SavageLlama
10-26-2004, 09:37
This article seems a bit contentious.. http://www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2004/10/24/news/news10.txt
Completing her greatest goal, biggest dream
By Karlie Graham McCurdy
The Lompoc Record
10/24/04
I finished the trail. ... It's hard to believe that it's over, and I made it to Canada and completed my greatest goal and biggest dream.
I reached the Canadian border on Oct. 3, at 10:30 a.m., 160 days after I began hiking from the Mexican border.
Our final 10 days on the trail were incredible. The sky was blue again, the North Cascades were spectacular, the sun was shining brightly on us, and although the terrain was steep and quite difficult, I knew that I would make it to Canada, and that felt great.
When the weather changed from cold, wet and dreary to warm and sunny, there was also a noticeable change in the attitudes of everyone we met.
For the past two weeks we'd been told over and over again by Washington locals that we were not going to make it to Canada this year. Everyone said that they "hadn't seen an early winter like this in years, but now that it's here, it's here to stay." We kept hearing this same thing from local hikers and townsfolk alike, but of course we kept hiking north.
Once the sun came out and we had only 10 days left, suddenly everyone we met had the same message for us - congratulations! It was amazing to hear it said the first time, it was amazing to hear it said the second time, and it still feels great to hear "congratulations."
Those final 10 days were spectacular. They felt like a victory lap instead of 250 miles of grueling hiking. On the final three days I couldn't help from smiling. All day long I'd catch myself with a big smile on my face. I just felt so very lucky.
Our final sunrise was beautiful, as it lit up the peaks to the west, and a part of me wished it wasn't ending, this incredible adventure was almost over.
The border
I was met at the Canadian border by my husband, Scott, and my dog, Jake, and a bottle of champagne. I celebrated with my partners, Amber and Gizmo, and another hiker, Stormtrooper, who'd reached the border an hour earlier. We took photos and signed the final trail register before hiking the remaining seven miles to the nearest road.
And then it was over, this unique experience was over, and along with the joy and relief was a little bit of sadness. This amazing journey had come to an end, it had all happened so "fast" (five months and a week).
Reflections
During my final weeks on the trail I gave a great deal of thought to the question, "What does it take to complete the Pacific Crest Trail?"
What is the most important factor that will increase the odds of reaching Canada? Is it experience? No. Off the top of my head I can name 15 hikers who have through-hiked the Appalachian Trail; only two of them completed the PCT.
Is it pretrip training? No. Training would've made the first month more comfortable, but after that we're pretty much all in great shape.
Is it strength, body type, planning? No, no, no. Don't get me wrong, these things wouldn't hurt one's chances of hiking the PCT, but the single most important thing is heart.
Is your heart in it? This is what matters the most, and this is what will keep you going, through the persistent aches and pains, unyielding steeps, mind-blowing wind, unbearable heat, ongoing dehydration, miserable rain, freezing snow and the doubts within your own mind. I heard it far too many times, people quitting the trail because they just felt mentally done.
Very seldom was it an injury that took hikers off the trail. As a matter of fact, hikers battling injuries seemed to fight the hardest to get back on the trail.
Rhythm
The hiker with the most heart was Rhythm, who we met on Day 1. Rhythm was the only one who was hiking the PCT for a cause - to raise money for children in Zimbabwe.
By Big Bear he had a stress fracture in his left heel and was sidelined by his doctor for 6-8 weeks. He continued to support his hiking partner and as many hikers as he could, by traveling by vehicle from town to town, giving rides, filling water caches, leaving Gatorade at the trailheads, etc., while he healed.
As soon as he was cleared to get back on the trail he did just that and hiked pretty strong for several weeks, starting easy and slowly increasing his mileage. After about a month he'd developed pain in his right heel (tendonitis), and his left heel was still giving him trouble. After repeated attempts to return to the trail after rest, he realized that his body was not up to the hike this year.
So Rhythm got a bike and is currently riding from Canada to Mexico, expecting to reach Mexico late October. To check his progress, go to his Web site at www.zimwalk.org (http://www.zimwalk.org/). I found Rhythm's epic adventure so inspiring that even against those odds he found a way to cover the distance between Mexico and Canada. That takes a lot of heart.
The lesson
I've learned a valuable life lesson about attaining my goals: I can do anything that I put my heart into. My journey taught me this. I truly believe that the PCT was the most mentally and physically challenging thing that I will ever do. Hey, it's all downhill from here!
