[pct-l] looking for a pct mentor

[phix at optigan.com (Pea Hicks)]

hi everyone-

my name's pea. i just joined the list, and this is my first post. my 
friend lydia and i hiked section A of the pct from april 26th to may 
2nd, and we had a really great time, and met alot of wonderful people. 
we're mostly used to day-hiking, and this was really our first foray 
into backpacking. i had a good enough experience that i'm considering an 
attempt at a full thru-hike in 2004 or 2005. like anybody else, this 
largely depends on whether i can get my work/financial situation in order.

putting that aside, though, my main question is, is there anyone out 
there that lives in san diego who has hiked the pct who would be 
interested in mentoring me a bit in the ways of thru-hiking, especially 
with regard to physical training leading up to the hike. in my week on 
the trail, i learned a few things about my feet and legs, and while i 
didn't have any major problems, there are clearly some issues of 
strength/endurance/technique/equipment that i would like to address 
before attempting a full thru-hike. i've learned alot from reading the 
books and scanning the various internet resources, but it'd be really 
great to have someone to work with and talk to in person. it would be 
especially ideal to find someone who's also planning a thru-hike for 
next season, so that i could have a training/encouragement partner.

i'm not necessarily looking for a *huge* commitment from anyone- just 
someone with a decent amount of experience who's willing to give a 
little of their time/knowledge/enthusiasm in support of the trail.

anyway, if anyone out there is interested, please email me off the list 
and we'll discuss possibilities!!

thanks in advance!!
-- 
Pea Hicks
San Diego, CA
USA

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