Month: November 2017

Going on a Train Ride

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I checked off another box on the logistics checklist. How am I going to get to San Diego? I am going to take a train. Taking the train is the perfect choice because it is going to force me to slow down. Flying there takes four hours or so. Taking a train takes two days!

So, I’ll board an Amtrak in Milwaukee, switch in Chicago, and relax and meditate until I reach San Diego. I also notified Scout and Frodo, so that on April 5th, I will look out for a van with a yellow pom-pom in the window. At their home I’ll switch everything over and try to go to sleep. I will fail to do so.

Then, in the wee hours of the morning on the 6th, I’ll pack up my gear and they will take me to the Southern Terminus. Pictures will be taken. Once the goodbyes are done, I will face north and take that first step. In my pack will be five days of food, a fresh canister of fuel and four to six liters of water depending upon conditions.

When I reach Hauser Canyon which is slightly more than 15 miles up trail, I will decide whether to camp there or continue the last five miles to Lake Morena and celebrate with dinner at the Oak Shore Grocery. There is no water at Hauser Canyon, so six liters seems about right.

That is it.  That is the plan.  Beyond that is all preparation.

On Jargon

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I borrowed much of this from the blog Zenlightened Voyager.  Her stories as she traveled the PCT were amazing. 

There is a language thru-hikers use and I suspect once I’m immersed on it, I will talk like it, too. 
Base Weight is the total weight of everything you are taking, minus that which you will consume and minus that which you wear.  The basic principle is that the less you carry the lighter the pack.  The lighter the pack, the faster and longer you can hike.  The faster and longer you can hike, the less food and water you will need.  The less food and water you need, the lighter the pack.

The quest to lighten the load must also be balanced by comfort and safety.  I could save a ton of weight if I didn’t carry a sleeping bag and pad.  However, I would not get much sleep which would make my hike miserable. 

