[pct-l] Going solo

[Paul Magnanti]

Something I wrote this year. From my CDT journal.
Perhaps some will enjoy it..

-Mags



I have been solo the majority of the time on this
journey. I enjoy solo hiking. For me, solo hiking is
the most intense way to enjoy the journeys in the
wilderness. But part of me also enjoys the company of
friends in the wilderness. Hiking with Jess and Tradja
felt like a backpacking trip back home. Tne
conversations were similar, their pace made the day
feel like a weekend outing, and it was just enjoyable
to share part of the journey with such good people.

I think spending time with them was so enjoyable in
part because I was reminded of my home in Boulder, or
more accuaretly my friends back in Boulder. As I get
closer to Colorado, I can feel myself getting more
anxiouus to see my friends. I read and reread every
email from them. When I received an email about the
birth of my friends' child, a small case
of home sickness was felt.

When I did the PCT four years ago, was just starting
to form a community of friends who are like a second
family to me. Four years later, this
trip is making me realize how important that community
has become in my life.

.......

As any thru-hiker will tell you, trail time and "real
world time" are different. Six weeks on the trail is
not like six weeks back home. Time dilates out
here.Every day is long and filled with something new.
And by hiking solo, the "trail time" feel is magnified
significantly. The emotions are more intense solo.
When you are in your own head for hours or even days
at a time, everything looks and feels different. And
that
is why  I think hiking with Tradja and Jess was so
enjoyable. I may enjoy solo hiking, but part of me
very much needs a sense of community at times, too.
Balancing a need for solitude with a contradictory
need for community is definitely felt more on this
trail than other trails. Once you choose solitude on
this trail, you are solo for a while. I choose
solitude because it is how I need to hike the long
trails. Every choice involves a sacrifice.

Today, I also saw two friends from the hiking
community I have known for years. Jim and Ginny Owen
are on their second CDT thru-hike. We passed each
other just outside the Wind River Range. The five us
talked for
well over an hour. Our talking about the places we've
seen and places we hope to yet see on the trail made
for some animated discussion.

As I camp solo tonight at the start of the Winds, I
think of why I do these long hikes. They are done in
part because of places such as the Winds. Magical
places that can only be seen on foot. Places that
require going in many miles to been seen at all. I go
on these journeys because I love the passion that like
minded people can share for nature. I go on these
journeys because of the journey itself. How an average
person can take a pack and walk from one end of this
country to another.

The decision to go on these journeys involve some
sacrifices at times. As I think of why I go on these
journeys, I realize that the sacrifices are worth the
price. The price is not for something I want to
do...but for something I have to do at this point in
my life. To again spend months immersed in nature. To
again see new mountains every day. To again
become excited about what is over the horizon. To
again become excited about the journey itself.

SOMETHING I WROTE A FEW DAYS LATER:

As mentioned previously, hiking solo makes all the
emotions felt that much more acutely.

My pangs of home sickness passed after hiking through
the Winds. The Winds are simply the most magical place
in the American Rockies.

I elected to do some cross-country high routes rather
than follow the CDT that was lower. The route I chose
was difficult at times, but rewarding. Mountain passes
thar rival the High Sierra.  Alpine lakes a deep
blue. Mountains surrounding you and covered with
glaciers.

If low points are felt more hiking solo, so are the
high points. 

When I reached the top of Temple Pass and saw the
morning sunlight hitting the peaks, I knew why these
hikes are taken. No matter what may happen to me on
the trail, no matter what  I may feel, it will all
pass.

What will not pass are the memories such as I
experienced in the Winds. Where the views are vast,
the mountains are high and the valleys pristine. To be
able to experience nature for months at a time is a
wonderful gift. A gift for which I am thankful.



************************************************************
The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust 
caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched
--Thoreau
http://www.magnanti.com