[pct-l] My noob story

[Eric Lee]

All this talk of noobs made me reflect back on my own time as a newbie on
the PCT.  I don't have any great tragicomic stories to share, but it was a
deep and meaningful experience for me and yes, I didn't really know what I
was doing.  But I'm glad I took that leap of faith because the PCT has
helped define who I am today.

I don't remember exactly where or when I first heard about the PCT but I
recall the first time I stood on the trail up at Snoqualmie Pass.  I looked
southward, I looked northward, and I had an intense moment of saying to
myself, "Oh.  Oooooooh.  This.  This thing here.  I get it.  This is
_amazing_."  I was hooked from that point forward, though I didn't quite
know it yet.

Sometime shortly after that I discovered and joined the PCT-L, in February
of 1999, and found an amazing online community.  Sure, there were periods of
arguments and flames and silliness and all that, but mostly it was an flood
of great information about lightweight and long-distance backpacking.  I
absorbed that information for a couple of years and armed with my new
knowledge, decided to try a section hike of my own in 2002.  For my first
section I chose WA section J from Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass - 75 miles
in 5 days.

Because I'd been listening to experienced people for a couple of years I
kinda sorta knew what to expect so I didn't make any glaring errors, but
book learning is not at all the same as actual experience.  I vividly
remember the first day of that section hike.  Starting from Snoqualmie Pass,
the Kendall Katwalk, the gorgeous ridgewalk beyond that . . . I was in
heaven.  I was also not in great shape and it took me most of the day to
hike 12 miles to the flank of Chickamin Peak where the trail turns south for
a bit before Park Lakes.  I stopped and ate dinner there at about 5 pm - I
cooked some couscous thing that I'm sure tasted fine but my body was so
hammered and in shock from the beating of that first day that it was all I
could do to choke down each mouthful and not vomit.  I started to panic a
bit, thinking, "I can't eat!  What am I going to do if I can't eat!  I'm
stuck out here in the middle of nowhere and I can't eat!"

After some food and rest, though, I did feel a bit better and set out to
finish the last 4 miles to Park Lakes where I planned to spend the night.
Walking through the boulder fields on Chickamin Peak, I saw marmots sunning
themselves on rocks, then heard them all whistle shrilly and disappear as a
bald eagle glided over the ridgetop and began circling the area looking for
dinner.  I watched the marmots and eagle play a deadly but beautiful game
hide-and-seek as I walked along in the warm glow of the evening sun.  It was
magical.  It was where I wanted to be.

I've done a section hike every year since then and as I've gotten more
experienced and more trail-hardened I've been able to boost my pace and the
length of my sections.  I can crank out a 10x10 without much thought.  I
have about half the trail under my belt now but some of my most vivid
memories are of those five days 12 years ago when I was a newbie on the PCT.

Eric