If only it was practical to rep full Blazers gear on the trail
“Why?” is most folks’ response when they find out that I’m hiking the PCT, so it seems a fitting place to start my trail journal.
It’s a tough question. I’ve known to my core that hiking the trail was my dream since 2014 when I started reading PCT hiker trail journals online. Since then, whenever I open my computer in an absent-minded “let’s see what’s on the internet” kind of way, it only takes a few minutes before I inevitably drift toward checking out new backpacking gear and reading up on my favorite hikers’ exploits.
But why would I want to subject myself to months sleeping on the ground? Why would I want to abandon indoor plumbing? Why the hell am I setting out on the trail without a stove?
To summarize:
“You’ve got to be CRAZY” –my Uncle John
So, I’ve thought about it a bit, and here are some of the reasons why I can’t wait to get out onto the trail, poop in the woods, eat cold ramen, get sunburned, and climb mountains:
Just to be outside and active. Hiking has been a way for me to let the anxieties of daily life subside, have the silliest and deepest conversations with friends and new acquaintances, and to do some deep thinking. Basically, I feel most like myself when I’m moving around outside.
The Challenge. Capitalization there is intentional. I think to say that “hard things are worth doing because they’re hard” overly simplifies it. I’d change that to “hard things are worth doing because the challenge lets you learn about yourself, grow, and collect interesting stories that become a part of your identity.” That’s the perspective that I’m going to try taking into my hike: whenever I’m soaked in rain, or cold, or staring down a stream crossing that’s especially tricky, I’ll consider it a Challenge. On Big Brother, the reality TV show that Em and I have watched for the past three summers, they have Challenges all the time to earn privileges and status. Stream crossings are just like that, right?
To see the Pacific Northwest. The part of the world to which I feel most closely connected is Oregon, Washington, and parts of California. I’d like to see that land, learn about it, meet more people who live in it, and feel even closer to it.
Because of a pic of my Uncle Steven. He did the Oregon section of the PCT and I’ve grown up seeing a cool black and white picture of him with a huge pack.
So, overall, I know that I want to do this hike and I have some ideas of why it's meaningful, but most of all I'm confident that I'll find a whole slew of new and unexpected reasons along the way. For now, I'm just preparing at a sprint so that I can hit this adventure with speed.