[pct-l] Strider (Greg Hummel) has passed on

[Sean Nordeen]

I first saw Strider at the 2007 ADZPCTKO when I showed up to check things
out as I was thinking about hiking the PCT in the future.  He and the other
alumni from the 1970's looked so much larger then life.  His height, I'm
sure, contributed to that feeling of mine.

When I hiked the trail in 2009, due to an injury I was hiking behind the
herd.  As I was eating at a resturant in Sierra City with 2 other hikers,
we looked over and spotted Strider with his extended family at the table
next to us.  They were there to hike to the fire lookout on the Sierra
Buttes above town.  One of the guys I was with could not stop talking to
him. Even after we kicked him a few times under the table.  We felt bad
that we were intruding in on his family time.  But Strider continued to
answer the guys questions without any annoyance.  When I returned to the
ADZPCTKO the next year to reunite with trail friends, I had a chance to
talk with him briefly.  I apologized for my friend taking away from his
family time and he laughed.  He said it was fine and the family enjoyed
meeting some new PCT hikers as they were tired of his old stories.  He
asked about my hike and whether or not I was able to finished.  He was a
really great guy.  The kind of guy you wanted to have a beer with.

I'm sorry to hear about his passing on.  I wish his family the best. He was
an icon in the PCT community and has given much to the hikers over the past
15 years.  His large shoes will be missed.

-Miner