While doing laundry yesterday, we met a Hungarian hiker, Camino Steve. His goal is to hike both the AT and the PCT this year while he has a 6 month visa. He’s older than we are. While I was waiting for the dryer, he told me he had started the AT around the 12th of February and had gotten off to start the PCT after 6 weeks. I asked him how far he had gotten. He replied “just to Harpers Ferry.” Wiki Task Force! That’s the half way point. I asked him when he thought he’d make it to Acton (the end point of this section for us, were planning 2 weeks), he said 4 & 1/2 days. Wiki Task Wiki Task Force! This guy is faster than Blue’s Clues, who hiked over 4mph yesterday.
This town stop proved a costly one to our tramily. It is the start of the end. Ivy had to go home for a week, or there abouts, to complete her exit from the Air Force. We said our goodbyes after we had one last breakfast together, this morning. Blue’s Clues will be leaving us when we get to Acton as he wants to wait for the Sierra to melt enough to safely continue north. He’s fast enough, he can afford the delay. “And Then There Were Three” Can anyone name that group?
We are approaching 480 miles on the PCT so far this year. That means we are down to just the length of the Appalachian Trail remaining. Hold it, we’ve been hiking over 50 days and still have almost 2200 miles left yet Bunny wants to be done by mid-September AND take time off to go to her son’s graduation from Army Basic Training. Bunny has to pick up the pace and carry me or something must change. Doc gave us the idea yesterday while driving us to our hotel…Ashland, OR.
We’ve got a couple weeks to check out the plan, but this may be what we have to do. Jump to Ashland when we reach Acton and then hike north to Canada. If all goes well with this plan (and there are a lot of details to work out) we will arrive in time to spend a couple of days with Camino Pete before we fly to Atlanta, GA to go to graduation and then flying back to Ashland to (hold onto your asses because this one puckers mine) HIKE SOBO TO WALKER PASS.
I can’t wrap my head around becoming sobo scum but Mizman did it last year and he wasn’t too warped from the experience. We are flopping around like a fish out of water. What the hell, let’s do it all and hike the wrong direction while we’re at it. It does allow us to put the Sierras last. Hopefully, the 40 year maximum snow pack will be melted by then. It also removes the mid-September deadline that WA places on us with its unpredictable early snows. We might even be able to extend our hike end date to my birthday to allow me to at least have the same numerical number of years as my wife (yet still remain the younger man that I am).
EFG
Enjoy episode #8 of our journey
Does it really matter which direction you go as long as you do the whole thing???
We are getting ready to travel as well – Europe for 3 weeks in June with my sister: Amsterdam, Essen, Leipzieg, Prague, Vienna, Munich, Fussen, Insbruck, Venice, Forence, Siena, Rome, Pisa, Turin, Paris by Eurail pass and then a car to do some sightseeing for the last week in France, and Belgium. Excited. A little scared. Still working on a lawn person. Got the house sitter. Almost planned. Nowhere near packed.
We’re going with that philosophy this year…just get the whole trail done.
You’ll have a blast in Europe. Seems like you’re going to be going nonstop. Enjoy!
I’ll be waiting for you at the trailhead!!
I’m trying to work out details and will be contacting you through email soon
I’m sure you are doing your research, but please be sure to check the Oregon Sno-tel sites and the webcams for the ski areas at the passes in Oregon before you make the leap north. Often it is a feasible plan when the Sierra gets hammered in the winter and the Cascades do not, but this year’s Cascade snowpack is relatively normal. It is unlikely much of the PCT from Crater Lake all the way to Hood will not be snow-free until early July. There will unlikely be no trail maintenance done until after the end of May as well.
Thanks for the info. We’re just deer in the headlights right now. Still haven’t decided what we’re going to do.
Keep working ,fantastic job!
Thanks for the feedback. We like to hear from people.