[pct-l] Beginner experience level

Tue Mar 12 00:34:41 CDT 2013

My experience of hiking the PCT was like Diane's.  I couldn't wait to see what was around the next corner.  Hiking from horizon to horizon was a dream come true.  I never had a campfire, got hooked on no cook meals, and I ate my daily fill long before I ever set up camp for the night.  I hiked solo (so my hiking partner was my 35mm camera); for me that meant up before the sun, hiking well after dark, and 7,000 pictures to play with when I got back home, at the end of the summer.  I wasn't sure what the impact of hiking 2,650 miles without any radio or MP3-like device would do to me (and I am still accessing the damage) but I do know it was the right choice for me.  

Being that I am a recovering alcoholic there was no weed or alcohol on the trail for me.  God bless those that hadn't already drank up their life's quota already, but I maxed out on my limits many full moons ago. I didn't talk about my sobriety unless someone was offering to buy me a beer, or offering me some of that magical pain killer that can be smoked, added to trail mix, or to an evening meal.  I just want to say that I recieved nothing, but  support from those who learned that I had a goal of saying clean and sober.  I share this info for those in the Class of 2013 that have yet to prove that they can hike the PCT and still hang on to their sobriety date!  I have been clean and sober for a long time and I needed to stay that way, it was not the easiest four months of my sobriety, but it may be the most rewarding.  All I can say is "live in your own truth" and all will be well. 

Sometimes I think it may have been nice to have had more experiences with the social aspects of the trail, but a primary goal for me was to grieve the loss of both of my parents and I thought hiking solo would be the best way to give them the time they (and I) deserved.  It was really unfortunate that my job had swallowed me up around the time they passed, but the PCT gave me four months to let my thoughts, feelings, and memories flow from sunrise and sunset.   My dad was a bit of a sunrise/sunset fanatic; he used to say "would you look at that" whenever he saw a spectacular sunrise or sunset and I always thought that was a really odd thing to say, since we were all already "looking at that."  He was actually trying to express something that went beyond the pretty colors in the sky, but at the time I didn't have a clue about that level of spirituality.  As far as grieving on the trail for my mom goes, every flower or critter I passed by
 "spoke" to me of her fragility, resiliance, strength, and witness.  At some moments, I thought I must be channeling St Francis of Assisi as animals that normally would flee from me would walk toward me instead of away; for whatever reason I gave my mom and dad credit for those moments.    

I just wanted to share with the "class of 2011" that it is likely that you will experience many "ineffible moments" on your PCT trek; it makes me smile when I think about what is in store for all of you. I predict that there will be many times when you experience something really special and you will attempt to capture the moment (with your camera or with your journal) but the only place it can be really be recorded is in your heart of hearts.  At first I would wish that I could share that "special moment" with someone else, but the fact of the matter is that the moment was uniquely mine to enjoy and that was  always be a really great (and suprisingly awkward) moment for me.  So, I would invariably end up pausing for a brief moment, thinking  "would you look at that,"and then I would resume "heading north" with a renewed bounce in my step ...   

I would also like to say to the Class of 2013 that hiking after dark was another unexpected pleasure for me; it always added a new dimension to my "day."  Prior to the PCT I had rarely been out hiking after dark, at least not on purpose.  I liked the way the dark flipped my attention from the visual world to what was going on in my immediate surroundings and especially to what was going on within me.  I realized that I might be missing some scenery, but the experience was always so odd and intriguing that I hiked after dark a lot.  I didn't really put a lot of thought into it, it just became the way my days would come to a close.   You would think I was setting myself up for a really poor campsite, but what usually transpired was a journey to the top of the next crest (or the one after that).  It always surprised me when I was able to eek out a little more sunlight, settle into my "night rhythm," and eventually I would find a temporary
 resting place that met my needs.  

I rarely camped by water, but tried to make a point to have plenty of water when I did stop for the night.  I wasn't all that intersted in dealing with midnight visits from all the nocturnal animals that lived in the neighborhood and I came to prefer camping out on the highest crests whenever I could.  I also liked to shoot for a certain water sourse near the end of my day and then travel as far as I could beyond.  It was a psychological boost for me to know that when I woke up in the morning I was already well on my way to the next certain water source.  

I love to hear about other approaches to the trail.  I discovered that I loved to be on the move, so that is how things panned out for me.  If I hadn't started at the end of May, I might have adopted a slightly different routine, but I suspect I will be chugging along at about 85% of my ability (from sun up to sun down) the next time I hit a long trail.  Good luck "class of 2013" ... 

Dan (711)

________________________________
 From: "ned at mountaineducation.org" <ned at mountaineducation.org>
To: Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>; gary_schenk at verizon.net 
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net 
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2013 6:50 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Beginner experience level

The kind of experience you have while thru hiking depends why you're out 
there in the first place. Diane paints a lovely picture of backpacking back 
in the day and contrasts it to her experience hiking the PCT.

They need not be different.

When I hiked the PCT and CDT, the emphasis was on getting the most out of 
the experience, and that included, at least for me:
hiking a shorter day (trip averages of 17mpd),
finding a spot to camp with a nice view and frequently plenty of water,
maybe a campfire (where allowed),
having a nice, leisurely, hot dinner to pig-out on while reading my guide 
book and maps ahead,
going to sleep with the sun, and
enjoying a nice, long, hot breakfast in the morning while reading a good 
book.

I still made it to Canada before the first snows.
I took lots of pictures, explored side trails, canyons, and peaks.

For me, hiking is still backpacking with lots of leisurely exploration and 
discovery (the miles happen along the way, but are not the emphasis of the 
journey).

Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
http://www.mountaineducation.org/
-----Original Message----- 
From: Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2013 5:21 PM
To: gary_schenk at verizon.net
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Beginner experience level

There's that whole "freeway" thing, and also before I ever hiked the
PCT, a backpack trip meant I hiked from maybe 10am to about 2pm or
so. Set up camp at a nice location with a lake or stream and
sometimes a picnic table and fire ring. Lolled about. Lingered over a
campfire at night and breakfast in the morning.

On the PCT, I usually started hiking before the sun was up. I ate
wherever I was whenever I was hungry. I sometimes ate dinner before
finding a campsite. Sometimes I found a campsite so late I went to
sleep as soon as I set up my tent. I rarely cared whether my campsite
was in some great location. What really mattered was if the location
would be warm at night and not be in a sinkhole of cold air. I didn't
care if my campsite had any water in it. I would sometimes carry an
extra liter just for the freedom to not care whether there was water
near my campsite. My campsite was for sleeping. The entire rest of
the time on trail was for hiking and eating and looking at the
beauty. My whole focus was on hiking and making lots of miles and
seeing everything around the next corner. In fact, I felt so greedy
about seeing what was around the next corner. It was like the next
corners were never going to end.

It's all about the hiking, not the camping.

On Mar 11, 2013, at 10:52 AM, gary_schenk at verizon.net wrote:

> When backpacking, you're out on your own left to your own devices.
> You're traveling to places few folks ever get to, you'll be at high
> lakes and crossing passes with little or no trail. You'll not see
> anyone. You will see wildlife.
>
> On the PCT, you're on a backcountry freeway. You'll run into dozens
> of people each day. Some on motorbikes. When you get to your
> planned camp site, you might even think you're at Tuolumne Meadows,
> there's so many camped there. Every few days you're eating
> hamburgers and drinking beer and sleeping in a bed. Etc.
>
> Gary
>
>
> On 03/11/13, JPL wrote:
>
> what's the difference between "backpacking" and "hiking with some
> sleeping
> thrown in"?

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