Tracinglines - Pacific Crest Trail Journal - 2012

Where we've been and where we're going...

Brett and I started backpacking together when we first met in 2005. Back then, it was like a game of extreme survival. 60lb packs. Big, clunky compasses. We even brought canned beans and grandma's iron skillet! We've come a long way since those days. When we started camping out for REI Used Gear sales, I guess we knew we were hooked. Somehow, it seems like the idea of hiking the pacific crest was always in the backs of our minds. Looking back, I can't think of when it started. In the summer of 2007, we bought an '82 VW Westfalia Vanagon, adopted a dog, and set out on a 3 month road trip through our West that we both grew up in. When we got back, we continued to live out of our backpacks for a while. Life in San Diego seemed so full of static compared to life on quiet mountain highways. I think that's when we really started to talk about the trail. I took a great Wilderness Basics Course for a whole semester which really changed the way I backpack. It is probably the reason I feel *less* fear (blissful ignorance, maybe?) about doing the Pacific Crest. This year, just in time for everyone to leave for their hikes, we finally set our hearts on 2012 for our hike. We will have a busy year so we are starting our prep early. We both work full time. Brett has a second job and we both volunteer. Somewhere in the year, we will be moving, which will cost $ $ $ . So our strategy will be to get our gear all set within the next few months. Leaving the rest of the year for food prep and whatever craziness comes our way.

-Dana

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