Luke Sierrawalker - Pacific Crest Trail Journal - 2012

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October 2011 training hike of the GR-20 accross Corsica

Background

The idea of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail has been in the back of my mind for quite a long time, probably since after I hiked the southern half of the amazing Bibbulmun Track in Western Australia in the year of 2004. That was my novice long distance hiking trip and my 25 kg (55 Ib) backpack, with complete fishing equipment, a heavy duty Aussie cotton-swag for shelter and up to 8 days worth of food, was giving me quite a hard time!

My subsequent studies as well as my job have since kept me from doing anything more than the occasional two-week trip in Europe. But now that I have quit my job, saved some money and still don't have too many binding obligations is the perfect time to do it, I guess. I have since brought my pack base weight down to 6 kg (13 Ib) and I'm currently still working on the weight and gear issue. I'll be using a yet unreleased ultralight version of the Exped Ergo Hammock (normal weight edition will be available in spring 2012) as bed and shelter, so the pct should make for a thorough field test, I suppose.

Getting to the pct trailhead at Harts Pass will be quite a bit of an adventure by itself. The itinerary will include getting to Antwerp and crossing the Atlantic on board a freighter ship bound for Chester, near Philadelphia. From there on I will try to make my way overland towards Seattle by not yet determined means and routes. I look very much forward to this exiting trip, which will start a month from today.

Please excuse any mistakes and odd expressions in my journal since I'm not a native English speaker.

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