Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - Preparation
Preparation
Six years ago, after two unsuccessful operations on a foot injury, my surgeon had
recommended early retirement from teaching and I had been awarded a medical
disability pension. I’d been unable to walk for several years before this and couldn’t
even manage nine holes round a golf course.
In April, two years ago, I had a few days to spare after a canoe expedition down the
Tagus from the Spanish border to Lisbon and decided to climb a small hill. It was a very
small hill and only took me an hour but it seemed quite an achievement to me at the
time. Better still, the foot wasn’t hurting the following morning and I climbed a much
bigger hill managing to walk for four hours. Again there was no reaction in the foot in
the morning.
This had been enough for me to decide to attempt to hike about 450 miles of the
Pacific Crest Trail in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California later that summer. Two
short trips to the Scottish Highlands had been used in preparation and training. The old
foot injury hurt at times but no more than other parts of the body unaccustomed to
exercise. I had hiked this section of the Pacific Crest Trail in 1993 (my last walk before
my foot finally gave way completely). Although this was a hard walk through high wild
mountains, I knew that the trail was well constructed with gentle gradients and that the
weather would be warm. I had hoped this would be easy on my body. Despite many aches
and pains I had managed to complete the route and felt as fit at the end as I had at any
time in the past ten years.
By the end of that trip in 2000, I had again contemplated an idea that had caught
my imagination on the 1993 walk: A continuous hike along the whole of the Pacific
Crest Trail. This had remained an impossible dream for many years but now it seemed
that it might be feasible. I knew that I wasn’t yet ready for such an expedition but I
planned a much tougher test for the summer of 2001.
The Haute Randonnee Pyreneenne (HRP) traverses the Pyrenees Mountains from
the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. The route follows the main ridge of the
Pyrenees, where possible, frequently crossing from France to Spain and back again, and
in the High Pyrenees crossing glaciers, boulder fields and steep passes, traversing steep
mountain slopes, often over pathless and unwaymarked terrain. This walk was much
tougher than I expected on any section of the Pacific Crest Trail. I completed this walk
in forty-four days averaging about seven hours walking a day and more importantly was
going much better at the end than at the beginning.
By the end of this walk I had decided to attempt the Pacific Crest trail in 2002.
Arranging a flight wasn’t as easy as I hoped. I wanted a cheap flight to San Diego with a
return from an unspecified airport at an unspecified date up to 6 months ahead. I wasn't
even sure which country I would want to fly out of since I would want to fly out of
Vancouver in Canada if I was successful on completing the hike. Eventually I discovered
that I could get a return flight to San Diego, returning one month later, for less than
the cost of a one-way flight. Unless I had to give up in the first month I would throw the
return ticket away.
I had to obtain a US visa and a permit from the Pacific Crest Trail Association
(PCTA), which would mean I didn’t need to get separate permits for each National Park
I was going to pass through.
I had already got the guidebooks for the route and I cut these up and laminated the
pages so they would be easy to use in the rain. I also worked out a detailed schedule,
which saw me finishing by the middle of October. I would have to beat this schedule
since the US authorities would only allow me entry for 6 months, and by the middle of
October the in trail Northern Washington might be closed by snow. It was
psychologically easier to have an easy schedule, which I could get ahead of, than a tight
schedule, which I would have difficulty keeping up with.
I had already got most of the equipment I would need, from my preparation trips
and the only major item I needed to buy was footwear. I decided to take two pairs of
lightweight Karrimor Gore-Tex fabric boots and at the last minute also bought a pair of
Brasher walking shoes to wear in Southern California.
I had met Irene and Geoff High on Half Dome in Yosemite National Park and they had
offered to look after me if I returned to California. Since they lived about 30 miles from
San Diego I took them up on this offer and arranged to stay with them while I organised
supplies and they also offered to take me to the start of the trail.
I had several sets of relatives living near Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada,
and they had offered to look after me if I managed to complete the route.
When I arrived at San Diego I hired a car and spent a couple of days with Irene and
Greg buying and sorting supplies for the first six weeks. I was going to drop eleven
caches along the route, in stores, Post Offices or hanging in bags in the forest. Most
thru-hikers used the postal service for this, but you cannot post fuel and Post Offices
were not very conveniently placed, nor did they have convenient opening hours. I spent
three days, driving a lot of miles, to complete these caches.
