[pct-l] introduction

[chwillet@indiana.edu (Christopher Willett)]

I've been lurking for the past two months here. With the flurry of new
hikers and planning subjects, I thought I would delurk and introduce
myself.  I am thinking hard about a PCT hike this upcoming summer,
depending on whether or not I change jobs this summer or go off on a
climbing trip for a month, etc, etc.  I can't commit fully for a while, at
least until I find out about the status of my job search and see what wild
schemes various friends have come up with.

I teach and can get a substantial amount of time off this summer, but not
enough, I think, to complete a hike of the PCT.  Depending on when finals
are in the spring, I think that I can get around 100-1005 days of hiking
in.  This factors in the time spent in transit.  I don't think I really
want to push along at 26 some odd miles per day.  So, I'm thinking more of
hiking through California or perhaps to Crater Lake.

This last summer I hiked about 450 mile on the Appalachian trail, before
leaving (as planned) to move and head to northern British Columbia for
some alpine climbing and mountaineering.  The long distance bug struck (I
actually think of it as the unstructured life bug) and I've been chomping
at the bit to get back out on trail.  I'm looking for a different kind of
experience this summer than last summer on the AT.  I loved
my time on the
AT and expect to go back again sometime. However, after spending large
parts of the past three summers in various locales across the West, it is
there that I want to be.  A drive through the Nevada desert and slide
shows at the Gathering pushed me over the edge.  I really, really, liked
the AT, but it was more for social reasons. There were a few spots in the
South that I thought were as pretty as anything in the West.  The problem
is, they were rather separated and they really were only a few.  I think
that the PCT will also have lots of fun and interesting people on it and
along it, but perhaps will offer a bit more solitude when wanted and move
through a different kind of environment.

I've been backpacking for a while now and made the transition to light
weight gear over the past year or so.  I've been taking 3 day trips quite
a bit this fall in the Smoky mountains (TN/NC) to try to get myself
familiarized with newer gear (homemade stove, tarp - no trekking poles,
etc).  I exercise regularly during the week and go on long day hikes on
the weekends when I'm not out backpacking.  Of course, day hikes in
mid-central Indiana tend not to be too challenging.

I beg everyone's forgiveness in advance of questions that I may ask that
may already have been asked.  Or answer questions that may already have
been answered.

Chris

----------------------
Christopher Willett
Department of Mathematics
Indiana University
831 East Third Street
Bloomington, IN. 47405-7106
(815)-855-6737
chwillet@indiana.edu
php.indiana.edu/~chwillet