[pct-l] My Non-Continuous Thru-Hike

[ericallanwest at gmail.com (Eric West)]

For all of the aspiring thru-hikers out there who are worrying about
start dates, snowpack levels, ice axes, and so on, I thought I'd share
my experience from the trail last year:

I started at the kickoff because I thought it would be prudent to hike
with other people, since I had almost no backpacking experience. As
the weeks went on, I gained more confidence in my abilities, and
wanted more solitude. This, coupled with the fact that I felt very
uncomfortable crossing Forester Pass so early in the season (I left
Kennedy Meadows on June 2nd), led me to bail out to Independence and
eventually skip up to Echo Lake. This afforded me the solitude I
wanted, and let me avoid much of the remaining snow and ice. Upon
reaching Manning Park, I spent a few nights each in Vancouver,
Seattle, and San Francisco on the way back to Independence, and then
thoroughly enjoyed hiking the High Sierra in almost ideal September
weather.

I now realize that starting a few weeks after the kickoff would've
been a wise move, but I was anxious to begin my hike, and I know that
many future thru-hikers will feel the same way. Since the snowpack in
the Sierras won't always be as favorable as it was last year, it's
important that people realize that skipping ahead is not a shameful
option, and that a non-continuous hike can be just as rewarding and
praiseworthy as a continuous one. I have no regrets about the choice I
made, and am proud of myself for having the courage to hike my own
hike.

Pacer
http://eric.euonym.org/pct/