Bear Boxes are lockable bear proof boxes where you store anything that might attract a bear. 
Bear Canisters are portable containers used to store your food and other items that might attract a bear.  They are designed to be difficult to open unless you have opposable thumbs.  There are sections of the PCT where I am required to carry one.  They are heavy so no one wants to carry one for longer than required, but I can be fined for not using one. 
Bonus Miles are any extra miles that I have to hike that do not get me closer to my goal.  These include walking to town, to water sources, to find good places to camp, or to a private place to do my business.  The worst kind of bonus miles are the miles I will hike in the wrong direction because I left something behind or I went the wrong way. 
Bounce Boxes are packages that you continually mail to yourself as you travel along the trail.  This box can include extra supplies, medications, town clothes, maps and the like.  I will not be using a bounce box as I have a family at home that will help keep me supplied. 
The Bubble is the natural coagulation of thru-hikers.  It is also commonly called the Herd.  While I’m hiking alone, I will be hiking with a whole bunch of different people doing the same thing as me. 
A Cache is supplies hidden on the trail which you use to resupply.  It is an archaic method of thru-hiking.  Non-hikers often establish caches to help hikers complete their journey, and these supply points make the day for hikers.  A wonderful cache to run into is a water cache in a long stretch of desert.  The first rule of caches is to not depend upon them. 
To Camel Up is to drink as much water as you can when you are at a water source so that you do not have to carry extra water.  
To Camel water is to carry more water than you need between water sources.  In general, on a warm day, I need one liter of water per five miles.  If I’m going ten miles between water sources, I do not need to carry four liters of water, unless I’m going to camp somewhere in between water sources for the night. 
Cat Holes are holes that you dig for the purposes of defecation.  They should be 4-6 inches wide, 8 inches deep and at least 200 feet from water sources, the trail and likely campsites.  Toilet Paper and wet wipes are not buried in the cat hole.  Leave No Trace (LNT) says that you take anything that will not rapidly decompose out with the rest of your garbage. 
To Cowboy Camp is to sleep outside without a tent.  You can only do this if both the weather and insects will not keep you awake.  Mosquitoes prevent me from cowboy camping in Wisconsin.  The floor separates from my tent so that I can use it to cowboy camp in the desert. 
To Dry Camp is to camp away from a water source.  While it requires you to carry extra water, it does allow you to hike later when it is cooler.  The common camping sites are often the home to rodents due to food being left behind.  Rodents can badly damage tents, backpacks, and other equipment in their quest for nourishment.  Camping at a dry camp is a strategy to avoid that damage. 
Escape Velocity is the amount of will power and determination necessary to leave the  comforts of a town with a warm, soft bed, easy food, a shower and clean clothes.  The longer the hike, the harder it is to achieve escape velocity. 
To Flip-Flop is a strategy used to complete the trail where you skip a section with a plan to hike it later.  In 2017, the snow was so high in the Sierra Mountains that many people skipped them when they first got there and returned after they reached the Northern Terminus. 
A Gram Weenie is someone is so concerned about reducing their base weight that they either spend a ton of money for little benefit or they become Stupid Light and sacrifice comfort and safety for a lighter pack. 
A Hiker Box is a location in town where hikers leave food and gear for others to use.  You can make some amazing finds at the local hiker box and some courageous hikers survive by eating exclusively from food they find there.  As I have saved for twenty years for this hike, I will be more a supplier of hiker boxes than a connoisseur. 
Hiker / Trail Family is the group of people your end up hiking with for a long portion of the trail.  I expect to run into some people who hike about as fast and as far per day as I hike.  A friendship will be made and we will work together to complete the hike.  We will eat together, share a hotel room, and in general watch out for each other. 
Hiker Funk is the unique odor of a thru-hiker.  Hike for five days in the same pair of shorts with no deodorant and no laundry service and you are going to smell.  Two centuries ago, this smell was normal.  Now, it is offensive. 
Hiker Hunger is a uncontrollable hunger.  As I will burn over 4,000 calories a day but only take in 3,000, I will be constantly hungry.  When I get to town, I will do my best to make up for those lost calories.  However, as I hike, will be constantly hungry.  In my experiences backpack in the past, I have never been hiking so long that I’ve felt this level of hunger. 
Hiker Hobble is a zombie like walk that thru-hikers have after a rest.  While I’ve never had Hiker Hunger, as I train, I often have Hiker Hobble. 
Hiker / Trail Legs are legs capable of hiking eight to ten hours or more a day while wearing a twenty pound pack.  While the best way to get hiker legs on the PCT is to hike the PCT, that is not possible for me.  Instead, I have spent the past two years training so that the time it takes for me to get my trail legs is short. 
Hiker Midnight is around 9 p.m.  Out of respect to other hikers, proper etiquette is to be quiet after 9 p.m. so that everyone can get some sleep. 
Hiker Trash is a derogatory term for hikers which hikers have taken as their own.  They travel in a Hiker Family, smell with a Hiker Funk and walk in town with a Hiker Hobble. 
Hike Your Own Hike (HYOH) is an important principle of hiking.  While I expect to be in a Hiker Family, my hike is my own.  If I hike with someone for a week at a time and they are no longer there, they are hiking their own hike. 
Jump Box is my own term.  While I won’t use a Bounce Box, there will be locations on the hike where I will mail a box with food ahead for resupply.  I will do this if I’m in a town with full services and my next town only has a convenience store. 
Local Resupply is to purchase food and other consumables locally in the town after completing a section.  The primary advantage to local resupply is that it allows you to change your diet based upon what you are in the mood for at that moment.  One disadvantage is that not every town has good options for local resupply or the costs of common hiking food is high. 
A Mail Drop is a method of resupply where a box is mailed to a post office as general delivery so that when the hiker gets there, they can pick it up.  My strategy will consist of a combination of mail drops and Local Resupply. 

