[pct-l] It's All in the Timing huh?

[Eric Lee (GAMES)]

Jon wrote:
>
Well, has anyone, or have you heard of anyone, stayed on the trail for
an extended period of time? As in, hiking half the trail, then
spending the winter in a trailtown, or when the northern snow melts
off in late July? As in, hiking 2/3rds of the trail then resting until
Spring.
>

There's a lot to be said for hiking the trail over two years.  2,700 miles is a *long* way.  I live in Seattle and do section hikes in Washington and Oregon every year so I get to meet quite a few thruhikers.  Most of them are, frankly, sick of hiking by the time they get to Washington.  They're tired, they're in constant pain, they're wet and cold, and they feel enormous pressure from the changing season.  There are exceptions, of course, but my observation is that by the time they get to Washington, most thru-hikers are still on the trail not because they still love hiking but merely because they don't want to quit.  I think there would be a lot more happy hikers out there if more people did the trail in two years rather than one.

That said, there *is* something very powerful and almost mystical about doing a unified contiguous thru-hike.  Start in Mexico and don't stop 'til you reach Canada.  Why is that?  I don't know, but I do know that when I finally get the opportunity to do my own thru-hike, I'll probably not take my own advice and I'll probably try to do it all in one year.  Silly me.

Eric