[pct-l] Hiking with my dog

[Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes]

Whitnee, you will get over the fear. You won't even really be alone.  
The trail is full of really nice people and you will meet them every  
day. You'll probably form friendships to last the length of the trail  
or longer. I didn't even camp alone more than one or two nights for  
the first 700 miles despite my tendency to run away from everyone I met.

After the first 700 miles, I had a lot more solitude. My second go on  
the PCT my timing gave me solitude almost every night. I grew to see  
myself as a forest dweller. The forest was my home, the birds my  
friends, the mosquitoes my paparazzi, and I felt safe and happy  
(except for when the paparazzi were bothering me). It was in town  
that I felt ill-at-ease.

Enjoy your trip. It's one of the most amazing things you can do.
Diane

On Nov 1, 2010, at 1:02 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
> Yeah, I understand... Plus, if I left my dog at home, I could use? 
> her as motivation to cover more miles. My boyfriend just asked me  
> to leave the dog so he won't be so lonely. I'll think about it. I  
> don't know why I get scared. I don't think it has anything to do  
> with me being a girl... more so because I feel so alone. I also  
> feel much better when my dog is there, but with her growling,?my  
> fear is hard?to ignore. I read something cool the other day that  
> gave me a new perspective. It's from some Kabbalah book I'm reading  
> for my mysticism class in college... goes something like this,  
> "[after praying for help] My fear dropped away. The woods became  
> friendly.?It was?no longer dangerous because, for some reason, I no  
> longer felt alone." Anyway... I'm coming to terms with it. It's  
> good for me to feel a bit uncomfortable anyway.