Re: [pct-l] Reasons for Leaving

[radney@ix.netcom.com]

I haven't had the time to respond to several posts lately, but Stinky's 
post kind of caught my attention -- so I thought I would put in my 2 cents 
worth -- highly over charged too!

There are many personal reasons a hiker -- no matter what trail they are on 
-- has for leaving the trail before it is finished mileage wise.  Meadow Ed 
is right on when he says that we are just "section hikers" until we have 
completed the trail in one season, and then we are called "thru hikers!"

For Walt and me -- three years in a row PCT section hikers -- our desire 
each time we started out has been to hike from Campo to Canda.  BUT, so far  
we have not completed a "thru hike."  What keeps us coming back?  It is the 
magic of the JOURNEY we have received each time as we have hike along the 
PCT. ***How many Trail Angels does it take to fill a life time -- I don't 
ever want to know -- just keep them coming!***  Each of us who starts out on 
the PCT "DESIRES" to hike all 2600+ miles in one season, but not all of us 
make it, and for different reasons. Brian has listed many reasons -- they 
are all valid ones.  Some hikers may be able to hike only 20-100-500-... 
miles while for others are able to hike the whole 2600+ miles or however 
long a trail mileage is.  Does this mean that some fail while others 
succeed?

Mileage wise you can't argue the fact that some fail to hike the designated 
miles of a trail while others succeed. I saw hikers in '97 who made it all 
the way and HATED the hike almost from the beginning (others started hating 
it after the Sierras!) and couldn't get off the trail soon enough and 
wondered why they had ever started.  Yet there were others who didn't manage 
the designated miles but had to get off for reasons of illnes, injury or 
just decided to the PCT was not about miles but personal growth.  Getting 
off because they hated the PCT was not usually a factor, instead they loved 
the experience and felt they had really grown because of the challenges they 
had overcome the magic the trail had given them.  It was just time to get 
off, they had completed all they needed to.

I know Rob Bedechick had a wonderful challenge from the trail and 
experienced the wonderf of trail magic.  Walt and I hiked many miles with 
him and he is a great backpacker.  Rob maybe what Stinky calls a "local" 
since he lives in California, but am not sure that this made it any "easier" 
for him to leave the trail.  In '97 I know of hikers from the all over -- 
including England, who got off of the PCT -- for each it was a difficult 
and heart searching decision.  Each one has their own reason for leaving the 
trail -- simple or complex -- mine was blisters that started at Campo and 
didn't leave until I had been off of the trail for 3 months!  Walt got off 
because he said we are a team and he wouldn't love the hike unless I was 
along -- what a man -- gotta love him!

This year, while I waited at Vermillion Valley Resort for Walt to hike 
through the Sierras, I had a chance to witness many hikers attitudes upon 
their completion of this section. In the 120 miles (from Trail Pass -- 
its longer from Kennedy Meadows) and 6-10 or so days it takes to arrive at 
VVR, most hikers had lost 10-15 pounds and hiked 12-14 hour days. It was 
physically and spiritually challenging to say the least, with navigational 
challenges each day just getting up and over snowy and icy passes, fording 
icy cold turbulent and dangerous "stream" (more like river) crossings all 
day every day, eating enough (if you brought enough!), and mosquitoes!  I 
had hiked a portion of this secion in '97, but coming into VVR I was a 
hiker, not an observer so I wasn't aware of the toll it takes on a hiker 
and it was quite an eye opener and a heart wrencher too.  

The Sierras gives and takes.  For some the experience seemed to have 
challenged them without leaving too much of a mark and the quiet manner they 
came in with was soon replaced with laughter and a run down of their 
adventure, but for others it was several days before they had lost the 
glazed over look and a smile again returned -- but they went on.  Who knows 
how many times death was looked squarely in the face!  You grow up quickly 
in this section and the next two, but you also see life more preciously.   
After going through the Sierras, maybe Rob realized that getting engaged to 
Annie was so wonderful and that spending the rest of his life with her was 
all he wanted, he didn't need to go any further on his Journey.  The trail 
gives that to you too -- perspective -- you don't have to prove anything to 
anyone, your Journey is complete -- no matter what mileage marker you are on 
the trail when you get off, it has worked it's magic!



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