Week One: Hiking The Pacific Crest Trail

"It's just walking. Anyone can do it." - Yogi

Looking at the climb out of Scissors crossing (mi 77)

So, im just about through my first week on the trail. My extreme blogging ambitions have fallen by the wayside a little, but I'll do my best to capture some thoughts. I haven't had decent cell reception, and I've been caught up in the adventure and meeting new people. I've met tons of people already, from all different walks of life - and parts of the world even.

Since I delayed my start date to the 25th and got a ride out here from my parents, I lucked out and made it to the last day of the big PCT kick-off event. People who've done the trail in previous years come out and greet the new batch of hikers, and coordinate seminars and advice.

And I got to meet Yogi, the woman who wrote the guidebook I'm using! She gave me a PCT class of 2015 bandana. Pretty cool!

Yep, it can also be used to hitch a ride to or from town

The Hiking Community on Trail:

I've been hiking with a cool group of people. Sometimes we stay together, sometimes everyone does their own thing. You can hike all day in solitude usually, since everyone goes a similar pace down the trail. Then when you get to a water source or camping area, there's often a group of people chilling and resting their feet. It's never predictable where you'll encounter people either. You might run into someone at the next water source that you haven't seen in days.

There's an interesting age group out here also, and it's pretty well split. There are people in the 20 to 30 age group, and then people in the 50-60 age group. So, discontented youngsters like myself, fighting a 9 to 5 existence, and retired people chasing a dream they never made time for when young.

Either way, it's a beautiful trip. The Pacific Crest Trail in these early miles is like a roller coaster. It climbs way up into the mountains with beautiful views, and then drops down to the desert floor... over and over again. The terrain is constantly changing, making every section new and exciting. Everyday I can stop and look back on the miles I've accomplished, as the mountains roll behind me into the distance.

Check out my video synopsis of week one as well. I'll try to keep the blog entries coming.