Hi, I’m Gizmo. I’m not a morning person. I like to learn things the hard way, although preferably only once. I woke up a few months ago and decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail this summer. Why, you ask? Because it is a socially acceptable way of being unemployed for five months. Ok, there might be a little more to it than that, but I’ll leave the analysis to someone else.
FAQs:
Why are you hiking the PCT?
To have a real cool time.
Are you really going to walk all the way from Mexico to Canada?
It’s certainly the plan.
Why the PCT and not the AT?
How many active volcanoes can you see from the AT? That’s right, none.
What is your training regimen like?
I’m spending about 15-20 hours a week studying for my professional engineering licensing exam. I’m hoping it’s a transferable skill. I also go climbing on the weekends, and while I’m not sure if humping 50 lbs straight uphill for 20 minutes is really relatable to humping 15 lbs up switchbacks all day long, it’s got to help a little. Right?
What else are you doing to get prepared?
I’ve spent a lot of time getting together my gear, but not much on food/resupply/itineraries. I LOVE GEAR, but getting away from long-term, detailed lists and schedules and itineraries is kind of the point.
Why are you keeping a blog?
I don’t know; it seems really self-indulgent. I’m hoping to develop my voice, maybe share this experience a little wider. Also, my mother will read it. And now you are too. (thanks!)
What are you most excited about?
Probably the scenery from the john. You can only stare at the back of the bathroom door so many times before you realize: the view sucks.
I found your blog and I love you.
Gizmo and Dirtnap I was a few days behind you two finished Oct 8th Lapis
Lapis!!! I thought for sure you would be at the monument with us. You’d been with us nearly the entire way. We finished the day before you, on the 7th. I lost your email, I’ve been trying permutations of your name but nothing has worked yet. Email me at thru-hiker (at) oneofmanycircles.com
G, I maintain a website that posts stories and photos from the PCT. . . it is a labor of love for me. I avoid traditional trail journals and look for hiker/writers that exercise a little more literary flare . . . who successfully write about their experience as a story. I like the entries that you have written and would like your permission to post a few of your entries (past and, perhaps, future) on http://www.pcttrailsidereader.com . . . I would give you full credit, of course, and reference your blog. If you are OK with this, would you want me to list the author as ‘G’ or ???
Rees Hughes
Hi Rees,
Thanks for the kind words! Trying to be coherent at the end of the day has been a challenge, but it’s good to know I’m making sense. I would love to cross post my entries. You can list me as Gwynneth.
Gwynneth, I am going to post (Almost) Blown Away on May 14th . . . and probably more in the future.
Definitely will be following. Good luck on the trail.
Unfa! Looks like you are living it up in Korea yourself. Great to hear from you 🙂
Will be following your blog…..you are my time machine……take me back to my youth and let me see the world again through younger eyes. I need that about now…….
Allan (47) Mostly Bald, Fat, Divorced and still looking to get back on my path.
G, I plan to post “Where Are the Trees” on June 28. Keep up the great writing!
Thanks Rees!
G, for each issue of the Pacific Crest Trail Association’s magazine, “The Communicator”, Mark Larabee (the editor) has me select a favorite story or two from http://www.pcttrailsidereader.com that he considers for inclusion in the magazine. We have had this arrangement for the past three years and it has given me the chance to submit stories from good hiker/writers like you. However, the traditional journal entry while on the trail tends to be an overused form . . . and Mark has tired of such submissions. So, I realize that writing while on the trail is particularly tough (and you may not be interested in complicating your life in this way), but perhaps you can write one of your upcoming entries with a broader audience in mind. You could focus in more depth on a particular incident of the day or reflect on a particular facet of trail life. A little humor is always good. The stories are short . . . usually 800 – 1,000 words. If all this seems daunting I could send him “Where Are the Trees” . . . if you might be open to doing a little editing or amplification. What do you think?
I may be slow to respond after Friday, June 20, because I am going to be out walking the PCT from Castle Crags to Burney Falls in Northern California. But, I will be back on the 27th.
I hope you will consider my proposition.
Rees Hughes
HAPPY BIRTHDAY G!!!! Did you know you and Patrick Stewart, aka Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise, share a birthday? Hope it’s a great one! What an awesome way to spend the summer. Your plants are all doing great, the summer rains have finally started and the humidity is getting up there, they’re loving it. Enjoy the rest of your summer/fall. Take care, Susan
Susan! Wow, Jean-Luc Picard is a great birthday buddy. Thanks again for babysitting my plants!
I stumbled on your blog a few weeks ago and read the whole thing start to finish. Your honesty and your detailed description of trail life are refreshing, lyrical…poetic in places. I’ve had an uphill journey of my own this summer, and your words are inspiring me to keep putting one foot in front of the other, to keep climbing. Can’t wait to read about your travels on the Oregon and Washington sections, as I’ve spent a lot of time in the backcountry here and will be interested to hear your take on the Pacific Northwest.
Keep walking, keep writing – and thank you for sharing your journey!
G, I hope you have continued to mull over my proposal from June 20th. I really would like to feature some of your writing in an upcoming edition of “The Communicator”. In the meantime, I intend to post ‘Hard Walking’ on the website on August 23rd. I loved the musings about pack weight and the section of the trail often called ‘The Washboard’ because it is so up and down and up and down and up and down. Keep your eyes open for my friend, Harvey Kelsey, who is walking that same section now too.
stumbled upon your blog and couldn’t get enough. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your experiences and some insite into thru-hiking. I am intrigued and hope to someday do bits and pieces or all this amazing trail.
Thanks Cheryl! The PCT is amazing no matter how you hike it.
Love reading your blog. My wife and I are from Tucson and hiked the trails there.