Hop to the Pacific Ocean

The impossible dream is almost becoming reality. I am high above the clouds in a plane from Provo to Los Angeles. It was five years ago when l dared to mention this dream and put it on my April 2011 New Mexico poster. Reading the journal of the Pacific Crest trail hiker Kimchi and reading the book "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed only caused the desire to grow.

What is the PCT?

The Pacific crest trail is a long distance path for walking and horse riding . Currently the path starts in Canada and follows mountain ridges of the Cascades within sight of the majestic volcanoes of mount Rainier, mount St Helens, mount Hood and Mount Shasta. Further south, it joins the ridges of the Sierra Nevada and reaches close to Mount Whitney - the highest peak of the USA outside Alaska and Hawaii. South of the Sierra the PCT crosses a part of the Mojave desert. It follows the lofty ridges of San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains above the smog of LA, and finally reaches the USA - Mexico border at Campo, CA. There it is cut off by a high border fence. I hope the time will come when a footpath continues south of the border into Mexico, Guatemala, and further south towards the high Andes. Walking is the best way to discover new places and with so much preference for cars, every country needs more paths like the PCT, connecting people and places, and bringing people back in touch with the Earth.

My Journey on the PCT

The majority of hikers who attempt to walk the whole trail (thru hikers) set foot on the trail at its southern end in April and May. This gives them a time window to reach the Sierras in June after most of the snow has already melted, and reach the Cascades near Canada before new snow starts covering them in October. A few brave hikers walk north to south, often starting on snow in July to reach the high Sierras in October and Mexico in November. The south to north (northbound) direction has a safety in numbers factor. In late April and early May, up to 50 thru hikers start their journey at the Mexico border fence. Like many of the pilgrims l am starting alone. But expecting to meet other friendly hikers and share the trail together.

Why?
The long walk on the Pacific Crest Trail is a pilgrimage through the most holy temple of the wilderness, towards getting closer to my Mother Earth and respecting all Life.

Getting There

After my airplane lands in Los Angeles, l will catch the train to Oceanside to take a dip in the Pacific Ocean. From there take the Coaster train to San Diego, recycle my laptop, and catch bus 894 to the small village of Campo. From Campo it is 2 miles to the start of the trail!