[at-l] Magaroni's PCT Journal

[Snodrog5@aol.com (Snodrog5@aol.com)]

My CuteFTP program is having trouble connecting to the website,=20
(I think) so I'm posting Mag's first PCT journal entries here for now.
My IT support person is out riding his bike, when he gets back I'll ask him=20
where/how I messed up :O)
-TJ

Friday, February 22 - Boulder, CO   Mileage 0.0

Typing this entry brings back many of the feelings I had at this time four
years ago. Before I started my hike of the Appalachian Trail, felt a mixture
of anxiousness, happiness and excitement.  Could not wait to begin my walk
on the "AT".=20

But, some feelings are a little different. Unlike four years ago, I am not
as anxious to leave my current life behind. I am employed in a position that
while it does not make me rich, certainly makes me comfortably middle class.=
=20
The mountains are now in my backyard. I can look out my bedroom window and=20
see the foothills of the Rockies, and just beyond them, the crest of the=20
continent.
Almost every weekend has brought a new place to discover, something beautifu=
l=20
to see.
After almost three years in Colorado, I am now at the point where I have som=
e=20
great=20
friends and have made a life for myself in Boulder.

So the question is, as it was four years ago, why go?=20

Why give up half a year's salary to get sunburned, become thirsty, get raine=
d=20
and
snowed on?
Why walk day after day with chafing and sore muscles?=20
Why be hungry all the time, only to have yet another mass of a soggy noodle=20
dish
for dinner?

Because the body heals. The pain is forgotten. The stomach eventually has it=
s=20
fill
of food.But the memories linger on:  A sunset at Greenleaf Hut at the base o=
f
Franconia Ridge. A quiet campsite at the shores of a lake in Maine. Seeing=20
ponies
graze in the Grayson Highlands after a snowstorm.=20

I am going for the new memories I want to create. The new experiences I have
yet to have.

Four years ago, at about this time, I wrote an answer to the question of
"Why go?" Four years later, the trail may be different, but the sentiments
still hold true:

"The most asked question about my hike is a simple "WHY GO?"  I have several
reasons, but I think the best answer is for the journey itself - all the=20
pains
and joys, all the experiences that comes with a 2160 mile walk in the woods"=
.=20


Two more months until I take another long walk. Can't wait.

Monday, April 1 - Boulder, CO   Mileage 0.0

"The true harvest of my life is intangible=E2=80=A6 a little stardust caught=
, a=20
portion of the
rainbow I have clutched"  --Thoreau, "Walden"

The words of Thoreau echo through my head as I write this journal entry. For=
=20
it is the
intangible things in my life that have made life worthwhile.  As I handed in=
=20
my notice=20
to end my employment today I did not think of the lost income from not=20
working for six
months or how my career would be effected, I thought of how I now truly have=
=20
the freedom
to do what I want. Income may be lost and so-called advancement in my career=
=20
may be=20
curtailed, but what is gained from this decision is immeasurable. What is a=20
view off=20
Mt. Whitney worth?  Can attending a meeting on how to market a new software=20
product
really be the equal of the Cascades in the Fall?=20

Thoreau's words also ran through my head this evening. To celebrate the=20
soon-to-be-joined
ranks of the gleefully and gainfully unemployed, went on a "Foolish Night=20
Hike" to the aptly
named Poorman Hill just outside of Boulder. What I thought was going to be a=
=20
fun and goofy
hike at night turned out to be much more. At the summit of this hill, my=20
friends had
hiked up the week before to plant a "register". Tonight, I looked in this=20
register
to see my favorite quote of Thoreau and the famous poem by Robert Frost abou=
t=20
the road
less traveled. As if this was not enough, I turned around to see my friends=20
pull out=20
bottles of wine, chocolate and other goodies to celebrate to start of what=20
seems to be the
true beginning of my journey. I can't help but think of how enriched my life=
=20
is not because
of what I may own, or how much money I may make, but because of simple=20
pleasures that=20
seem to enrich life. And having friends who are there to help me celebrate=20
the start of my
walk on the Pacific Crest Trail truly make this life a life worth living.
     =20

Weds. April 24- On a train somewhere in New Mexico 0.0miles

  Traveling by train is a way that allows me to transition from my life back=
=20
in Colorado to my new life that awaits me on the trail. I do not think=20
traveling to San Diego by jet would have the same effect. Something about th=
e=20
cadence of the wheels on the track, seeing the distant mountains on the=20
horizon and watching the sun set seems to encourage thinking and letting my=20
thoughts wander.
  Already the events of the few days seem a distant memory: friends taking m=
e=20
out one last time, calls to my family and friends back in Rhode Island,=20
moving my belongings into storage for the next few months. Last week was I=20
really working on a computer solving some arcane technical issue?
  Time goes more slowly traveling this way. Time to collect my thoughts and=20
think about the months ahead.

