[pct-l] leaving the trail

[teamcourage@xxxxxxxxx (Dave Fales)]

heck I hiked the trail end to end three times and getting ready again I
did it with one leg and had blisters on my fake leg. Unless you have a
fake leg you don't know the pain I have had major pain like right know I
am setting with my one leg up in the air after having surgery that put 9
pins 2 plates and rearranged my ankle they pulled the tendons off the
inside of my leg and moved them to the out side, on surgery scale that
is up there next to hip replacement . But nay ways this is not has pain
full has blisters were the fake leg hooks on and that is pain. When I
finished the last time I checked into a hospital and they ran morphine
straight into me for a day just to get the pain to stop. So when I here
a wimp say they stooped becuse they were sore and cold I saw give me a
break. Also for you to back pack the trail is like me doing it twice
because the amount of energy to use a fake leg.

Brian Robinson wrote:

>--
>[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
>
>JoAnn M Michael <jomike@snowcrest.net> wrote: I bought the DVD. As unbelie=
vable as it sounds he came off trail with 62 miles left due to being cold a=
nd bad feet. I cannot imagine...3 to 4 days left and he quit. It stopped sn=
ow/rain the day he left trail if I remember correctly. I fault NO ONE for n=
ot completing the trail. You guys have guts I do not know I could ever must=
er up but, come-on, only 62 miles left!?? I guess when you've had it you ha=
ve really had it.
>
>JoAnn
>
>---------------------------------
>1997 was the first year I thruhiked the PCT. The cold rain in Washington h=
ad to be experienced to be believed. It was unrelenting for days. I met Myl=
es several times that year and I can assure you he is no quitter. He bought=
 a new pair of boots in Portland Oregon that didn't fit right. He couldn't =
afford another pair, so he walked over 400 miles in pain before that and th=
e cold rain eroded his resolve. Don't judge too harshly unless you've been =
there.
>Other accounts of Washington in '97 are around. Karen Berger's account can=
 be found in the famous PCT coffee table book. She and her party didn't mak=
e it to monument 78 either. They took an alternate route to Manning. My acc=
ount from '97 is online as well. I've copied some of it below. The entire j=
ournal can be found at:
>http://www.accesscom.com/~kkbunya/pct/index.html
>Flyin' Brian
>Monday (9/15/97) (3:30 PM) Milk Creek near Glacier Peak, WA.
>Mileage: 2,537. Rain, Cold Rain. It just keeps coming down. Saturday (9/13=
) was nice until evening; then it started raining. It let up long enough to=
 pitch camp and then it poured all night. Sunday (9/14) was the forecasted =
rainiest day. It rained on and off all day, but the sun came out strongly a=
 couple times. Today was forecasted as a day of showers, and its not rained=
 continuously, but with all the wet brush you can't tell. And the sun has n=
ot been seen at all. Its also been very cold. Going over Red Pass yesterday=
 and Fire Creek Pass today it was sleeting a little. Brrr. Fortunately toda=
y I met Michelle and Kevin, a couple of "weekender" backpackers, who were e=
ating lunch just over Fire Creek Pass. They were cold. I was cold. Their st=
ove didn't work, mine did. They shared their food with me. Yum! Since they'=
re leaving today they also gave me the rest of their fuel. Now I certainly =
have enough to get me to Stehekin. I was getting worried about food because=
 in this cold I've been eating more than I planned. I didn't want to run ou=
t=2E Mileage is also tough. The terrain is very steep with what are usually=
 superb views. Just fog and clouds now, though. The short days and rain als=
o cut into the hours walked. I've been gettin in low 20's each day instead =
of the 25+ I hoped for. I may not get to Stehekin until Wednesday at this r=
ate.
>I also passed Batch, a 76 year old, today. He was cold and tired but there=
 was nothing I could do to help. If he finishes, he will be the oldest hike=
r to finish the PCT in one year. I wish him luck.
>Tuesday (9/16/97) (10:30 AM) Gamma Creek, Glacier Peak Wilderness, WA.
>Mileage: 2,548. I saw the sun for a few minutes this morning! Its the firs=
t time in a day and a half that seems like a week. I guess I'm initiated no=
w - I've been snowed on in Washington. As I noted before, there have been a=
 couple times in the last few days that it sleeted a little going over the =
passes, but yesterday on the ridge above Milk Creek it was really snowing. =
It didn't stick, but it was falling slowly and hitting with a lighter touch=
. Then this morning at the Dolly Vista Campsite (what view?) I thought it h=
ad stopped raining when I couldn't hear the little drops anymore, just the =
big drops out of the trees. But when I got up it was snowing hard! It was s=
ticking for just a few minutes in some places. Since it has cleared, the wh=
ite above me shows that had I camped any higher, I'd be slogging through sn=
ow this morning.
>So how am I doing through all this? I'm okay. I'm alone. I'm about 60 mile=
s from anywhere resembling a town. There are a few trailheads closer, but w=
ho would be there on days like this? I'm on my own. I've been cold. I'm con=
stantly wet. My body heat dries out the inner layers as I hike. Everything =
I have is wet. If you were reading the original of this journal, you would =
see the smeared ink and the wet places that I'm not writing on. Even my pre=
cious maps are wet around the edges. I've been cold enough to wear every st=
itch of clothing I have with me, even while hiking. I've been wearing every=
thing but my raingear to bed and I've been a little cold in bed just before=
 morning. I've set up camp in the rain. I've broken camp in the rain. I've =
started a campfire with soaking-wet wood. I've hiked through wet brush that=
 is chest-high and the source of most of my wetness. I've been through it a=
ll. I'm alive. I'm well. I'm not having much fun, but I'm in no real danger=
. I've seen the rainforests of Washington at their wettest and finest. I no=
w know that I CAN survive out here. Its a nice comforting feeling. After it=
s all over, I will be REALLY glad I went through it because everything else=
 in life will be EASY.
>Oh, lest this diatribe sound too mushy, I'm now a day behind schedule gett=
ing to Stehekin. I sure can't average 25+ miles per day in this mess.
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