Not sure what spurred me to pick this book up - I had just dropped my parents off to do a section of the PCT in Oregon, but I honestly can't remember if I sought this book out or if I just happened to see it. Anyway, this is the story of a couple who decide to thru-hike the PCT from Mexico to Canada. They realize that it's going to be a test of their relationship, and that's part of the reason they do it. They weather it well; apparently they married not long after the trip. Neither of them had a huge amount of hiking experience, which made this a bit like Bill Bryson's A Walk In The Woods - he set out with not much more training than a visit to the outdoor store. They, at least, did their homework and took a couple practice hikes first. Definitely not "purists", though, they took a weekend off for a wedding, hiked alternate routes when the PCT didn't suit them, and even skipped a section near the end to meet their deadline. This was fun to read, and I'm glad they were out there doing it, but the non-purist thing made me cringe a little.
Book 56
4 comments:
Why would the author(s) not being purists bother you? Because they didn't finish their trail? You did such an awesome job finishing every last mile on the TRT, so I can understand if that is why...
Yeah, that's pretty much it. I don't see how you can say you thru-hiked the trail if you skipped a whole bunch to make a deadline. But hey - I haven't even attempted a long hike like that, so who am I to talk?
And then she became editor of the PCT Assn's magazine!
I tried recently to get to the part in this book about Oregon before I hiked that section, but read it the day after returning. Like many thru-hike books, they are so worn out by the time they reach Oregon, that they barely mention OR and WA. I'm so sorry that these authors only seem to remember rain in WA, and then had to skip some of the most beautiful part; I hope they have since had the chance to return and actually see WA. Sure points out the advantage of section hiking. As most through hikers, they detoured to Eagle Creek in the Columbia Gorge and thoroughly enjoyed it. For thise of us who know the Gorge, Eagle Creek is one of many beautiful canyons. But for a through hiker, there is nothing else (in OR and WA, at least) like it.
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