Why hike the PCT?

Many people have asked me why I want to hike the PCT. You might think there would be an easy answer for that, but I often am at a loss for words when asked. There’s a ton of reasons I want to hike the PCT, and I can’t say any of them stand out from the others.

So, in no particular order of importance, here’s why I want to hike the PCT:

• Because I’ve been thinking about it since I first heard about it as a boy. I fell in love with backpacking when I was 8 or 10 or something, and some of the trails my father took me on were part of the PCT. This was back in the ‘70’s, when the PCT was barely complete, but it sparked my imagination. Seriously? Backpack from Mexico to Canada? That’s so cool!
• Because I still can. Yes, perhaps a lot of mid-life crisis action here. But it’s true. I’m 46. If not now, when? When I retire at 65 or whatever? I’m certain I’ll have a better chance of success and a much more enjoyable time if I hike it while I’m still “young”.
• Because I’m bored. My life is good. But getting more than a little routine. Time to mix it up and do something different for a while.
• For better health. Being a desk jokey will kill you. I was always in excellent shape until my late 30’s when my field work  went way down and I became admittedly a little lazy. It will be nice to get some exercise.
• To get outside! I love being outside, even in bad weather. That’s one of the reasons I joined the Forest Service. Once, me and my field partner worked four days a week, camping out every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night for about 18 months in a row. And this was back when it used to rain and snow in California in the winter. If that was still my job, I probably wouldn’t be hiking the PCT this year.
• To think. To unplug. To get away from all the noises and distractions of the human-created world, and see if there is something quiet, either inside me or outside me, that can be heard.

Welcome to my new blog!  Follow along as I attempt to hike from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail.  I won’t be posting every day, but I’ll try to post at least once a week so you can see how I’m doing, and where I am.

I’ve got a lot to do before I hit the trail (April 6), but I will try to post some pre-trail thoughts and notes about my planning and preparations.  But for this first post, I wanted to explain the title of my blog.

I like to sleep, and I like to dream.  It occurred to me the other day that I can’t remember a single dream where I was at home.  As a long time Forest Service employee, I often have dreams that I am out in the woods somewhere, on a dusty road, or knee-deep in some stream (I’m a Hydrologist).  Sometimes I’m in my car.  And of course the stress dreams where I’m in college and it’s Finals Week and I;  a) haven’t been to class all semester, b) don’t know where the class meets, c) don’t know when the exam is, or d) all of those things.

Now, I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that if I spend five or six months on the PCT, I will have dreams that take place there for years to come, if not the rest of my life.  In fact, I’ve already had two dreams where I was on the PCT (both stress dreams where I had just started but was missing some important piece of gear).

Hiking the PCT has been a dream of mine since I was about 15.  Soon, I will be Living The Dream.  And then the PCT will be inside me.  A place I can go in my sleep.  A new place for dreams.  Hopefully, happy dreams.