[at-l] Merlin Walks Again

[spiriteagle99@hotmail.com (Jim and/or Ginny Owen)]

Sly wrote:
"Much of the same scenario happened to me on my PCT thru-hike, but again, it 
took me longer than expected.  I finished that trail too.  I consider these 
"unsuccessful" attempts a huge accomplishment."

Me too!  You hiked the trails, no matter how long it took.  Better still, 
you had fun doing it.  Enough to keep coming back, even knowing how hard it 
can be.

"I'm not sure where it ever came up you had to hike a trail a certain way.  
The trails certainly weren't built that way, and no one should feel they 
have to hike them on any certain terms.  My feelings are you're out there to 
see and feel, mentally, physically and spiritually anything possible.  You 
can't do that with a preconceived notion of how it's going to go."

Sounds to me like you have the right attitude for the CDT, where truly, 
anything can happen.  No one expected the fires last year that closed down 
the state of Montana, but the hikers had to deal with it.  We didn't expect 
the physical problems that plagued us on both trails, but they were a 
constant issue as we hiked. And as Merlin said the other day - in his head, 
he knew that it was possible that something might prevent him finishing the 
hike, but it wasn't until it happened that he realized that it could really 
happen to him.  "Life is what happens when you're making other plans."

Your post reminded me of our meeting with Namie Bacille last summer. For 
those who don't know him, Namie has thruhiked all three long trails (AT, 
PCT, and CDT) three times each.  Interesting guy.  When he was interviewed 
for the CDT video, he started to explain his strategy for hiking the CDT - 
starting at the Mexican border, jumping over Colorado and hiking back south 
from Atlantic City, then heading north again. As Sly said, flip flops of one 
kind or another are pretty common out there for northbounders unless you 
either start really late (and thus have to rush for the northern border 
before the snows start in Sept.) or get really lucky with the snow in 
Colorado.  Anyhow, Lynne hadn't at that point spoken to many CDT hikers and 
his comment to Namie was, "Oh, so you're not a REAL thruhiker."  That after 
the guy has done nine thru-hikes!

It's okay - some people don't consider us real thruhikers either, but after 
my four long hikes, and numerous section hikes of shorter trails, I know it 
doesn't matter what other people think of what I've done or how I've done 
it, it only matters what I think of my experience.  I was happy with my 
hikes - and that's what counts.  I don't hike for other people, I hike to 
see the land, live the lifestyle, and accomplish the challenge of walking 
long distances, however we accomplish it.  As Earl said, we each have our 
reasons for being out there.

For some, hiking Springer to Katahdin is the only thing that matches their 
vision of a real thruhike.  Others either choose or are forced to change 
that vision - to section hiking, flip flopping, patchwork hiking, etc. HYOK  
The only thing that really matters is that you're hiking.

Ginny
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