[pct-l] Why we do what we do..

[ned at mountaineducation.org]

It never ceases to amaze me how much the trail gets under our skin. When its 
not there, we know it and miss it!

Is it just the simplicity of life out there?
Maybe, it is the natural rhythm of rising with the sun, the physical 
exercise all day, and going to bed with the sunset.
Heck, maybe its the water....

Oh, then there are all the never-forget relationships made in the 
camaraderie of the adventure, the joys of the feasts in towns along the way, 
the shared dreams, and the effort along the way.
Is it something calling us from the mountains or something pushing us from 
civilization?



"Just remember, Be Careful out there!"

Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
1106A Ski Run Blvd
South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
    P: 888-996-8333
    F: 530-541-1456
    C: 530-721-1551
    http://www.mountaineducation.org
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul Magnanti" <pmags at yahoo.com>
To: "PCT MailingList" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 2010 10:34 PM
Subject: [pct-l] Why we do what we do..


>
> "I don't know what I was thinking....."
>
>
> Brick mentioned that many parts of SoCal are not exactly in wilderness 
> areas....
>
> True. But it was desolate at times, and somehow seemed more remote 
> compared to
> the parts
> of the TRT I mentioned. Mainly because of the amount of people on the TRT 
> vs
> what I saw on the SoCal portion of the PCT.
> (Part of the local open space like feel. I don't go to the Flatirons here 
> in
> Boulder hoping to get away from it all.. :) )
>
> So it was not wilderness..but it was WILDness in its own way.
>
>
> But, what sane person would hike by highways, cross (and walk on!) dirt 
> roads
> near the aqueduct, etc. etc. etc.
>
> One of my good friends is a very avid outdoors person. Probably spends as 
> much
> time in the backcountry as anyone.
> Skis, climbs, and backpacks with a passion.
>
> But, he said he could never thru-hike. Why? Because our long walks do 
> indeed go
> through such areas as logged over clear cuts,
> dirt roads in the middle of the arid SoCal terrain, and along highways.
>
> But what were we thinking?
>
> We were thinking that the journey was something we wanted to do. That 
> spending a
> weekend here and there is not enough.
> That there is something wonderful and marvelous than an average schlub 
> like me
> can take a pack and walk from Mexico to
> Canada under my own power.
>
> Yes there was garbage and graffiti at times. But there was also the smell 
> of
> sage brush at twilight. Seeing that wonderful fog roll in
> below the San Gorgonios.   The cactus in bloom.
>
> So..what was I thinking? How much I loved it all (even as I cursed it some
> times).  And how much I miss it. :)
>
> Typical for me, now that I am financially stable again, I am starting to 
> wonder
> when I pull off "The Next Big Hike".
>
> So it goes...
>
> And that is what I am thinking. :)
>
>
>
>
>
> ************************************************************
> The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust
> caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched
> --Thoreau
> http://www.pmags.com
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