[pct-l] After the hike

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

On Feb 26, 2008, at 1:34 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>> How do you readjust to your regular life again?
>> Do you ever?
>
>   Can't be done.  It's not the same life.
Can you elaborate? What did you change?

>
>> Did it change your life?
>   I would never trade what I have now for what I had before, and  
> what I had before was great.
>
>> Did it reaffirm you were on the right path to begin with or were you
>   prompted to make a big life change?
>
>   Yes to both.

What did you change?

It probably comes across as a silly question, but you see, I have  
wanted to do this hike since 1975. Through a series of  
synchronicities it has occurred to me quite suddenly and recently I  
don't need to wait anymore.

I don't know why exactly I have wanted to do this for so long. I  
don't think a year has gone by that I didn't think about it. I was  
only 10 years old in 1975, too, so I've been thinking about it a long  
time. I'm getting excited about the afterwards part. I WANT it to  
change my life and fear that it won't. Also, since I'm relatively  
old, that's why I'm hoping to hear from people who aren't right out  
of college (unless you went to college old like I did :-)

I want not only hazy spiritual answers, but some concrete answers  
too. I'm working on specific questions (such as were I to do x  
afterwards, I should check out y during).

I learn a lot hearing from other people's experiences. Most books and  
journals are written during. Few talk about the years that come  
after. What happened then?

Also, I'm thinking I won't do the whole thing all at once. Maybe I  
will do all of California and leave Oregon and Washington for the  
future. I don't want to burn up my big adventure too fast. I want to  
savor it. I've lived most of my life with this dream, I want to keep  
a little piece of it alive. At least that is my thinking at the moment.

Thank you for your answers.

Diane
>