[pct-l] (no subject)

[calinda4@hotmail.com (M. Delmartini)]

Howdy; large, nebulous, invisible group of co-hickers!  Just returned from a 
wonderful week+ in the High Sierras, where the aspens are finer than all the 
pirate gold that ever there was, and the first snowflakes of the year melted 
on my eyelashes.  Happy to report that the ten or so miles of the PCT which 
were included in our meandering trip were in good repair : )  It's strange 
to think of all those features and mountain paths disappearing every winter 
under a thick white blanket...and then emerging in time for the happy bites 
of our bootsoles, in exactly the same place...

I can definately cast my vote of support for retro-hiking!  My partner and I 
spent a fair portion of time enumerating the merits of good, old-fashioned, 
snuggly cotton flannel--as well as the backcountry appeal of Hawaiian shirts 
and large, heavy blocks of cheese.

Might I also add to this discussion the idea of hiking with no itinerary and 
no plan?  It was a refreshing and altogether delightful experience to wake 
up every morning and say, "well, where should we go today?  And hey, why 
don't we hike out in a completely different place than we'd said we would?  
And where exactly ARE we, anyway?"  I certainly enjoy the challenges of 
long-distance hiking, but loose, free-form trips like this last one remind 
me that, for myself, anyway, it's not about accomplishment so much as it's 
about merely LIVING, and being a happy animal.  Such decadence!

"Glorious hope lifts above all the dust and din and bids me look foreward to 
a good time coming, when money enough will be earned for me to go walking 
where I like in pure wilderness, with what I can carry on my back, and when 
the bread-sack is empty, run down to the nearest point on the bread-line for 
more.  Nor will these run-downs be blanks, for, whether up or down, every 
step and jump on these blessed mountains is full of fine lessons."  --John 
Muir

Cheers!  Monica

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