Making the leap: Deciding to attempt the Pacific Crest Trail

"Our goal should be not the emulation of the ancients and their ways, but to experience for ourselves the aspects of human existence out of which arose those ancient forms which when we see them elicit such a feeling of... longing. Otherwise the modern will remain forever superficial while the real will remain ancient, far away, and therefore outside of ourselves."

- Mr. Aoki 

(Dog-eared from "A Language Older than Words" by Derrick Jensen)

I've been plotting the path for a thru-hike attempt of the Pacific Crest Trail since October last year. More recently, I've done some thinking about the internal journey for me in this regard - in particular, how did I go from dreaming about this sort of adventure to actually taking the steps to attempt it?

I think I first discovered the Pacific Crest Trail a few years ago in Ray Jardine's hiking book, "Trail Life". Jardine was the go-to source for lightweight hiking wisdom for PCT hikers for many years, and it was actually images from the PCT in that book that ignited the desire for me to attempt it at some point in my life.

Trail Life - Ray Jardine

I am familiar with the book "Wild", though I hadn't read it myself prior to this year.  I've read a number of other long distance hiking travelogues, and am fascinated with the insights gained from such an undertaking. The Appalachian trail is pretty well known today I would venture to say. Lots of people attempt it for numerous different reasons; after being diagnosed with cancer, after losing a job or retiring, or after college/high school with no idea where to head in life.


I read "The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind - and Almost Found Myself - On the Pacific Crest Trail" By Dan White.

And you can't go wrong with Bill Bryson's, "A Walk in the Woods".

But the big one that pushed me forward with my own ambition this past year was a youtube series by a guy named Joe Brewer. Something about his series of video journals for the AT and PCT presented the journey as something difficult, but very possible. Watching a seemingly normal guy (though I still find him to be a inspiring individual) hike all that way made me ask myself, "Why couldn't I do it?"

Here's a link to his Mt. Whitney summit - one of my favorites from his hike. I will be borrowing his method of documenting the journey through video logs most likely..

Joe Brewer's PCT Hike - Mt. Whitney



I will also be using one of the well known PCT guidebooks, "Yogi's PCT Handbook".
The information in this book is ridiculously well laid out. Her list of re-supply towns makes it a breeze to map out a plan (she even lays out step by step how to label and ship the package to minimize any potential delivery problems!)

Also, check out Mac from HalfwayAnywhere.com for some more enjoyable PCT info.

www.halfwayanywhere.com/pacific-crest-trail

I am very much "standing on the shoulders of Giants" as I plan this adventure. The path is well laid out for those who seek to find it, it just takes that last leap of faith to actually leave everything behind.

More blogs to come soon.. definitely expect a gear overview of everything I am bringing with me before I set out, and an overview of food I will be bringing.