NoBo / Northbound is a hiker who hikes north from Campo, California to Manning Park, British Columbia.  There are advantages to hiking north.  The window to complete the hike is longer.  There are more people hiking with you.  Finally, NoBo hikers have an easier time getting their hiker legs going north as the start of the trail can be flat. 
A Nero is a day where you hike nearly no miles.  Usually they happen when you are just outside a town. 
To Posthole is to follow in the footsteps of another hiker across a snow covered trail.  As these holes might been a couple of feet deep, postholing is slow and tiring process. 
Ride Bride is a female hiker who pairs up with a male hiker.  In return for protection, the female hiker helps hitchhike rides into towns where you can resupply.  As I’m going to smell and look like hell, drivers might be afraid to pick me up.  I wouldn’t blame them.  Hopefully, I will end up in a Hiker Family with a couple of female hikers to help get us rides into town. 
A Section Hiker is someone who is hiking a part of the hike, but not the whole hike at once.  Up to this point, I have only ever been a section hiker. 
To Slack Pack is to hike a section of the hike without all my gear.  This can only be done if there is someone up ahead waiting for you with all your gear. 
SoBo is a south bound hiker.  About ten percent of all hikers choose to hike from Canada to Mexico.  The advantage of hiking south is that you do not have all the drama of the herd.  However, the window is smaller and you have to be in much better shape to start. 
A Trail Angel is an amazingly kind person who provides acts of kindness to hikers simply because they care.  What they provide is… 
Trail Magic.  Trail magic is anything wonderful that happens on the trail.  It might come in the form of food, lodging, maintaining a water cache, or a ride into town. 
A tradition of hiking a major trail is earning a Trail Name.  You do give yourself your own trail name.  It must be given to you by another thru-hiker.  However, you can choose not to accept a trail name given to you by someone.  It should reflect your personality and your individual quirks.  Older hikers often provide their own trail name.  I will let the trail provide me my name. 
The Triple Crown is someone who completes the three U.S. long-distance trails, the Appalachian, the Pacific Crest and the Continental Divide trails.  As my wife and I plan in the future to hike the AT together, if I am successful in completing the PCT, it is possible that would attempt the CDT. One step at a time. I have to finish the PCT first. 
Vitamin I is a slang term for Ibuprofen.  Ibuprofen is an excellent pain-killer, and is used liberally to make the hike more comfortable. As a side sleeper, I am more likely to take Vitamin I before bed so that my hips are not sore in the middle the night. 
The Vortex is an invisible gravity well around civilization formed by the comforts of a warm soft bed, easy access for good food and clean water, a shower and clean laundry. 
A Zero is a day when no trail miles are walked.  They are a necessary part of the hike as hiking every day takes a serious toll on the body.  Zeros are times to resupply, call home, do laundry, replace broken or worn out gear, and recover from injury.  Spending too many zeros will make it harder to escape the Vortex or use up too much time so that you end up unable to complete the hike due to snow conditions in Washington starting around October 1st.

On Training

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To turn this dream into reality has required some significant changes on my part.  I am a software developer.  To maintain the high level of attention to detail I need to be successful requires me to sit and focus. If I was busy I grabbed food that is fast.  At I worked in an office, someone always brings goodies of some sort.  Do that for a couple of decades and I became a bit pudgy. 

The single biggest reason hiking works for me as exercise is that when I hike someplace and I’m halfway where I want to be, I have no choice but to go the rest of the way.  Put me on a treadmill and in thirty minutes I’m bored and can find 101 excuses to get off. 
 The process I have gone through has been significant.  I changed my diet and I got moving.

Diet Changes

The first step was to change the way I eat.  When I had a meeting scheduled after work it was too easy to stop at a drive-through.  Now if I have a meeting, I stop at the grocery store for lunch and pick up something for dinner while I’m there, too.  It is cheaper and healthier.  I eliminated soft drinks.  I eliminated salty snack foods.  I avoid processed foods.  I still struggle missing food I enjoy like fried chicken and pizza. 

Second, I started to actually track what I’m eating.  I do not track down to the item, although there are phone apps to do that.  What I do is set a budget.  I budget 500 calories up to lunch.  For lunch, if I can eat correctly, I have a salad.  If we have a work meeting and I cheat, I make up for it that evening. 
Third, I actually measure what I’m eating.  It is great if you eat something that has only 300 calories per serving, but you have to know how much is that serving and stick to that.

The Turtle

 
My bread and butter hike is called The Turtle.  
From my front door to this turtle statue on the Oak Leaf Trail and back to my house is exactly nine miles.  It is almost exclusively on asphalt, which is not ideal, so I make up for it by hiking hard.  I usually do a 3.5 to 3.8 m.p.h. pace with weight.

When I first started doing this hike, I would need to rest for a bit at the statue.  Eventually, I was able to finish it without a rest.  Then to make it more difficult, I started to carry a backpack with Smart Water bottles.  Each filled liter bottle weighs 2.5 pounds.  When I increased my weight to over 16 pounds, I purchased my backpack.

I try to do this hike three-to-four times a week with a 35 pound pack.  I hike it in all conditions except for ice or lightning storms.

Ice Age Trail Day Hikes

 
The Turtle is great, but I also need to hike the bigger miles.  For that, I have the Ice Age Trail here in Wisconsin.  Ideally, my wife will come along.  The IAT has more of the up-and-down that I will face on the PCT.  It is also an opportunity to test out meals.

One of our IAT hikes is usually around 16 miles, but we have gone as much as 19.

