[pct-l] Why Hike the PCT?

[pmags at yahoo.com (Paul Magnanti)]

I wrote this in my Colorado Trail journal...but the
sentiments apply for all my wilderness hikes:

Tues Aug 24th  Breckenridge, CO

29.0 miles today              101.1/ 476.5 miles total


There are many reasons why I go on these long
backpacking trips; the beauty, the simplicity, the
physical challenge.Seeing a distant view. How a hot
meal at the end of a day is so satisfying.  Climbing
to the top of a rise after many  miles of exertion.
All reasons why I hike. But the main reason, the
reason that encompasses all of the above, is that  
these walks are wilderness pilgrimages. Rather than
going to Mecca or Campostella I am journeying to
something
less tangible.  Katahdin, Manning or Durango are only
end points in the journeys. The real destination in on
the trail  itself. Some of my fondest memories and
experiences have been on these long walks. 

If these journeys are my pilgrimages than today I was
in the cathedral.  On Georgia Pass would see Mt. Guyot
as the dominant peak. Could see the divide go on and
on. It is a sight that confirms why I go on these
wilderness pilgrimages. The sojourns in the mountains
will be a part of me for a while yet to come.
.........


 

************************************************************
The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched
--Thoreau
http://www.magnanti.com