Avid readers may have noticed the occasional hint in recent posts that I have another grand adventure coming up, and indeed I am now about to set off, so thought I'd write a small introductory piece, rather than fill up the first post from the trail with explanations.
So then - the Pacific Crest Trail, it stretches some two thousand, six hundred miles from Mexico to Canada, through the US states of California, Oregon and Washington, and along with the Continental Divide and Appalachian it's one of the three great American trails. The route goes through deserts, national parks, and the high mountain country of the Sierras and Cascades, including a skirt around the highest peak in the contiguous US, Mount Whitney. Recently popularised by the book, and later film 'Wild', the trail now sees some three thousand hikers attempt it each year, so many that the authorities have brought in a system restricting it to fifty starts each day from the Mexican border...
Why this particular trail, and why now? Well... the first long trail I became aware of was the Appalachian, which I still hope to do one day, however looking into that led me to the PCT, which looks rather more of a challenge - if I only do one of the three, this has to be it. 2017 is a good year for it too, there will be a total eclipse this August, and if all goes to plan I should be more or less on the line of totality, in the region of Mount Jefferson, which sounds pretty awesome.
A lot of preparation has gone into this - I had to attend the US embassy in London to apply for a visa, I've obtained various permits, booked flights, buses and hotels, bought a lot of equipment, and done plenty of planning - in theory at least I know exactly where I will start and finish each day of the five months or so it should take me to walk the thing. Of course, best laid plans and all that... but if the worst to happen is me failing to stick to my schedule I'll be happy - has to be better than getting eaten by a bear.
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