Shakedown Hikes

Since I purchased all my gear, I’ve done two shakedown hikes.  Both were on the IAT and they were opportunities to put it all together. 
 My first shakedown hike was a seven day hike up in Taylor County.  My goal was to do 20 miles a day.  However, I made a couple of mistakes.  First, the conditions in Taylor County were much more rugged than the trails down south.  My days were more like tough-mudders.  There was one point that I hiked enough steps to walk sixteen miles, but I only walked five!  
I didn’t do a good job of pre-filtering my water before using my Sawyer Squeeze, and I clogged it the first time I used it.  To save weight, I didn’t bring a method to back flush it.  Without enough water to drink, I was dehydrated which meant that I wasn’t eating enough.  It was a cascade of problems. 
 I also took WAY TOO MUCH.  My pack was about thirty eight pounds with consumables.  Much of the food I took, I did not eat.  I was just carrying it for the week.

Finally, I tried to hike it like I do the Turtle, 3.5 to 3.8 m.p.h. 

Fortunately, on the fifth day I ran into a terrible thunderstorm.  As I was at a good water source, a natural spring that did not require filtering, I hunkered down as the wind blew and the rain fell.  I only hiked nine miles that day, but now properly hydrated, I ate and ate and ate.  The next two days went much better. 
My second shakedown hike went much better.  I did a three day hike starting in West Bend.  I reduced my pack weight down to 28 pounds with consumables.  More importantly, I slowed down.  I hiked as fast as I could before I started to sweat.  I found myself hiking for nearly eight hours straight without stopping for a rest.  When I made it to camp, I still had a little bit left in the tank. 
With poor weather conditions, it was a chance to test both my ability to keep me and my gear dry.  The only mistake I made was leaving my contacts out in freezing temperatures.  Not a problem.  I had a spare pair.
I did back-to-back eighteen mile hikes and a nine mile hike on top of that.  
Overall, this hike was a huge success.  I know that what gear I have will keep me dry and warm in the Sierra Mountains and Washington.

I have learned so much through these two shakedown hikes.  I have used my gear and I know that it works.  I’ve dumped the crap that I feared I needed.  If the gear didn’t work, I’ve replaced it with something that does work.  I still have a few unresolved questions, but they are small.

My plan is to do one more shakedown before I leave on April 3rd.

Shakedown Hike Day 3

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Today is a much shorter day.  I promised to take the kids to see Thor and we prefer to go to the matinee, so I will be ending my hike early today.

It is sleeting hard this morning, but the ground is warm enough that it is melting right away.  I pack everything inside my tent where I am dry.  I had put up my tent on top of a hill, so I had plenty of air movement and the condensation was limited.  I’ve learned from previous hikes to use my garbage compactor bag over my feet to keep that part dry.

I did a much better job of packing up.  I was ready to go in just fifteen minutes.  I unzip the tent, toss my pack outside, and in wet weather gear crawl out.  My tent is packed in mere moments, I count my stakes, and pack it all in my backpack.

I have a method for packing my backpack.  My quilt is on the bottom.  It makes the bottom of my pack softer and more comfortable.  On top is my tent.  If it is raining (or in this case sleeting) It is the first thing I can get to.  I hike down to the shelter were I meet my backpacking friend I made last night.

We eat, drink coffee, and I ask to take a picture of him.  I want to remember him, but not share him to the world without his permission.  I know his first name, but I do not know his last.  It isn’t important.  This is the type of friendships that I will have on the PCT.  I will meet someone just once and never see them again.  As we are all hiking the same trail, we all have something in common so friendships are created fast.  However, everyone is also hiking their own hike.  These friendships are not meant to last more than this moment.

He offers a hand to shake, but I have not showered in three days.  I offer an elbow.  He asks for a hug.  Hugs I can do.

I’m a bit stiffer today, but I warm up in due time.  The sleet stops.  I text the wife where to pick me up.  As I get closer, I send a text with a Google Map link so she can find me easily.  I reach the meeting point first.

Not a terribly long hike, but I put in two 18 mile days.  Still, it is a good nine miles.  I’m in good shape for the hike.  This proves that I can do it.  There is still work to do.  I want to loose another 18 pounds before I start, but with five months to go, there is no reason I cannot be successful.

Lessons Learned

I learn something every hike.  My feet held up well.  No blisters.  No pain from Plantar Fasciitis.  I lost no equipment.

  • The quit and sleeping pad are much more effective if I properly set them up.  That means using the straps and snaps.
  • I need to figure out what I’m going to do to correct my vision.  I prefer contacts when I’m hiking, however, they do require maintenance.  Glasses are easier.
  • Slow and steady really does win the race.  Hiking just to the point of sweating meant that I was able to hike for eight hours straight without getting tired.  I still had some gas in the tank.  Trying to muscle through with a 3.5 m.p.h. pace simply killed me.  Cruising at 3.0 m.p.h. was much more efficient.

