[pct-l] My 2003 Journal

[chwillet at indiana.edu (Christopher Willett)]

Hi All, 

A few minutes ago I uploaded the next to last installment of my journal 
for my 2003 PCT hike. Take a look at 

http://mypage.iu.edu/~chwillet/travel/PCT/

After reading Jonathan Ley's 2001 CDT journal, I was inspired to try to 
write a long, meaningful (meaningful for me, that is) account of my 
summers hike.  Throughout the summer I tried to write up small, short, 
intense accounts of each day as they went by.  When I returned, I 
took these cores and expanded them as my memory and pictures allowed. 
I tried to stay as true to the original journals as possible, and this 
presented some problems.  One central one was in how to portray those that 
I met.  At times, I met people who might have been having a bad day or 
were, for whatever reason, in a dark mood.  Later, I might have met them 
again and seen the better person that they actually were.  I decided 
to write up the original impression that I got from them, or from 
a place.  My impressions, of course, are governed by my own 
mental and spiritual state at the time.  I've tried to be open and 
honest about what I did and how I felt.

This has turned into a long, drawn out, and completely worthwhile
experience.  I have relived days on the trail, gotten new impressions 
of people, places, and things, and come to grasp a better understanding 
of what it was that I did last summer.  For those of you hiking this year, 
I would encourage you to keep a journal and to write it up in long form 
when you return.  It was the best way to endure the long, spritual winter 
here in Indiana.  Now, spring is upon the land, and my feet are itching. 

Suge


----------------------
Christopher Willett
Department of Mathematics
Indiana University
831 East Third Street
Bloomington, IN. 47405-7106
(812)-855-1448
chwillet@indiana.edu
mypage.iu.edu/~chwillet