[pct-l] Section - Stevens Pass to Cascade Locks

[dhstein31 at yahoo.com (Duane Steiner)]

Just completed my longest solo adventure ever in completely new territory.  I was basically testing myself to see if I could become a bonified long distance hiker - potentially a thru hike in the near future.  I learned that most of long distance hiking is NOT physical but MENTAL.  Over 5 of the 15 days were in a down pour, another 4 were just mediocre view wise because of the fog and the remaining 5 were close to spectacular.  I learned very early (by immersion) how to hike and take pictures in the rain!  Just the forcing one self to continue under complete exhaustion was the largest task.  I made some life and near potential death decisions..... fording streams that had become 3 ft torretial river, hiking the Goat Rocks in the a wind/hail storm and getting off the PCT (because of the stream fording) and taking a day and a half to get back on on very unPCT trails.  These were incredibily terrifing yet adrenalin boosting expereince.  I learned to appreciate life so much more.
  I ran out of heating fuel -- ate cold ramen for two days and then hitched out and learned that alcohol and a tuna can are much better than cold noodles but nearly as quick as a real stove.  I might have been doing something wrong but it seemed to take forever to heat h20.
I hiked 320 PCT miles (350 total) in 15 days and passed close to 100 thruers and dozens more section hikers.  I went against the grain N-S and so only got to briefly interact with the other hikers.  This was a completely different experience than hiking with a "PCT herd."  Meet tons of people but know none of them intimately.
I need to figure out how to sleep better --- I think that was a big chunk of my problems.  I am a late night person - and I thought that after a few days on the trail with that much exertion that I could easily transform into a dark to dawn person and that never happened.  I only slept really well one or two nights the rest of the nights were either WET or RESTLESS or BOTH.
I am still a little under a 1000 miles of a 4-5 year plan.  Would I do it again -- absolutely-  but I would do it differently ----- still evaluating.
 
Duane - shutterbug

		
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