[pct-l] Rail Riders/Thru Hikers

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

Awesome, Iceaxe. I can relate.
On Mar 6, 2010, at 11:52 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> Okay, so I am way hungover after my sendoff party thrown by my  
> neigbors, the Santa Cruz Mountain Boys/Girls. It totally  
> interrupted my intended training regimen but whatever. I am  
> cruising up HWY 1 (Sober now!) and I see this hitchhiker that  
> totally reminds me of a thru hiker.
> Long story short, I am now 300 miles away in Arcata California. We  
> got to talking and We were both so fascinated by the similarities  
> in lifestyle between Thru's and Rail-riders that I kinda overshot  
> the Golden Gate Bridge by like 250 miles.. Whatever.
> I figured I would pay my hitchhiking "Kharma" forward for my  
> upcomming CDT thru-hike;
> These modern "Hobos" are almost identical in resupply strategy and  
> philosophy to thru hikers.
> LINT.. I totally understand where you are coming from now man!
> Anyhow, along the way I passed many a road sign that bore vague  
> references to things I saw on the PCT.
> It is really amazing to come back so close to the trail yet on the  
> far North west side of California.
> I have lived in this state for 40 years and never bothered to come  
> here.. Crikey the have some huge  Redwoods up here! It makes our  
> little groves in Santa Cruz look like toothpicks!
> The overall Point:
> Be nice to your fellow humans be they section, thru, or day hikers.
> We ALL share a common Love of Wilderness and town.
> Your hike may begin in the dry dust of SOCAL but end far beyond the  
> Canadian Border.
> In Fact the end may never come.
> It is scary... but Y'all and your ways are making sense to me now.
> Be careful. Thruhikes and Epiphanies go hand in hand.
>
> Cheers-Iceaxe
>  PS. Tomorrow I check out the "Lost Coast".
> Squatch.. I get it now!
>
>
> Hikestrong 2010