<div>Diane,</div> <div> </div> <div>In response to your request, I want to say "Just go for it, the trail happens." </div> <div> </div> <div> I "discovered" the PCT almost 20 years ago when I was (only) 45. Just the thought of a path that kept on going fascinated me and I proposed to the group of women I was hiking with that we should try it. Only one responded that she found that an attractive idea so she & I section-hiked the trail (took us 15 years but we got there!) Then in 2000 I attempted a solo thru-hike and made it from Campo to Tahoe. This year I'm again doing a solo thru-hike and plan to join the "herd" at the ADZPCTKO because I love the comraderie and energy. (I plan to get in a couple of days ahead on the trail but found from my 2000 experience that people get spread out very quickly and I never found crowds to be a problem). I love solo hiking because you're free to hike at your own pace, buddy up with others when you wish and
be alone when you wish - all without rhyme or reason. The ebb and flow of people is amazing. I hiked at the "tortoise" pace, yet a couple of times caught up or was ahead of those younger and faster - and we could never figure out how it happened.</div> <div> </div> <div>I've described hiking the PCT as "a wonderful club where all it takes to join is put on your backpack and start walking."</div> <div> </div> <div>As far as life afterwards, it's hard to be specific. For me along the way I got in touch with an old dream of wanting to go to college and actively wondered if that was really possible. To make a long story short, I found that it was and was accepted at a women's college, lived on campus and in four short years experienced receiving a college degree just this past May. (It was great fun regaling the younger women there with stories of life on the trail, they all thought that I was something amazing. I hope that I inspired some of them to get out
there and experience what a trail has to offer.)</div> <div> </div> <div>I feel the trail experience continues to affect and inspire me in many ways and I hope to touch it in one way or another for many years to come.</div> <div> </div> <div>So you've got my encouragement, just get yourself out there and see what happens. </div> <div> </div> <div>Laraine</div> <div>"La de da"</div> <div> </div> <div><FONT size=1>and here's a paraphrased thought that I read somewhere years ago:</FONT></div> <div><EM>A trail is a wonderful way to organize earth and sky.</EM></div> <div><EM></EM> </div><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">Diane wrote: It probably comes across as a silly question, but you see, I have<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN></TT><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">wanted </SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt;
COLOR: #333333">to do this hike since 1975. Through a series of<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN></TT><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">synchronicities it has </SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">occurred to me quite suddenly and recently I<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN></TT><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">don't need to wait anymore.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333"><o:p> I</o:p></SPAN></TT><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333"> don't know why exactly I have wanted to do this for so long. I<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">don't think a year has
gone by that I didn't think about it. I was<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">only 10 years old in 1975, too, so I've been thinking about it a long<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">time. I'm getting excited about the afterwards part. I WANT it to<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">change my life and fear that it won't. Also, since I'm relatively<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">old, that's why I'm hoping to hear from people who aren't right out<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">of college (unless you went to college old like I did :-)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">I want not only hazy spiritual answers, but some concrete answers<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">too. I'm working on specific questions (such as were I to do x<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">afterwards, I should check out y during).<o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt;
COLOR: #333333"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">I learn a lot hearing from other people's experiences. Most books and<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">journals are written during. Few talk about the years that come<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">after. What happened then?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">Also, I'm thinking I won't do the whole thing all at once. Maybe I<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE
style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">will do all of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State> and leave <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State> and <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:State> for the<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">future. I don't want to burn up my big adventure too fast. I want to<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">savor it. I've lived most of my life with this dream, I want to keep<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">a little piece of it
alive. At least that is my thinking at the moment.</SPAN></TT><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">Thank you for your answers.</SPAN></TT><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><PRE style="LINE-HEIGHT: 14.4pt"><TT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #333333">Diane<o:p></o:p></SPAN></TT></PRE><p> 
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