[pct-l] Worst parts of the trail and ways to get though them

[Scott Bryce]

On 10/30/2012 10:16 PM, Taylor Matheson wrote:
> Please share with me what you found to be hard

The very hardest part of the trail for me was sitting in the Idyllwild
Inn with feet blistered so badly that every step meant excruciating
pain. I was exhausted and dehydrated. I realized that I didn't have what
it took to go another step. I literally say down and cried.

Don't go there. Oh, you can go to the Idyllwild Inn. It is a great
place, and very hiker friendly. Don't let yourself get to the point
where the trail beats you and you decide you can't go any farther.

One of my big mistakes was trying to prove to myself that I could hike
20 miles in one day. There will be days when you will have to hike 20
miles to get to the next water source. On the other days, just let the
miles come as they come. What I should have done is prove to myself that
I could just enjoy the experience.

Before I left San Diego, Rolling Thunder (PCT 2006) told me that there
was no race. There was nobody coming up behind me in a bulldozer
scooping up the trail. You don't need to outrun the bulldozer. Just
enjoy the experience. The whole experience.

I'll close with some advice that was posted here some time ago.

1) Have fun every day.

2) Be flexible.

3) The trail always wins, so accept it.

4) The adventure is in the uncertainty.

5) Don't go home until you reach Canada.