Six years ago, after two unsuccessful operations on a foot injury, my surgeon had
recommended early retirement from teaching and I had been awarded a medical
disability pension. I’d been unable to walk for several years before this and couldn’t
even manage nine holes round a golf course.
In April, two years ago, I had a few days to spare after a canoe expedition down the
Tagus from the Spanish border to Lisbon and decided to climb a small hill. It was a very
small hill and only took me an hour but it seemed quite an achievement to me at the
time. Better still, the foot wasn’t hurting the following morning and I climbed a much
bigger hill managing to walk for four hours. Again there was no reaction in the foot in
the morning.
This had been enough for me to decide to attempt to hike about 450 miles of the
Pacific Crest Trail in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California later that summer. Two
short trips to the Scottish Highlands had been used in preparation and training. The old
foot injury hurt at times but no more than other parts of the body unaccustomed to
exercise. I had hiked this section of the Pacific Crest Trail in 1993 (my last walk before
my foot finally gave way completely). Although this was a hard walk through high wild
mountains, I knew that the trail was well constructed with gentle gradients and that the
weather would be warm. I had hoped this would be easy on my body. Despite many aches
and pains I had managed to complete the route and felt as fit at the end as I had at any
time in the past ten years.
By the end of that trip in 2000, I had again contemplated an idea that had caught
my imagination on the 1993 walk: A continuous hike along the whole of the Pacific
Crest Trail. This had remained an impossible dream for many years but now it seemed
that it might be feasible. I knew that I wasn’t yet ready for such an expedition but I
planned a much tougher test for the summer of 2001.
The Haute Randonnee Pyreneenne (HRP) traverses the Pyrenees Mountains from
the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. The route follows the main ridge of the
Pyrenees, where possible, frequently crossing from France to Spain and back again, and
in the High Pyrenees crossing glaciers, boulder fields and steep passes, traversing steep
mountain slopes, often over pathless and unwaymarked terrain. This walk was much
tougher than I expected on any section of the Pacific Crest Trail. I completed this walk
in forty-four days averaging about seven hours walking a day and more importantly was
going much better at the end than at the beginning.
By the end of this walk I had decided to attempt the Pacific Crest trail in 2002.
Arranging a flight wasn’t as easy as I hoped. I wanted a cheap flight to San Diego with a
return from an unspecified airport at an unspecified date up to 6 months ahead. I wasn't
even sure which country I would want to fly out of since I would want to fly out of
Vancouver in Canada if I was successful on completing the hike. Eventually I discovered
that I could get a return flight to San Diego, returning one month later, for less than
the cost of a one-way flight. Unless I had to give up in the first month I would throw the
return ticket away.
I had to obtain a US visa and a permit from the Pacific Crest Trail Association
(PCTA), which would mean I didn’t need to get separate permits for each National Park
I was going to pass through.
I had already got the guidebooks for the route and I cut these up and laminated the
pages so they would be easy to use in the rain. I also worked out a detailed schedule,
which saw me finishing by the middle of October. I would have to beat this schedule
since the US authorities would only allow me entry for 6 months, and by the middle of
October the in trail Northern Washington might be closed by snow. It was
psychologically easier to have an easy schedule, which I could get ahead of, than a tight
schedule, which I would have difficulty keeping up with.
I had already got most of the equipment I would need, from my preparation trips
and the only major item I needed to buy was footwear. I decided to take two pairs of
lightweight Karrimor Gore-Tex fabric boots and at the last minute also bought a pair of
Brasher walking shoes to wear in Southern California.
I had met Irene and Geoff High on Half Dome in Yosemite National Park and they had
offered to look after me if I returned to California. Since they lived about 30 miles from
San Diego I took them up on this offer and arranged to stay with them while I organised
supplies and they also offered to take me to the start of the trail.
I had several sets of relatives living near Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada,
and they had offered to look after me if I managed to complete the route.
When I arrived at San Diego I hired a car and spent a couple of days with Irene and
Greg buying and sorting supplies for the first six weeks. I was going to drop eleven
caches along the route, in stores, Post Offices or hanging in bags in the forest. Most
thru-hikers used the postal service for this, but you cannot post fuel and Post Offices
were not very conveniently placed, nor did they have convenient opening hours. I spent
three days, driving a lot of miles, to complete these caches.
Pyrenees 2001
Half Dome,
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley
Bighorn Platau
Lake, 2000
Lake, 2000
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