[pct-l] Introductions

[radney@ix.netcom.com]

Hi Everyone! Walt and Pat Radney here, we have enjoyed reading the wonderful "Introductions" and 
wanted to re-introduce ourselves for this year.  

Our PCT Tail name is the Happy Trails Couple and in 1997 we hiked the PCT from Campo to 
Sierra City,. minus Forester, Mather and Glen Passes (we hiked the Kings Canyon trail  instead 
– but that's another story!) What an adventure of a lifetime and we relive it with flashbacks almost 
daily.

Walt is 55 and I am 56, and we both love the outdoors.  Last year we sold our home in Lovettsville, 
Virginia so we would have more time to enjoy life, especially long distance hiking – we caught the bug 
from our PCT hike!  We are currently renting a third floor condo in Ashburn, Virginia.  We live within 
a mile from the WO&D bike/hike trail and ride our recumbent bikes as often as we can.  Most of our 
weekends are spent hiking and backpacking in West Virginia at the Monongohila State Forest or on 
the Skyline Drive, West Virginia, Maryland, or Virginia along the AT.  We are members of the West 
Virginia chapter of the AT and are members of the PCTA.  We urge anyone who is interested in the 
PCT to join the PCTA.  They will be not only a wealth of information for you but also a great support 
when hiking the PCT, plus they are really great people.  Most of our family lives within 1 hour of 
where we live.  Pats' Mother has just gone to live in Sunrise, an assisted living community, at nearly 
91, she suffers from Diabetes and Alzheimer's' diseases.  Walt's parent are in their late 70's and are 
doing well for their age.

Walt was born in Columbus, Georgia the first of two children.  His father was in the Army and so he 
did a lot of moving and traveling.  When his parents were stationed in Ft. Meyers area around 1959, 
we both attended the same church and high school, although we weren't necessarily childhood 
sweethearts, we became good friends and then fell in love, getting married in 1963.  For most of his 
adult years Walt has enjoyed running (ran in the Marine Corp. Marathon one year), bicycling (rode 
from Waynesboro, Va to Asheville, North Carolina on the Skyline Drive in 1982) and hiking and 
backpacking.  He took an Outward Bound Course in Georgia and really got a new outlook on his 
life.  Currently Walt is semi-retired (we try to get in 2-5 months of hiking a year) after having worked 
with computers for 33 years.

I am the second of three girls and was born in Washington, DC.  I lived in Pasadena, California for 
the first 4 years of my life, although I don't remember it.  Both of my parents moved east after they 
graduated from UCLA.  My Mother was born in San Lois Obispo, California and grew up in places 
near the PCT. When my Father came back from fighting in the War, our family moved to the 
Washington, DC area where I have lived most of my life.  Walt and I have lived in Virginia, Alabama, 
North Carolina and Georgia during our married life.   When I was a Girl Scout I fell in love with 
nature and animals.  Although my family didn't do any camping, we did hike and bike some.  I love 
riding my recumbent bicycle, hiking and backpacking.  Some of the jobs I have had were working 
with learning disable children in Fairfax, VA high schools (classroom aid/secretary, etc.) Technical 
Librarian for our Loudoun Computer Services, Legal Secretary for the Victim Witness Department 
and parent for both parents during the last 15 years! Walt and I are the proud parents of a daughter 
and son and grandparents of two boys and two girls!  

We have hiked in England on the Coast to Coast trail in the Lake District, some of the trails in the 
Grand Tetons, rim-to-rim of the Grand Canyon, from Estes Park to Grande Lakes in the Rockies 
(and other trails), sections of the AT, 1,000 of the PCT in 1997 and attempted to hike the PCT in 
1998.  Walt rehiked from Campo to Big Bear this year and I joined him the first of June when we 
hiked from Manning Park to just past Stehekin.  Our goal is to finish hiking the PCT in 1998 and then 
hike as long as we can wherever we can!   


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