Shakedown Hike Day 2

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I woke up at 6:30 a.m., but it was still dark.  I waited until it was light enough to put on my contacts.  As I knew that it was going to get below freezing, I had my phone in one pocket of my jacket and my water filter in the other.  I unfortunately forgot about my contacts and when I opened the case, the solution had froze.  Fortunately, they were old, so I put on my spare set.

I got up and stretched.  I was expecting to be sore from the 18 miles the day before, but I was not!  I did my stretching exercises as I boiled water for coffee and ate two Cliff bars.  Shelter #2 is eight miles away.  Shelter #3 is 17 miles.  Shelter #4 is 22 miles.  Because of the early sunset, my only real goal is Shelter #3.

It took me an nearly an hour to get packed up.  I’m really going to need to improve that on the PCT.

The rest of the hike goes smoothly.  I make Shelter #2 by 11:30.  The sun came out and it was just warm enough to take off my jacket as long as I was out of the wind and in the sun.  I sat and ate my lunch there.  It was beautiful.

I hiked another three miles to a water source.  I ran into two day hikers there.  I filled up my water containers there as Shelter #3 is a dry, and I continued on.

I made Shelter #3 at about 4:30 p.m.  As I approached, I saw another backpacker crossing to the shelter.  Technically, you are supposed to reserve these campsites. I didn’t because I didn’t know how far I would go and it is late in the season.  Its freezing and it is raining.  You’d have to be mad to hike and camp in these conditions.

I had no real choice but to approach.  It was getting dark.  Hopefully, the other backpacker is cool. Turns out, he was.

He had reserved the site, so I paid him half.  We put up our tents and started to collect wood for a camp fire.  We ended up staying up to nearly 11:00 p.m talking.  It was a great time.

When I went back to my tent for the night, this time I properly set up the quilt.  Instead of using it like a blanket, I used the straps and attached it to my sleeping pad.  That made a huge difference!  I stayed much warmer.

My contacts?  In my jacket this time.

Total miles: 17.6.

Shakedown Hike Day 1

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Now with my start date secured, the preparation truly begins.  The good news is that based upon the two PCT Class of 2018 groups on Facebook, I am well ahead of many of my fellow hikers.  I have been physically training now for two years and my entire kit has been purchased and is in my possession.

My gear has a base weight of 13 pounds, 11 ounces.  Ideally, I would section hike some of the PCT to get more experience with the ups-and-downs I will have to do, but that isn’t feasible.  I do have my local national trail, the Ice Age Trail.

My goal for this hike was three fold.  First, I would test my gear under some colder and wetter conditions.  Second, I am going to cook meals as though I bought them in a store instead of freeze dried backpacking food.  Finally, I want to put on some miles and test my legs.

The best place for me to do that is to drive up to where I work in West Bend and park my car there.  My office is just over a mile away from the IAT.  In this particular section of the IAT, I have limited options to lay my tent.  I can only camp at designated shelters.  In many ways that is good.  I’m going to have to hike at least 17 miles today.  I also have to battle the dark.  As it is late in the season, it does not get light until 7:00 a.m. and it turns dark by 5:30 p.m.

I stopped in my office for a quick bit, and I started to “Walk in a Relaxed Manner.”

My first shakedown hike back in August was up in Taylor County.  The conditions of that hike were rough.  I pushed myself too hard too quickly. I would hike 16 miles, but I was sweaty and pretty much destroyed.

I was given a book named Walk in a Relaxed Manner from my Pastor friend Ann.  It tells the story of the exploits of a 60-year-old nun hiking the Camino in northern Spain. She was told at the start of her hike by a wise old man to drink plenty of water and be relaxed as you walk.

I did not walk in a relaxed manner in Taylor County.  I’m committed to doing that today.  I’m going to hike just fast enough that I do not sweat.  The slower pace suits me much better.

I entered a park where they are doing construction.  One workman is trying but failing to start a cement cutting saw as his co-workers stands over him.  They stopped and look at me.  Without thinking as I pass them I say, “the saw won’t start until I’m back on the trail.”  I walk past confidently.  They keep on pulling the starter, but it wont start.

My foot hits the trail again.  The saw starts.  I hear one say “Whoa!” and the others chuckle.  They are going to have an interesting story to tell at lunch about the backpacker with the Jedi mind skills when it comes to machinery.

Strangely, I knew it was going to be that way.  The trail did not want my meditation to be interrupted.