Of course I could be dead wrong and it may seem naive of me to think I've mastered the crux of my life at age 33, but let me believe this, as I'm sure it will give me the strength and confidence to help me through what lies ahead.
Commonly-asked questions
I want to take a moment to answer some commonly-asked questions and to follow up on some of the expectations I had going into the trail:
€ How many rest days did I take? Twenty-six.
€ How many miles did I average per day? About 20.
€ Have I completed the miles I missed? I hiked the 33 miles in southern Oregon on Oct. 7. I will hike the 42 miles in Southern California Oct. 25-26.
€ Did I ever get a trail name? No, I'm proud to say I managed to remain "Karlie" throughout the trip.
€ Did Jake (my dog) get to hike with me much? No, after the repeated rattlesnake encounters I was afraid to bring him along for fear that he'd be bitten. Also the amount of miles I was hiking day after day would have likely been quite hard on any dog.
€ How much weight did I lose? I weighed 112 pounds at the end, so I lost about 26 pounds. I had to gain some weight because I'm very skinny.
€ How many books did I read? Zero! I carried a few chapters of a book for a few hundred miles and never read a page, so I finally sent them home. I anticipated I'd read before bed each night, but I could barely find the energy to write in my journal before conking out to sleep.
€ How are my aches and pains healing? I still have shin splints and knee pain, but since I'm currently not exercising I'm sure they are trying to heal. After my remaining 42 miles they will have all winter to heal, before I begin hiking next summer (day hiking and weekend backpacking trips only next summer).
€ Who was the most interesting character I met? Probably "Rocky Top." Everyone was drawn to him. When he spoke, everyone listened. He took the time to meet everybody and make them feel important. Rocky Top was always positive - we decided he was like the PCT team captain.
€ What were my highs and lows? The low was absolutely my birthday (July 23), when I couldn't really remember why I was out there hiking. The highs ... there were so many! Reaching Oregon was huge, because California was the neverending state. Leaving the Mexican border was the closest I came to tears because I was actually putting this grand goal into motion and it felt so overwhelmingly great. The entire Sierra was a highlight, because every morning I woke up feeling like the luckiest girl in the world to get to experience the magical beauty of the mountains again today. The final two days, when I couldn't stop smiling, were so special. I was realizing a dream.
€ What is my next big adventure? Honestly I don't have any plans. I'm just looking forward to getting back to my home and job in Colorado.
€ What was I most looking forward to when I was approaching resupply towns along the trail? Shower, laundry, bed, motel room, telephone, but most of all ... town food!
€ What was the longest stretch I went without a shower? 15 days.
€ How heavy was my backpack? I'm not sure; I never weighed my pack, but I would guess it was between 30-40 pounds depending on how much food and water I had.
€ What will I miss the most about the trail? Two things: (1) the whole culture of the trail, the camaraderie was absolutely amazing. (2) daydreaming, all day every day.
€ Was the PCT experience what I expected? Not exactly. I really believed it would be relaxing, but it wasn't. Once we got up to speed and were doing big miles, we'd get up before it was light, hike all day long, often 'til dark. It wasn't miserable, but it wasn't relaxing. It was hard work. Also, I had hoped we'd have the luxury of camping wherever we pleased and not be too mileage-driven. But we kept falling behind schedule, so we needed to be mileage-driven because we didn't want to fall so far behind that we got closed out by winter weather in Washington. Another unexpected aspect of the trail was how civilized it was.
I envisioned going longer stretches of time without town stops and then spending less time in towns. It turned out that town stops were a big part of the trail and I have great memories from towns. So although there were times when I felt almost too pampered when we'd stay in a motel two nights in a row, I can't say I didn't enjoy it.
And finally, I never expected the trail to be as social as it was, and this was one of my favorite things about the trail, the people were all so special to each other. We shared a strong bond.
So, the final question:
€ Would I ever do the Pacific Crest Trail again? Absolutely not! But, if I could go back in time to April, would I still choose to hike the PCT in 2004? Absolutely! Without a doubt! This was a fabulous experience that I will remember fondly forever.
Karlie Graham McCurdy, a Lompoc native, chronicled her five-plus months on the Pacific Crest Trail with monthly reports. They appeared on May 23, June 27, July 25, Aug. 29, and Sept. 26 after a preliminary story April 25.
