{"id":141,"date":"2017-04-02T20:22:40","date_gmt":"2017-04-02T20:22:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.walkingfromthelaw.com\/?p=141"},"modified":"2023-02-18T22:06:29","modified_gmt":"2023-02-18T22:06:29","slug":"faqs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/walkingfromthelaw.com\/index.php\/2017\/04\/02\/faqs\/","title":{"rendered":"FAQs"},"content":{"rendered":"

“I got a question for you, another question for you…”  <\/em>Franz Ferdinand, What She Came For<\/em><\/p>\n

Whenever I tell someone that I’m taking off to hike the PCT, I inevitably get the same questions.  So I’ve decided to do a Q & A here for anyone I haven’t talked to already. I think these cover the basics…<\/p>\n

Are You Going Alone?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes and no.<\/p>\n

Yes, I will be traveling to the trailhead and starting by myself, and not as part of a coordinated group.  Believe it or not, everyone I’ve asked to walk with me from Mexico to Canada has so far responded with, ‘Are you insane?’.  All but one, but then he went and had foot surgery, so there’s that.<\/p>\n

No, I will not be alone out there for very long.  According to the Pacific Crest Trail Association<\/a>, 5657 long-distance permits were issued in 2016 and this year that number likely increased.  A maximum of 50 permits are issued for each day, so chances are I will be starting out with 49 other people and I’ll certainly be meeting more along the way.<\/p>\n

Are You Taking A Gun?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No.  A few very dear people have generously offered to supply me with various small weaponry for my trek, but I’ve decided to go unarmed.  I don’t want the extra weight, and to be honest, I’m not sure having one is going to help.  My instinct when threatened is to throw myself on the ground and scream, not to dig around in my pack for a weapon.  I’d probably be better off training myself to beat someone\/some frightening animal with a hiking pole.<\/p>\n

Have You Read\/Seen ‘Wild’?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes.  I’m the cliche and I ain’t ashamed.  I read Wild and said to myself, ‘I can do that too!’  I’m just glad I don’t also need to kick a heroin addiction to be motivated.  By the way, there are a lot of great resources that have much more to do with actually hiking the trail.  Some of my favorites are Halfway Anywhere’s blog<\/a>, Walking With Wired<\/a>, The Trek<\/a>, Pacific Crest Trials: A Psychological and Emotional Guide to Successfully Thru-Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail<\/a>, Hikertrash: Life on the Pacific Crest Trail<\/a>…I could go on.<\/p>\n

Why Are You Doing This?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are so many reasons.   I have 274 podcasts to listen to.  I’m tired of sitting at a desk every day.  I want to be the adventurous person I’ve been hesitant to be.  I think this Earth is amazing and I want to see more of it.  But mainly, I don’t want to wake up twenty years from now and regret not having done this thing that I can’t stop thinking about and wish I would have done a long time ago.  As the saying goes, ‘The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.’  We should all be planting trees!<\/p>\n

 Aren’t You Afraid Of Bears?<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes. Yes, I am. I once watched a video of a mama grizzly charging a rafting guide with the force of an oncoming train and I nearly messed myself. I was nowhere NEAR that bear and I was afraid of it. But I’m not going to let that deter me.  There are some things a person just has to do, no matter what fearful things one encounters along the way. Like learning math.  Or just leaving the house some days.  <\/p>\n

I want to make sure that I say that I know that people ask because they are genuinely interested and concerned for my safety and not because they think I’m an idiot who didn’t think this thing all the way through (well maybe some do…I didn’t ask), and I am grateful for that.  Thank you all!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“I got a question for you, another question for you…”  Franz Ferdinand, What She Came For Whenever I tell someone that I’m taking off to hike the PCT, I inevitably get the same questions.  So I’ve decided to do a Q & A here for anyone I haven’t talked to already. I think these cover the … <\/p>\n

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