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[pct-l] Introduction

My name is Steve, I'm a journalist living in the San Francisco Bay Area,
and I am planning a thru hike of the PCT in '98. I had planned to make a
better introduction later (after I finished the archives) but I thought
the timeliness of this required me to post earlier than I planned. I'm
sure that I will have questions, suggestions and comments later. Don't
think me discouraged if you don't hear from me for a while - I still
have a lot of reading to finish. In the meantime here is something I
picked up off the wire at work (It moved Nov. 13. 1997):

<<Texas man braves Sierra snow in bid for hiking first
AP Photo RO101
By MARTIN GRIFFITH¯
Associated Press Writer¯
  SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.  _ Namie Bacile II can't get enough of the
mountains.
  In January, the Richardson, Texas man set out on the backpacking
adventure
of a lifetime in the East. Ten months and 3,900 miles later, he's still
on
it, only now, he's in the West.
  But with 900 miles to go, storms in the Sierra Nevada are threatening
to
end his quest to become the first person to walk two of the nation's
premier
footpaths in one year: the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails.
  ``Some people think what I'm doing is great and other people think
it's
crazy,'' Bacile said during a break here. ``They don't understand why
anyone
would want to do something like that.
  ``But anytime you have an opportunity to do what you love, why put a
limit
on it? ... Would you kiss your wife just once? I never get tired of the
beauty and peace out here.''
  Bacile started out with a six-month, 2,160-mile trek of the
Appalachian
Trial through 14 eastern states, taking his first steps Jan. 19 at
Springer
Mountain, Ga.
  The 37-year-old construction worker now is on the final leg of a
2,650-mile hike of the Pacific Crest Trail through Washington, Oregon
and
California that began July 28 at the Canadian border.
  Up next is his biggest challenge of the year: the snowy High Sierra,
including 13,180-foot Forester Pass, the highest point on the Pacific
Coast
Trail. He hopes to reach the Mexican border by mid-January.
  ``It's a crapshoot,'' he said. ``It is not probable but it's possible.

It's going to take some serious weather for me to drop down and get off
the
trail.''
  Equipped with an ice ax and crampons, the former Navy Search and
Rescue
team member trudged through up to a foot of snow this week to reach the
Mammoth Lakes area.
  Bacile is no backpacking novice. If he can make it to Mexico, he also
would become the first person to hike the nation's three premier
footpaths
twice each.
  He hiked the Appalachian Trail in 1989, 1996 and this year, the
Pacific
Crest Trail in 1992 and the 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail through
five
Rocky Mountain states in 1994 and 1995. No more than two dozen people
have
walked all three trails once each.
  He's also no stranger to snow or late finishes, completing a
Continental
Divide Trail hike on Dec. 29, 1995 at Antelope Wells, N.M.
  The 5-foot-4, 130-pound Bacile carries up to 55 pounds of supplies on
his
back. He averaged 20-25 miles a day on the Appalachian Trail and 25-30
miles
a day on the Pacific Crest Trail early on. He now averages 20 miles a
day
because of shorter days.
  ``The hardest part about the hike now is uncertainty over the weather
and
getting out of my sleeping bag on cold mornings,'' he said, adding it's
not
unusual to go two or three days without seeing a soul.
  But uplifting mountain scenery and occasional breaks in towns along
the
way have kept the trek something to be enjoyed, not endured, he said.
Highlights include the New England stretch of the Appalachian Trail and
Washington's North Cascade portion of the Pacific Crest Trail.
  ``I keep expecting myself to get tired of it, but I find I keep
enjoying
it more and more,'' he said. ``I love the feel of being in motion,
looking
forward to what's over the next ridge.
  ``Our national scenic trails are such a treasure. What you find on
them _
beauty, solitude, wildlife, a simple way of living _ you can't find
anywhere
else.''
  He insists he's not interested in making history with the two hikes in
one
season.
  ``If you're out here for records you're out here for the wrong
reason,''
he said. ``I thought it would be interesting to test my limits and see
if it
could be done ... Plus, it's an excuse to stay out longer in places I
love.''
  AP-WS-11-13-97 1755EST>>



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