Completing her greatest goal, biggest dream
By Karlie Graham McCurdy
The Lompoc Record
10/24/04
I finished the trail. ... It's hard to believe that it's over, and I made it to Canada and completed my greatest goal and biggest dream.
I reached the Canadian border on Oct. 3, at 10:30 a.m., 160 days after I began hiking from the Mexican border.
Our final 10 days on the trail were incredible. The sky was blue again, the North Cascades were spectacular, the sun was shining brightly on us, and although the terrain was steep and quite difficult, I knew that I would make it to Canada, and that felt great.
When the weather changed from cold, wet and dreary to warm and sunny, there was also a noticeable change in the attitudes of everyone we met.
For the past two weeks we'd been told over and over again by Washington locals that we were not going to make it to Canada this year. Everyone said that they "hadn't seen an early winter like this in years, but now that it's here, it's here to stay." We kept hearing this same thing from local hikers and townsfolk alike, but of course we kept hiking north.
Once the sun came out and we had only 10 days left, suddenly everyone we met had the same message for us - congratulations! It was amazing to hear it said the first time, it was amazing to hear it said the second time, and it still feels great to hear "congratulations."
Those final 10 days were spectacular. They felt like a victory lap instead of 250 miles of grueling hiking. On the final three days I couldn't help from smiling. All day long I'd catch myself with a big smile on my face. I just felt so very lucky.
Our final sunrise was beautiful, as it lit up the peaks to the west, and a part of me wished it wasn't ending, this incredible adventure was almost over.
The border
I was met at the Canadian border by my husband, Scott, and my dog, Jake, and a bottle of champagne. I celebrated with my partners, Amber and Gizmo, and another hiker, Stormtrooper, who'd reached the border an hour earlier. We took photos and signed the final trail register before hiking the remaining seven miles to the nearest road.
And then it was over, this unique experience was over, and along with the joy and relief was a little bit of sadness. This amazing journey had come to an end, it had all happened so "fast" (five months and a week).
Reflections
During my final weeks on the trail I gave a great deal of thought to the question, "What does it take to complete the Pacific Crest Trail?"
What is the most important factor that will increase the odds of reaching Canada? Is it experience? No. Off the top of my head I can name 15 hikers who have through-hiked the Appalachian Trail; only two of them completed the PCT.
Is it pretrip training? No. Training would've made the first month more comfortable, but after that we're pretty much all in great shape.
Is it strength, body type, planning? No, no, no. Don't get me wrong, these things wouldn't hurt one's chances of hiking the PCT, but the single most important thing is heart.
Is your heart in it? This is what matters the most, and this is what will keep you going, through the persistent aches and pains, unyielding steeps, mind-blowing wind, unbearable heat, ongoing dehydration, miserable rain, freezing snow and the doubts within your own mind. I heard it far too many times, people quitting the trail because they just felt mentally done.
Very seldom was it an injury that took hikers off the trail. As a matter of fact, hikers battling injuries seemed to fight the hardest to get back on the trail.
Rhythm
The hiker with the most heart was Rhythm, who we met on Day 1. Rhythm was the only one who was hiking the PCT for a cause - to raise money for children in Zimbabwe.
By Big Bear he had a stress fracture in his left heel and was sidelined by his doctor for 6-8 weeks. He continued to support his hiking partner and as many hikers as he could, by traveling by vehicle from town to town, giving rides, filling water caches, leaving Gatorade at the trailheads, etc., while he healed.
As soon as he was cleared to get back on the trail he did just that and hiked pretty strong for several weeks, starting easy and slowly increasing his mileage. After about a month he'd developed pain in his right heel (tendonitis), and his left heel was still giving him trouble. After repeated attempts to return to the trail after rest, he realized that his body was not up to the hike this year.
So Rhythm got a bike and is currently riding from Canada to Mexico, expecting to reach Mexico late October. To check his progress, go to his Web site at www.zimwalk.org (http://www.zimwalk.org/). I found Rhythm's epic adventure so inspiring that even against those odds he found a way to cover the distance between Mexico and Canada. That takes a lot of heart.
The lesson
I've learned a valuable life lesson about attaining my goals: I can do anything that I put my heart into. My journey taught me this. I truly believe that the PCT was the most mentally and physically challenging thing that I will ever do. Hey, it's all downhill from here!