Thurs. April 25 Pine Valley, CA 0.0 miles

  After one year of saving money, planning, nearly thirty hours of traveling=
=20
by bus and train and some last minute preparations, I will finally start the=
=20
Pacific Crest Trail.
  Today started the first of what should be many pleasant memories associate=
d=20
with the trail. Tim Wilson, a fellow AT hiker from 1998, met me at the San=20
Diego train terminal with his Dad and his Dad's girlfriend. Not only did I=20
get to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time, but Tim's Dad insisted on=20
buying us dinner in addition to already generously transporting us to the=20
trailhead. Trail Magic even before starting the hike!
  Pine Valley is less than thirty minutes from Lake Morena. We decided to=20
swing by and see who was there Tim and I both grinned when we saw our first=20
PCT marker. The planned hike that was theoretical a year ago is now about to=
=20
become reality. Well, off to bed I go. After all this traveling I am tired.=20
At sunrise I start another long walk. A walk I have been dreaming of almost=20
since the long walk I started four years ago ended.

Fri. April 26, Lake Morena Campground 20.2 miles

  A running joke among the '98 AT thru-hikers was the sheer amount of rain=20
mixed in a day of sunshine every now and then. Tim and I joked that it would=
=20
probably rain on our first day on the PCT. But the stretch of trail is in=20
Southern California - what's the chance of it raining? Apparently very good!=
=20
A cold damp drizzle was the weather for the day. As I write this journal=20
entry, the wind is blowing hard and fog is enveloping the campground. Despit=
e=20
it all, though, I am the happiest I have been in a long time. Seeing the=20
border monument and hiking on the trail left a grin on my face that would no=
t=20
go away. The entire focus of my life this past year has been to hike the PCT=
.=20
Finally out on it! Another dream has become reality.
  Today is the start of the ADZPCTKOP - an alphabet soup of a phrase that=20
basically means a kick off party to start the PCT hikers on the right note.=20
Food, tips and good company all before we set out to hike the trail. A littl=
e=20
rain, some good people and smiles all day. Perfect start for another hike.

Sat April 27, Camped on a rocky outcropping 27.0 miles (approx)

  The second day of the kick off party happened today. Saw several people I=20
know from the hiking community and a few hikers I haven't seen since we did=20
the AT back in 1998. I was enjoying myself quite a bit. But I kept on having=
=20
a nagging thought - "All these people starting the PCT at the same time is=20
overwhelming. Not quite ready to see all these hikers at once." So I picked=20
up my gear, said my goodbyes and hiked out by late afternoon. At once, I fel=
t=20
I had made the right decision. I need the calm and the thinking that comes=20
with solo hiking. When I am with a group I notice less. Hiking with that man=
y=20
people tomorrow morning would skew what I had set out to do on this hike.=20
Hiker "get togethers" are very enjoyable for me - just not when I'm hiking.

Sun April 28 Campsite near G.A.T.R. road 49.1 miles

Long distance Hiking has a rhythm to it that I had forgotten. The easy=20
camaraderie among hikers, the routine of cooking dinner and writing in my=20
journal, eating the right amount of gorp throughout the day. But it is a=20
rhythm that I fell back into easily. My feet are a bit sore, my legs are=20
stiff, my clothes already reek of stale sweat, but I am content. This hike=20
feels like the right thing to do and at the right time in my life.
  In addition to enjoying my hike today, I was also amazed at the scenery.=20
Having lived in Colorado for almost three years now, I've become a bit of a=20
snob when it comes to majestic scenery. Today I was awed at the sight of the=
=20
Anza-Borego desert. In the space of a few miles the green of the mountains=20
gave way to the desolate yet striking desert. Will be hiking through a small=
=20
portion of this desert in the coming days. Part of me dreads carrying two=20
gallons of water, but part of me welcomes the chance to be in this unique=20
environment.

Mon April 29 Rodriguez Spur Trail 68.9 miles

  Yesterday at the Laguna Country Store a friend asked me if I had any=20
blisters yet. I tapped my head and said "Nope. Knock on wood." That was a bi=
t=20
hasty. Today, because of lousy foot inserts and ill-fitting socks, my feet=20
were in the starting stages of "Hamburger Helper." The back of my feet were=20=
a=20
bit raw had a large blister on each large toe, and my feet ached. At 4:30 in=
=20
the afternoon it was a no-brainer to stop for the day. Some judicious use of=
=20
duct tape and some toilet paper to pad out my foot inserts should work out=20
until I get to the outfitter in Idyllwild. Hiking twenty plus miles a day=20
will quickly show any deficiency in the footwear! But no complaints from me.=
=20
I have a great view of the Granite Peaks in front of me, the weather should=20
be perfect for sleeping, and I have another day of hiking. Not a bad life.

Tues April 30 Old Jeep Road 91.7

  Today was the day of many switchbacks. Up Grape Mountain for about fifteen=
=20
miles to be camped at the base of the summit. Could see for many miles where=
=20
I was headed and where I had been. Very dramatic views overlooking the=20
desert. My favorite part of the day was not so much the dramatic views but=20
the more subtle aspects of hiking in a desert environment: the varieties of=20
cacti, the deep pink flowers, lizards scurrying across the rocks. Hiking in=20
the California desert is proving to be a unique and satisfying experience.=20
  Today was also the first time I hiked and camped with a group of people on=
=20
the PCT. All but one were of us were AT veterans. Interesting to see the=20
almost reflex action of a camp routine. Water is brought to camp, ground=20
cloths laid down, clothes are changed, dinner is cooked, plans are made for=20
tomorrow and the journal entry is written. A routine that seems natural out=20
here.


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