Bobk - Pacific Crest Trail Journal - 2013

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SoBo near Round Top

My PCT Journey

Hiking the PCT is such a crazy adventure. When I was in Boy Scouts (that was like eons ago) our troop crisscrossed the PCT on 50-miler backpacking trips. Back then it was a metal frame pack, a hand-made sleeping bag from a Frostline kit, a plastic tube tent and a study pair of boots. Still have the pack and bag along with a set of those cool leather 50-miler patches.

Over the years with my kids and friends we chipped off bits and pieces of the PCT from Cottonwood (Mt. Whitney) to Echo Lake (Lake Tahoe). Somewhere along the way, my back started hurting and the Ray-way led to a change of thinking that significantly lightened the load, increased the daily distance and the fun. For the last decade it's been a small frameless pack, down quilt, tarp tent and tennis shoes.

Last summer we section hiked SoBo from Echo Lake to Sonora Pass. Our timing unwittingly put us in the middle of the NoBo thru-hiker pack. We had never seen so many people on the PCT (or JMT for that matter) and thoroughly enjoyed meeting the folks on the trail.

So after the trip, the kids decide I need to hike the PCT. Well that's not so easy with multiple responsibilities and a schedule crammed with endless to-do lists. What to do? What to do? Well my kids took the initiative to clear the way in my volunteer activities, even offering to fill in for me. My boss thinks its cool and supports a leave of absence. Alas, I would love to thru-hike the whole trail, but realistically I can only be gone for about two and a half months, so I'll try to hike the first half. Hum, that's more than a section hike and less than a thru-hike, so what do you call that?

I've found these journals to be quite helpful for gleaning all kinds of information about the trail. Not being into social networking I've decided to give on-line journaling a try. I'll endeavor to keep mine up and not be too much of a slacker. You are welcome to follow along and I hope you enjoy the journey.

My plan so far is to start and Campo on April 25 and participate in ADZPCTKO. I'll post some entries covering the preparations.

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