I've walked 800 miles so far

sbfluter · Post by **sbfluter** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 3:38 pm

Just thought I'd post an update in case anybody is interested.

I've walked 800 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail so far. I walked from Campo, California next to the corrugated metal fence that forms our border with Mexico to Bishop California which is about half-way up the state. It's 800 miles because the trail isn't a straight line.

Most of the time the trail is like a community of fellow hikers, almost a party on foot. But as time goes on I've spent more time alone and found this to be a challenge, especially lately in the Sierras, where I've spent whole days alone doing scary things.

I have been walking usually around 20 miles a day. My longest day was 28 miles in Southern California. In the Sierras I've been doing 17-19 mile days.

I endured walking through desert with 5.5 liters of water on my back, hoping I'd make it to the next water source. Fortunately these days people leave large caches of water for us poor pilgrims. I lucked out and had very mild weather all through the Southern California deserts. I think only one day was above 100, and most were in the 80s.

I have reached the High Sierra where I have encountered challenges I've had trouble facing. The high mountain passes are still covered in snow and are at times slippery due to being wet or icy. Route-finding in the snow is tedious. The altitude challenges me more mentally than physically. I've been fearful of some potentially fatal creek crossings still to come. I've felt lonely and scared at times because I've been doing this alone most of the time.

I ran too low on food and began rationing it. I climbed 6 12,000-13,000 foot mountain passes, the most difficult one eating only a peanut butter and jelly tortilla, an energy bar and a small handful of nuts and raisins before my ramen dinner at the end of the day. I drank liters of lemonade to try to fool my stomach.

Due to altitude (which makes me emotionally volatile) and insufficient food, I left the trail at Bishop Pass thinking I would just go home to the family I missed. When my head became clearer I realized I didn't want to leave the trail after all.

Instead, I've decided to take a break to wait for my boyfriend who has all next week off. We'll return to the trail together and enjoy some of the beautiful Sierra wilderness. I will skip the potentially fatal creek crossings that lie between me and my goal as well as a few, but not all, of the high passes.

My PCT hike won't be pure, but it will continue.

It's strange being home again. Real life happens on the trail. Nothing is better than having everything you need on your back and a community of friendly people everywhere you go. The joy of finding a cooler of fruit in the desert or getting a ride from the same exact total stranger who gave me a ride last week is magical. Being able to order the biscuits and gravy with my eggs, bacon and pancakes is great!

I look forward to getting back on the trail. My trail name is Piper because I play my pennywhistle. People seem to like it, bad as it is.

Thomaston · Post by **Thomaston** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 3:46 pm

That all sounds really awesome! I'd love to do something like it one day. Best of luck on the trail ahead.

mutepointe · Post by **mutepointe** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 3:49 pm

Yikes.

djm · Post by **djm** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 3:55 pm

That just so does not entice me, but I'm glad you're having a good time, at any rate.

djm

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 4:14 pm

What you're describing about trail culture, and the personal experience is similar to what I've heard from others.

When you first talked about it I wasn't sure you really meant to go, but I was wrong, huh?

Great experience and kudos to you! Keep us updated.

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 4:14 pm

Good for you!!

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 4:19 pm

so, do ya think ya; could have picked a worse year?

sbfluter wrote:Due to altitude (which makes me emotionally volatile) and insufficient food

I'm okay with altitude, it insufficient food that makes me emotionally volatile.

Good timing on the break though! Maybe they'll get some of the fires sorted out.

Congratulations!!!

BillChin · Post by **BillChin** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 5:00 pm

Sounds like the trip of a lifetime.

Cheers.

sbfluter · Post by **sbfluter** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 5:30 pm

I walked through one fire that was burning all around me. It was surreal. Living in Southern California where the fires are like fire storms and people run for their lives it's really strange to see a fire that burns so languidly you can just walk through it.

The sad thing about the fires is that where there were trees mostly there won't be trees again. Only in the High Sierras have I seen any regrowth of trees in any burn areas I've walked through.

In the first 700 miles I can't remember a stretch longer than one day that I didn't walk through a burn area. In the following 100 miles I still walked through more than one burn area.

Climate change is real, it's happening right now, and it's sudden, not gradual. Don't expect the forests to be there for your kids. It's turning to chaparral and desert as we speak.

chas · Post by **chas** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:24 pm

Diane, that is so cool! I hope to be able to do something like that before I'm senile.

mutepointe · Post by **mutepointe** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:42 pm

when i travel the pacific trail or the appalachain trail, that's when there are going to be nice, quiet, green hovercrafts with attached dining cars and extra oxygen. walking is not my idea of fun. and there better be suprise caches along the way of belgian chocolates and french bread with homemade butter and ice cold sparkling water.

you are taking pics, aren't you?

Daniel_Bingamon · Post by **Daniel_Bingamon** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 8:56 pm

Another big hike is the "Longest Walk 2", a Native American group that is crossing the US from the pacific coast to DC. http://www.longestwalk.org/

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 9:01 pm

mutepointe wrote:you are taking pics, aren't you?

of course she is

jsluder · Post by **jsluder** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 7:49 am

Glad to hear you're gonna keep going, Diane! What a great way to experience the natural world, and learn a lot about yourself, to boot. I'm envious.

sbfluter · Post by **sbfluter** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 8:04 am

Here are the pictures. They're not all that great. I would just snap a picture of the trail every now and then to remember. In the Sierras my digital camera wouldn't work above 9000ft. It would work below. Very strange. The screen would just be white and the little door over the lens wouldn't close and it wouldn't take a picture. So I used a disposable camera. The disposable gave me poorly exposed pictures and I had to limit the number of pictures each day.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dianesoini