[pct-l] Introduction

[jjolson at uwyo.edu (Jeffrey J. Olson)]

My name is Jeff Olson.  I'm 51, and have been hiking since I was 8 years old
when the folks hired a horse packer to pack us, the three kids, into the
Marble Mountains for two weeks at Cliff Lake.  We went into the Marbles for
three summers and base camped at different lakes.  At that time, in the
early 60s, the ranger used real soap to take a bath in the lakes, and so did
we!

My first backpacking experience was five days with my dad and his friends
into the Emigrant Wilderness when I was 13.  The next year the family
backpacked into the Wallowa Wilderness and spent three days under a plastic
tarp while it rained.  I hitchiked to Yosemite Valley when I was 17 and
hiked for a week to Tuolomne and back.

I've hiked about half the PCT over the last 11 years.  My longest section
hikes are 300 and 550 miles.  The best one was the 300 miler with my
girlfriend from Lassen to South Tahoe in 1992 where I had to bail because of
a torn ACL.  My base weight for that hike was 50 pounds.  Now its about 12.

Depending on my job situation - I teach at the University of Wyoming - I
want to do a thruhike in 2005.  If not then, then soon thereafter.

Jeff...