Of course I could be dead wrong and it may seem naive of me to think I've mastered the crux of my life at age 33, but let me believe this, as I'm sure it will give me the strength and confidence to help me through what lies ahead.
Commonly-asked questions
I want to take a moment to answer some commonly-asked questions and to follow up on some of the expectations I had going into the trail:
€ How many rest days did I take? Twenty-six.
€ How many miles did I average per day? About 20.
€ Have I completed the miles I missed? I hiked the 33 miles in southern Oregon on Oct. 7. I will hike the 42 miles in Southern California Oct. 25-26.
€ Did I ever get a trail name? No, I'm proud to say I managed to remain "Karlie" throughout the trip.
€ Did Jake (my dog) get to hike with me much? No, after the repeated rattlesnake encounters I was afraid to bring him along for fear that he'd be bitten. Also the amount of miles I was hiking day after day would have likely been quite hard on any dog.
€ How much weight did I lose? I weighed 112 pounds at the end, so I lost about 26 pounds. I had to gain some weight because I'm very skinny.
€ How many books did I read? Zero! I carried a few chapters of a book for a few hundred miles and never read a page, so I finally sent them home. I anticipated I'd read before bed each night, but I could barely find the energy to write in my journal before conking out to sleep.
€ How are my aches and pains healing? I still have shin splints and knee pain, but since I'm currently not exercising I'm sure they are trying to heal. After my remaining 42 miles they will have all winter to heal, before I begin hiking next summer (day hiking and weekend backpacking trips only next summer).
€ Who was the most interesting character I met? Probably "Rocky Top." Everyone was drawn to him. When he spoke, everyone listened. He took the time to meet everybody and make them feel important. Rocky Top was always positive - we decided he was like the PCT team captain.
€ What were my highs and lows? The low was absolutely my birthday (July 23), when I couldn't really remember why I was out there hiking. The highs ... there were so many! Reaching Oregon was huge, because California was the neverending state. Leaving the Mexican border was the closest I came to tears because I was actually putting this grand goal into motion and it felt so overwhelmingly great. The entire Sierra was a highlight, because every morning I woke up feeling like the luckiest girl in the world to get to experience the magical beauty of the mountains again today. The final two days, when I couldn't stop smiling, were so special. I was realizing a dream.
€ What is my next big adventure? Honestly I don't have any plans. I'm just looking forward to getting back to my home and job in Colorado.
€ What was I most looking forward to when I was approaching resupply towns along the trail? Shower, laundry, bed, motel room, telephone, but most of all ... town food!
€ What was the longest stretch I went without a shower? 15 days.
€ How heavy was my backpack? I'm not sure; I never weighed my pack, but I would guess it was between 30-40 pounds depending on how much food and water I had.
€ What will I miss the most about the trail? Two things: (1) the whole culture of the trail, the camaraderie was absolutely amazing. (2) daydreaming, all day every day.
€ Was the PCT experience what I expected? Not exactly. I really believed it would be relaxing, but it wasn't. Once we got up to speed and were doing big miles, we'd get up before it was light, hike all day long, often 'til dark. It wasn't miserable, but it wasn't relaxing. It was hard work. Also, I had hoped we'd have the luxury of camping wherever we pleased and not be too mileage-driven. But we kept falling behind schedule, so we needed to be mileage-driven because we didn't want to fall so far behind that we got closed out by winter weather in Washington. Another unexpected aspect of the trail was how civilized it was.
I envisioned going longer stretches of time without town stops and then spending less time in towns. It turned out that town stops were a big part of the trail and I have great memories from towns. So although there were times when I felt almost too pampered when we'd stay in a motel two nights in a row, I can't say I didn't enjoy it.
And finally, I never expected the trail to be as social as it was, and this was one of my favorite things about the trail, the people were all so special to each other. We shared a strong bond.
So, the final question:
€ Would I ever do the Pacific Crest Trail again? Absolutely not! But, if I could go back in time to April, would I still choose to hike the PCT in 2004? Absolutely! Without a doubt! This was a fabulous experience that I will remember fondly forever.
Karlie Graham McCurdy, a Lompoc native, chronicled her five-plus months on the Pacific Crest Trail with monthly reports. They appeared on May 23, June 27, July 25, Aug. 29, and Sept. 26 after a preliminary story April 25.