On Friday evening, Matt and I attended the Foothills’ branch Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Film Night at the Seattle Program Center. The purpose of the evening was to raise money for the PCT Association and to promote the branch’s PCT Hiking Series. The evening included a panel of both thru- (hike the whole trail in one trip) and section hikers (hike a section of the trail at a time) discussing tips and what it’s like to hike on the famous trail. We also saw two films covering several individuals’ experiences as they attempted the immense challenge of covering the 2650-mile-long trail over several months. As an avid backpacker, I must admit to feeling the allure of attempting such a goal and I get to musing about the experience.
I wondered what would it be like for me to start at the US/Mexican border and get up day after day and walk 20+ miles in all weather to end up at the US/Canadian border some 4-5 months later. What would I think about as I walked? Would I enjoy my food each day? Would I be able to overcome fatigue and pain from my exertions? Would I feel mostly positive as I walked, or would I occasionally succumb to feelings of melancholy? If I had a hiking partner, how well would we get along?
I have often said that one of the keys to success in long-distance day hiking is enjoying the process. This is the ability to find joy and meaning in something as simple as walking and being in nature. The goal of reaching the destination becomes secondary to enjoying the trip and each moment you spend doing it. I often compare it to working on a puzzle. People such as myself who work puzzles of many thousands of pieces don’t do it just see what the picture looks like when it’s done—we can look at the box to see that. We do it because we enjoy the process of examining each piece of the puzzle to see where it might fit in the whole. We like to experience the work in progress as we build slowly to the completed image.
I think the same experiential desire works for long-distance hiking whether it is for twenty or for several thousand miles.
If you are unable to cultivate an enjoyment of the hiking process, and instead focus mainly on reaching your destination, you may find longer hikes frustrating and boring. If the weather is less than stellar, if thunderclouds threaten, or if one of your companions develops a serious injury—turning the entire group around before reaching the destination—you may become angry or feel cheated from reaching your goal.
But if you enjoy the process, you will enjoy the beauty of the trail and scenery, the conversation of hiking partners, the taste of your food and cold water, and even the feeling of your body as you move on the trail. Reaching the destination will be an added pleasure—not the only one.
I, too, feel the allure of the PCT. Here's a fun book to read while one is contemplating this level of adventure and commitment: "Zero Days: The Real Life Adventure of Captain Bligh, Nellie Bly, and 10-year-old Scrambler on the Pacific Crest Trail."
ReplyDeleteAnne Aumell CHS2