[pct-l] A's and B'

[Montedodge@aol.com]

Other than being a PCT list psycho, my plan A life is now three kids, wife, 
morgage and driving choo-choo trains. 4 weeks vacation with 2 being rat holed 
for hiking and or climbing. Take 10 to 15 hikes per year. Plan B would have 
been to finish college, teacher history, coach wrestling and hike during my 
10 week summer break as far as possible. I have at times been able to live 
close to my plan B life with coaching the high school wrestling team and 
running my own rafting service for 2 years. Unforunately my job forced us to 
move from eastern Wash. back to the west side of the state. We are blessed 
with having a state forest right behind our house and property. ( capital 
forest ) I was happy to do the trail when I was young ( 19 year old ) and 
feel like one of the first pioneers to walk the complete trail , being 
somewhere in the first 30 thru-hikers. I live within 90 minutes of the trail 
now and spend at least 3 weekends a year retracing steps. The trail has 
changed much since 1977. That year there was 1650 miles of trail in Calif. 
with only about 900 miles being trail and the rest being a mismatch of 
logging or mining roads  or half built trails ending in the middle of nowhere 
requiring several miles of crosscountry to tie into another trail. I would to 
hike the PCT next year but would be torn with the love for my kids and wife 
within a few weeks of missing them. They are growing fast and any change of 
employment  would certainly have me thinking of another thru-hike. It would 
be nice to see the whole PCT today  as am sure there would be new challenges 
today that might not have been around earlier. My goal is to rehike the trail 
at retirement 20 years from now. I enjoy comments from the members on this 
list, even if we don't see eye to eye on all subjects. ( Even enjoy Ron's 
comments on clearcutting though different from mine ) Each person brings new 
insight to the list. I might not  be an ultra-hiker like Brick, but enjoy 
some tips that may be used by  an old Trail Slug like myself.  Of course,it 
is fun reading the pros and cons of  each piece of gear choosen by the next 
crop of thru-hikers. ( some things never change as this was always a common 
topic even on my time on the trail ) Anybody who hikes this trail becomes 
like a brother or sister to  other thru-hikers. ( even if we are somewhat 
different in a few ideas ) Monte
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