A Thank You to the PCT (and PCTA)
The last time I wrote since being back in LA, I was having some difficulties adjusting to life post-trail. I’d be lying if I said that those difficulties were totally resolved, as my dislike of traffic has intensified and the job hunt continues. While those challenges (and day to day stressors) can easily stack up in an idle mind, I’m also frequently bombarded by specific memories from the summer like a great lunch break, a quick water stop, or relaxing at a sweet campsite at the end of a long day.
Yesterday I was walking back to my apartment after lunch. As I enjoyed the early afternoon sunshine my mind wandered back to a vivid trail memory as it so often does these days. While digesting my current lunch I thought about one of my favorite lunches, the one that we had the day we took on the Knife’s Edge in Goat Rocks Wilderness. It was a perfectly typical PCT lunch, and that’s what makes it stand out so much in my mind. We had been nervous about inclement weather for the fickle Knife’s Edge, but it was shaping up to be a beautiful day drenched in sunshine. So we decided to pull off to the side of the trail at the end of a long traverse before we crossed a small pass to the shaded side of the mountain. I set to making our lunch while my dad went about drying out all the tent stuff from condensation from the night before. All the while we enjoyed one last epic view of snow-covered Mt. Adams.
By the time I got back to my apartment I had run through the rest of that day in my mind’s eye, seeing the same views along that glorious ridge walk and feeling that ultimate contentment watching the sun set deep beyond those dramatic and majestic purple Washington slopes. After comparing notes with him, my dad confirmed that he is also constantly drawn back to specific episodes on the trail. We quickly rattled off a handful of our favorites (complete with mileage stats and campsites) and for a period of time I was transported out of the bustle of the city.
That long walk home made me reflect on the totality of our experience out there, and that’s why this Thanksgiving I want to extend my eternal gratitude to the hard-working and dedicated men and women of the PCTA. Without you, this dream of thru-hiking a “wild and scenic pathway from Mexico to Canada” would never have even existed. Without your hard work to establish and maintain the trail, we wouldn’t have been able to take countless steps together that repeat themselves in my mind and heart every day.
It’s easy to get caught up in having too much stuff and gaining status over everyone else in the rat race. So above all I wanted to thank the PCT for giving me an avenue to realize a depth of perspective that I had never known. New perspective on my relationship with my dad and on his life gave me greater appreciation for all he has given to me, including everything to help me get through this hike, both financially and emotionally. That perspective extended in a profound way to life outside the trail as well. As I’m sure you’re aware by this point the PCT can be cold, hot, dirty, painful, and lonely. All of these elements created a sharp contrast for me about what I missed most from home. By the end of our trip I was so ready to be back home, but it wasn’t because I missed my car or bed or any one particular thing. I missed my people.
I missed my friends and my family, all the loved ones whose encouragement was a constant source of strength on the trail. So while I looked forward to just absolutely stuffing my face (something that is an hourly fantasy out there), I was even more excited about stuffing in as much time with those friends and family as possible. Without them there’s no one to share the joys and pains of adventure with and no one to look forward to coming home to.
Happy Thanksgiving Y’all! Now let’s go hike off some turkey :D
