[pct-l] Solo Woes

[Bighummel at aol.com (Bighummel@aol.com)]

I entered the Sierras on my thru-hike with several other parties and we 
camped together for the first few days.  I took a side trail one morning (the 
official trail was not complete then) and ended up in a different valley. Then all 
behind and ahead of me took a different route.  

I ran into a crew planting trees.  After getting paid to plant trees for a 
couple days the snow began to fall and over the next week and a half I camped in 
deep snow and only encountered one other party for just a while on one of the 
early days of the storm.

Then I went 7 days straight, without seeing anyone, through deep snow, white 
out conditions, freezing weather, over the cornice of Forester Pass and over 
Kearsarge to hitch-hike out to Independence.  

Those 7 days in harrowing conditions taught me that a huge part of this hike 
was sharing the adventure with others and getting the humour and different 
opinions of what we were doing. 

I vowed to hike with others the rest of the way and essentially did.  Several 
of those people who I hiked with are still several of my best friends, nearly 
29 years later.

Greg