boring too." I have spent most of my adult life living alone and have gotten good at keeping myself company. If I wait to find a friend or partner who both wants to have this kind of adventure, has the time and means to do so, and whom I could get along with every day for six months, I may never start. I think it is better to go and meet like minded people along the way. When I have traveled in Asia by myslf, I met people along the way who became my friends and traveled with me for a peroid of time. I will be taking my friendly Tiger Thor with me. There are so many people hiking the PCT, more each year, I will probably not be alone unless I want to be.
My sister will be joining me to hike through the Sierra Mts. This is the stretch of trail I am most excited for. I can think of no one better to see this beautiful land with. I wish all of my sisters could hike with me, and my parents also.
Q: where will you stay? mostly in my tent. I will be splurging on a hotel room as I pass through towns near the trail. I expect this to happen more often at the beginning when towns are more frequent and I am less physically fit and wanting extra rest days. I have been sleeping in a tent since I was six months old. A tent is a comfortable place for me.
Q: where will you get food? I am going to resupply using what is known as a hybrid method. In larger cities I will simply go grocery shopping. In smaller towns, or when passing by a resort or guest house close to the trail, I plan to mail myself pacakages either general delivery to the local post office, or to the resort to pick up when I get there. Many of these places are acustomed to PCT hikers and will hold onto our packages for us. My mother has generously offered to drop my resupply boxes off at the post office or UPS for me as I go. I am grateful to have her support. Without it her help journey would be much more challenging.
Q: where will you get food? I am going to resupply using what is known as a hybrid method. In larger cities I will simply go grocery shopping. In smaller towns, or when passing by a resort or guest house close to the trail, I plan to mail myself pacakages either general delivery to the local post office, or to the resort to pick up when I get there. Many of these places are acustomed to PCT hikers and will hold onto our packages for us. My mother has generously offered to drop my resupply boxes off at the post office or UPS for me as I go. I am grateful to have her support. Without it her help journey would be much more challenging.
Q: can I send you a treat? Yes! goodies are welcome. If you want to mail me a box of cookies or a letter with a photo, send me an e-mail and I will give you my tenative schedule and the addresses of where I will be stoppping along with any special shipping instructions. Another way to get something to me is to drop it off with my parents who can add it to my next resupply box. Keep in mind that anything you send me I will have to carry on my back.
Q: are you going to carry a gun? No. They are heavy, to be useful they require practice and skill, the chance of me needing one is slim no none at best. The bears are seldom seen and are interested in my food, not my person. the cougars terrify me, but are an extremely rare sighting. I know I do not have good enough aim to shoot a mountain lion that is attacking. any other animals I might be lucky enough to encounter are either gioing to be too small (mosquitoes, scorpions) or will be running away (cyotes etc.)
Q: where will your Kitty live while you are gone? My loveable Luxme will be living with my patents. she has been staying with them at least once a month as I have traveled for work frequently. There are lots of windows for her to watch the birds from. She will be spoiled with scraps of salmon and elk. she has two laps to sit in at their house and will get lots of love. Being away from her will be difficult since I can't explain to her why I will be gone for so long.
I know that I can not predict what the trail has in store for me. Just like every journey I have taken in life, this one will be full of surprises, frustrations, laughter, friendship, loneliness, tears, random acts of kindness, and endless opportunities to get to know myself better and grow as a person. There is a good chance that something will go wrong and I will not be able to complete the trail. If that happens, I have a few backup plans. I am going to put everything I have into this trip and focus on seeing the end. I can visualize the end goal and will focus on that walking closer to it one small step at a time. That is how I have been successful at anything in life, one step at a time.
bigfoot?! really??
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have thought everything through very well, I am excited for your adventure