Bob and the PCT

Hi again. It’s Doolittle. One more guest blog before I do my own. (Does it seem like I’m stalling!) Some of you that followed my adventure last year will remember Bob. I met Bob at the restaurant in Belden Town. He had been on the trail for about five weeks, and he was looking good.

I sat down at his table and started a conversation (as is my normal procedure with complete strangers). I think he didn’t know what to make of me, but he loosened up and we chatted for a while. I was impressed with how much he could eat!

We ran into each other about a week later in Sierra City. We hiked together from there to Tuolumne Meadows. Bob hung out in Mammoth an extra day so we separated for about a week. But then I found him again on the trail and we hiked most of the major passes in the Sierra before ending our hike over Kearsarge Pass.

It was fun hiking with Bob. He knew a lot about the trail and about hiking. His personal story was fascinating, too. I learned a lot from Bob about how to keep life meaningful after retirement, and how to deal with loneliness.

When I asked Bob if he would contribute to this blog, he initially resisted, claiming to not have anything interesting to say. But since this blog is primarily for myself, I told him not to worry about it. Thankfully, he swallowed his misgivings and sent me this.

Bob on the PCT

My name is Bob and I hiked with Doolittle from Sierra City to Kersarge Pass last year – a distance of a little over 400 miles. I was completing my second hike of the PCT. This time from Canada to Mexico and had done Southern California and Washington the year before – so I was filling in the gap.

Dave asked me to write a little about my hiking and the PCT. I’m not much of a writer – I’d rather hike uphill for a few hours – so Dave has free rein to edit as he sees fit.

How I got started

My summer job in college was as a guide for wilderness canoe trips in Canada. Then I came out west and met my wife, Del.

Together we discovered a love of hiking and wilderness travel in general. But it wasn’t until we retired that we discovered the magic of long distance hiking.

The feeling of long distance hiking

The PCTA gives permits for any hike on the PCT that is 500 miles or longer. More people complete the PCT in sections of 2 to 5 years than in one year. 2650 miles is a long way!
But something happens after about the first 200 miles or 3 weeks. The initial aches and soreness of hiking every day go away. Instead you start to feel stronger, hiking longer, eating like a teenager in the trail towns and still your waist is shrinking, starting to feel years younger! Some people call it “ backpackers bliss”. You think “why can’t I feel this good all the time?” You realize your body is doing what it was meant to do – walking not sitting!

For a few months it becomes a way of life. However (there’s always a however ) this bliss begins to fade after about 1200 to 1500 miles. Especially if you’ve pushed too hard because you are trying to make it to Canada in one year. You begin to feel little aches and pains that won’t go away until months after you stop.

Perseverance

Living in Bend, Oregon, a popular trail town close to the PCT, I meet hikers who have had enough. They simply drop out or, making it to Canada, say “ I will never do that again”. Since Del and I were taking 5 years ( an average 500 miles per year ) we already decided the Canadian Border was simply the turn around point and next we would hike south taking 2 years instead of 5. I guess the old saying is true, it’s the journey not the destination.

You know from last year’s blog that Del was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away before we could complete our hike to Canada. She would always say that you have to accept the times when you are uncomfortably hot, cold, wet, sweaty, dirty, smelly, stinky, very hungry and very tired. But if you can get past all that, it can be the grandest adventure of your life!

The reward

And then there are the people you meet. Regardless of age, skin color, gender, nation of origin, etc, we are all trying to hike a long way and our hopes, dreams, concerns and fears are the same. Conversations revolve around the trail – what’s ahead, where’s the next water, any news on the weather, campsites, dangerous stream crossings, snow and the two most feared words on the PCT – Ice Axe !!!

It’s so refreshing to get away from the turmoil and discord of our present culture. Still, we are creatures of our time and eventually it is good to get back to a table, a chair, electricity and indoor plumbing!

This year’s adventure

I have to say, hiking with Doolittle was great. Since there aren’t many mountains in Florida, he was like a kid in a toy store. Every bend in the trail brought something new to see. I realized I was taking too much for granted. So this year I’ve been looking around more – enjoying the views more – not just grinding out the miles.

I met Dave, Dealer and Seven in Tehatchapi this year. Dave looked great and Dealer and Seven were definitely getting that hard core thru-hiker look – welcome to the club!

I came off the trail at Big Bear due to the heat but am getting back on at Echo summit on August 10 – snow permitting. If all goes well I’ll have done 900 miles this summer. Hmmmm… that just leaves 1700 miles to have done the PCT a third time.

Yes, I need help with this addiction… but not just yet!

Editors note

One thing that stands out about Bob is his joy. He really loves being outdoors and his love for the trail is contagious. He has suggested we hike together in the future. That would be fun, although I have thought that it might not be possible. You see I never wanted to become a professional hiker.

But the lure of the trail is strong. Bob calls it an addiction. I understand him perfectly. Despite my happiness about being home, I still feel the call of the trail on my heart. If someday I do submit to that call, I can’t think of many better hiking partners than Bob.

God bless you on the trail this year, Bob. Be careful out there…and relish it.