Huh. So I can't just go out there and roam freely in the wilderness. There are some official logistics that need to be completed, so that someone knows that I am out on my own accord hiking like a maniac. First things first: applying for the Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Permit Request. For $5 I COULD walk the whole way from Mexico to Canada AND summit Mt. Whitney. I will stick with 1000 miles and thrown in Whitney for kicks. For mere mortals only seeking to summit the highest peak in the contiguous United States, the application process is rather competitive. I can apply for it all at once, and I get to do Whitney for "free." Lucky me.
Second thought of the day: Bears. I have seen bears while hiking before, once on the PCT in Washington, the other on the Colorado Trail in Lake City, CO as it raided a town trash can. In the starlit sky, I peeped out the motel window and thought it was a burgler. Guess you can tell that I am a city girl. So, back to bears. I have never carried a bear canister. This past fall at the ALDHA West (American Long Distance Hiking Association West) conference, I watched in a stunned stupor as fellow hikers competed in a bear-canister stuffing contest: How much food can you stuff into a bear canister in one minute? They looked large and bulky, like you are schlepping around a mini-keg on your back. I know that it is the rules, so I'll have to do it...but 11 days of food all in that canister? Not sure its gonna happen.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment