MM: 277.7
Trail Miles: 21.5
Miles Walked: 23.9
It was 32 deg at 0530 when I awoke to hear Montreal Marc and Mommento packing up. I was warm, comfortable and just as importantly, hadn’t slid anywhere during the night – my thermarest, sleeping bag and body were on top of each other. I’d finally found level ground for a night. The only complaint was the full moon. Twice I awoke disoriented in the night thinking it was another hiker standing over me with a headlamp shining in my face
None of that mattered though. I was heading into Big Bear – the place where my dream, this quest, finally started to take shape 3 years ago in 2015. And I was taking a much needed zero.
In 2015, I flew out to Big Bear to pick up the Furball, who’d been staying with Betty’s Mom for a few months. It was mid-May, right about the time ‘the herd’ of PCT thru hikers passes through Big Bear.
Although I’d wanted to hike the PCT since the 90’s, it was always one of those ‘someday’ kind of things. Present day life got in the way and someday never came. But in 2015 I realized my excuses for putting it off had run out. HH and I had finally bought a house and moved to the mountains in NC. I’d retired from the Reserves a year earlier. Other than the normal issues to plan for (family, job, money), there was nothing preventing me from going.
Except for a single question in my head. Could a women safely hike the PCT by herself?
It wasn’t a question of physical capability. Rather, it was an issue of safety. Sadly, as a then-46 year old American woman, that was my biggest concern.
In 2015, I saw thru hikers around town everywhere. I stopped and offered a ride to a male hiker. He was going to the post office. I peppered him with questions during the 10 min ride. His advice, get in shape physically beforehand. Don’t use the first 3-4 weeks on the trail to do it for you. That’s a recipe for injury and quitting. And regarding being a woman solo hiking? You’re not really alone. There are so many people hiking. Hikers look out for each other. Yes, it’s safe.
Wanting more than a single opinion, I went to Starbucks. It was packed with hikers charging phones, drinking coffee and catching up on their blogs. I spoke to several hikers, male and female. The answers were all the same. Common sense always applies, but yes, it’s safe.
The Big Bear Starbucks, 2018. Not a lot of hikers hanging out.
I would, of course, go on to do a lot more research before setting out on my own hike 3 years later. But I credit Big Bear and a handful of 2015 hikers with clearing up the one issue that would have held me back from pursuing my dream.
As for 2018, and Day 16? I feel very comfortable on the trail. You get to know the hikers traveling around you (in your ‘bubble’) and keep tabs/look out for one another. I maintain awareness of my surroundings as I would anywhere.
Bottom line, I’m glad I didn’t let my fears stop me.
Day 16 Diet:
Snack: GORP & pulverized fruit leather – i’d dehydrated it to the point it turned to dust in my pack
Breakfast: Granola w/either powdered milk or powdered butter. (I couldn’t tell which was which) And some Vanilla Soy protein powder which masked the taste of the powdered milk/butter issue. A cup of tea.
Lunch: leftover Lassen Volcanic Eruption Chili from yesterday (fortunately the name is a slight exaggeration)
Dinner: Pizza!!!