I hiked until noon.  On the top of an esker, I found a bench and ate my lunch.  I rested for another fifteen minutes before I packed up and continued.  By two-thirty I reached the Designated Camping site.  It was a dry site that did not allow for a camp fire.  As it was early and couldn’t light a fire, I decided to continue to the next shelter.

I made it to Shelter #1 by four-thirty.  There was water nearby.  I put in a good 18 miles.  I could kept on going, but Shelter #2 was another eight miles away and I wouldn’t make it until after dark.  In less than 15 minutes I had my tent up, my bed made, and water boiling for dinner.

For dinner I had instant mashed potatoes and bacon.  For dessert, I mixed instant pudding mix and powdered milk so that I could make pudding by just adding cold water.  It was dark by six.  I sat and read until I was ready to fall asleep.  Because it was going to be cold, I was wearing my down jacket and thermal base layer.  In my pockets, I had my water filter, cell phone and spare battery.

I woke up once rather cold.  Cold air was getting into my quilt.  I got up in the middle the night, did some jumping jacks and climbed back into my tent and ate a Cliff Bar.  That warmed me up enough and I was good for the rest of the night.

Day #1.  18.2 miles.

I Start April 6th!

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Yes.  That was absolutely nerve-racking!  As expected, about a thousand thru-hiker wannabes rushed the PCTA website all at the same time.  The mosh pit grounded the website to a near halt.

The way the process works, now that I have seen it, is that when you first select your date, they give you exactly thirteen minutes to complete all the pages of the application.  I would fill out the form and click next and it would take nearly a minute before the next page would appear.  I would frantically fill out the form and then sit there watching a flashing “Processing…” message.

The final page before hitting the submit button required me to enter my credit card if I wanted to make a donation and to purchase a permit to climb Mount Whitney.  I had one minute to do it.  I typed as fast as I could, but I wasn’t fast enough.  When I hit the submit button, my application timed out and I had to start over.  I did that right away only to find that 32 of 35 slots of April 6th were taken!

The second time I skipped making a donation.  I have already given before, so hopefully it will not make a difference in my application approval.  I clicked the submit button.  Processing…

My phone beeps.  I received a new e-mail from the PCTA with a confirmation notice that my application has been successfully submitted.  Now I wait for the formal approval which should be in about three weeks.  As I gave myself a window of April 6th to September 15th, I do not expect for it to be declined.  The first major step of this hike has been successfully completed.  Now I pack for a three-day, two-night section hike of the Ice Age Trail to celebrate.  It is supposed to be cold and rainy.  It is ideal conditions for a shakedown of my gear.

 My heart can now stop beating so fast.

It’s Permit Day!

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Believe it or not, the very first step you make hiking the Pacific Crest Trail does not take place outside, but behind a computer. It is only fitting for me, I guess. You see, you need a permit from the Forest Park Service and the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) if you plan on hiking for more than 500 miles. That permit grants you permission to pass through every National and State Forest you pass through all the way to Canada!

The reason for this process is to protect the fragile ecosystem. At noon-thirty my time today, the system will release thirty-five permits for each day from March 1st to May 31st. If I fail to get one today, they will release an additional fifteen permits in January for the same window.

The date you aim for is a personal decision. Hiking the PCT is like a race with some gates. The finish line in Canada must be reached by October 1st. The weather in Washington gets sketchy quickly after that date. Even though I am an experienced winter camper, I don’t want to be trapped in the snow in the middle of nowhere. So, starting early would seem to be the best choice as that would give you the most time to complete it. But, there is a catch!

After hiking some 700 miles of desert, you eventually reach the town of Kennedy Meadows South near the base of the Sierra Mountains. This is the town where you swap your desert gear for your mountain gear. The snow pack in the Sierra Mountains is measured in yards. In general, you do not want to attempt this high-elevation section until June 15th. For the average hiker, it takes 40 days to complete that seven hundred miles.

Now, I may be slow, but I’m not March 1st slow. So, I have decided that I want to start my hike on one specific day — April 6th. This is the one-year anniversary of my best friend, Dennis, passing away. It gives me enough time to walk at a relaxed pace.

Once you complete the Sierra Mountains, it is a race to the end. It normally takes about six months to complete this hike. Of those six months, four of them are in California.

So I sit in an empty house waiting for 12:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time, when every like minded crazy person dreaming about hiking north is going to sign up for a limited number of permits.  It is going to be a mad rush!  I’ve heard horrors about this process.

Wish me luck. Yes, I am nervous.