[pct-l] A little tale of time on the trail

[Tom Bache]

In the hope of encouraging others, a simple tale with no thrilling adventure
or inspirational philosophy -- just a little reflection on the joy of
spending weekends hiking on the PCT .........

The through-hike is the glamor-king/queen of the PCT and other long trails,
so the adventures of the through-hikers get most of the attention.  But most
people find it too hard to override conflicting priorities to go off hiking
for months (or even weeks).  So how can you enjoy a commitment to the trail
while keeping peace with the job and family?

I think I¹ve found a nice way that works for those 20+ million of us who are
lucky enough to live in southern California (I live in San Diego).
Basically, the program is to go out one weekend a month around the calendar,
jumping around to seek optimum conditions for the season.   I used this
approach plus a few longer hikes in the Sierras to do the 940 PCT miles from
the border to Tuolomne Meadows in 24 months.  It was terrific fun, and I¹m
sorry I¹m done with this easier part of the PCT experience.  I miss my
monthly weekend backpack on the PCT -- it is now too far away, and snow is
not so easily dodged in northern climes.

To be honest, I didn¹t do it exactly that way, but I could have.  I started
with day hikes on nearby parts of the trail, and my plan came upon me
gradually as enthusiasm grew. All the multi-day trips were in the last 17
months when I went out for 11 two-day and 6 three-day weekends.   I added a
few summer trips in the Sierras (longest was 6 days), and I was done with
what can be done with this approach.  Also, I did eight of my weekend hikes
with my young son (now 8), and so the mileage on these trips was less than
most adults would do.

The biggest disadvantage is the travel. The driving time can be tedious and
degrades the daily mileage.  It is a hassle to close the gap between
starting point and end point.  I used almost every technique --  hitchhiked,
hired a cab, prevailed upon my patient wife, and a few times found a fellow
hiker (thank you Capt. Bivy) to get cars positioned at both ends.  I always
leave a car at the end so my dirty self gets in my own car where I have
total control of what happens next.

The long hike offers total immersion in the atavistic pleasure of living in
the present and sleeping each night wherever you happen to be.  But these
pleasures are not absent from shorter hikes, and there are advantages to
experiencing them many short times a year rather than for a long time once.

The biggest advantages are that you begin each hike fresh and it is easy to
carry a light load. With a fresh mind, you will be eager to see every little
thing you read about in the guidebooks in the prior weeks of anticipation.
Also, you can savor the memories before they are obscured by the layering on
of new memories from the trail over the next ridge.

Another thing I really enjoyed is the opportunity to see and explore a lot
of California geography I otherwise would be unlikely to visit. The
long-distance hiker sees the trail.  The weekender sees the trail plus a lot
of remote backcountry surrounding it.  Without the lure of the trail, I
would probably never have driven Jawbone Canyon Road or Oak Creek Canyon, or
the long climb up to Kennedy Meadows, or explored the many beautiful roads
crossing the mountains between the Mojave and the Los Angeles basin.
There¹s a lot of other backcountry to be hiked and explored!

Another thing I enjoyed (childish I suppose) was a big map I put on my
garage wall (pasted up pages from the Delorme map book).  As I completed
each hike, I colored it in.  Staring at, studying, and dreaming about those
blank spaces yet to be colored was a big motivator to get me out there.

The southern California PCT is (mostly) a racetrack ‹ well-graded,
well-marked.  The biggest surprise to me was how few people I saw on the
trail.  In fact, other than through-hikers ‹ many NOBO in the spring, a few
SOBO in the fall, and hordes of JMT hikers in August, I saw almost no
backpackers and very few day hikers except within a few-hundred yards of a
paved road.  In fact, I hiked Kennedy Meadows to Cottonwood Pass in August
and saw no one until reaching my PCT exit at the pass!  To me it is  amazing
to hike entirely alone on this beautiful and easy trail while looking out at
the millions of people in the valleys below.
 
I found this to be  a very enjoyable and practical way for the average busy
person to enjoy a large chunk of the PCT.  For most of us it will only work
in southern California where much of the trail is as good (or better) for
hiking in the winter as in other seasons.  Also, purists who insist on doing
every piece in order will probably take longer as they are blocked by snow
or other bad conditions.  I recommend jumping around to hike where the
conditions are best at the time.

Tell your friends ‹ there is, I think, NO chance of overcrowding the trail.

Tom Bache
La Jolla