After having not used this old blog in years, such an occasion has arisen that warrants a second look. Tomorrow my cousin Josh and I will begin the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail. Its a 1200 mile route, stretching from Glacier National Park in Montana to the Olympic National Park on the Washington coast. It's a challenging trail as it is not contiguous. There are sections of bushwacking, road walks, and alternate routes to choose from. We have little to no chance of completing the entire trail in the 51 days our schedule allows, however, eight or nine hundred miles would be a respectable summer.
The idea of hiking the PNT has been with me for the 10 years since I finished the PCT in '09. When the anniversary drew near, my wife, Emily was more than supportive with the idea. As she is shackled to grad school this summer, she graciously encouraged me to take full advantage of my time off to hike. I am very grateful for this and will miss her a lot this summer. Her replacement and my hiking companion this summer will be my cousin Josh, with whom I'm very excited to spend the summer. Our family is also quite pleased we are going together, as this trail can be quite remote, through grizzly country, with limited options to resupply compared to other national scenic trails.
The challenge and simplicity are what makes thru-hiking enjoyable. I am very much looking forward to being physically exhausted as opposed to mentally and emotionally drained from my job as a teacher. I agree with Muir, that the wilderness can have a healing and rejuvenating quality to it. He also said, "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." I don't seek much with this trip, and I already receive more than anyone could want or deserve, but who knows what we might encounter along the way.
Special thanks to my wife Emily for being so supportive of this trip. Thanks to my parents for making a trip of driving Josh and me out to Glacier. Thanks to Emily's parents for setting me up with the sweetest satellite messenger I could get. Thanks to Brad and Sheida for an amazing ultralight backpack, and everyone that is interested in keeping tabs on us this summer. I hope everyone has a great summer, and Iook forward to see you in the fall.
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