27th-30th September 2013
No miles
I have lumped all these posts together as there has been little change from day to day. The weather is poor, and morale is dropping with more and more hikers calling it quits every day. Sykomish, the closest small town to the trail had 8 inches of rain over the weekend, and there is no end to the rain in sight. I do not know what to do. Most of those hikers that live relatively close to the trail are planning to come back and do these sections when there is better weather, but that is not an option for me, I wish it were. There is no easy solution to the problems at hand. All the locals agree this is unseasonably bad weather, setting records for precipitation in Seattle for the month of September, and that the weather should improve in about a week. But most of us, and myself included, can't wait a week. Firstly it costs money to wait, secondly I only have so long left on my visa, and thirdly I have other commitments after the trail, so there is a limit on how long i can wait. The weather reports suggest that there could be as much as 2 foot of snow in the high mountains, for which no-one is really prepared. The snow on its own is problem enough, even if the conditions were perfect the snow would slow things down and make navigation an issue, but the blizzard conditions on the trail right now are making things dangerous. Hiker numbers at the Dinsmore's are growing as people are forced to turn back and seek shelter, but some are trying to brave it out there still, most notably Shotput and Pepperflake. They are still out there and no-one has heard from them in 3 days, i hope they are ok. It doesn't seem like the trail will be passable for at least a few more days. So again i have a tough decision to make. I can wait out the weather and then start back out from Steven's Pass and hope the trail isn't too tough, I can skip to Stehekin and hope the trail is passable there, I can skip farther to Rainy or Hart's Pass and just do the final few miles just to get a picture of me at the border, or I can give up. I don't like the idea of giving up, but also I don't know if a picture of me at the border will have less value if i haven't hiked the whole way. I do not know what to do.
Hi Pat,
ReplyDeleteI have been avidly following your incredible journey since your adventure began many many miles ago and it looks as through the trail has saved its toughest challenge for last, with both your knee and the weather conspiring against you. Whichever final decision you arrive at I am sure that it will detract little from what has to date been an outstanding achievement.
Bon courage with making your decision, hang on in there!
Well done.
Matt
Paddy, don't be hard on yourself. What an achievement to have hiked over 2400 miles, your ever growing independent spirit and character coping with all the PCT challenges. You could further damage your knee by continuing even in good conditions but in the face of unprecedentedly harsh conditions for which you are ill prepared, there could be a much greater risk.
ReplyDeleteDear Paddy, I have something which to you I want to say
ReplyDeleteIt's not about the destination but the adventures along the way
You chose to break away from the norm and take the path less trodden
And thus through desert heat or even when your feet were sodden
You've been to incredible places, seen some stunning views or two
You've climbed mountains and swum in lakes visited by so very few
You honed strength, resilience and survival skills and sometimes walked the edge of a knife
And don't forget the trail magic and the friends you've made for life
So whether you're trek ends now, at the border, or somewhere in between
You've accomplished and learned so very much - what a trip it's been!
Patrick - I spent 34 years in the armed forces and absolutely detested those moments when I had to say 'enough'. To say "it can't be done" or, worse still, "I can't do it", made me feel sick inside.
ReplyDeleteI used to try to make myself feel better by reading through Theodore Roosevelt's full text that contained the words "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly... and who at worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows his place shall never be with those timid and cold souls who know neither victory nor defeat".
Sure, we can beat ourselves up, we can torture ourselves with ‘what ifs’, we can blame ourselves or perhaps others.
But that is all just corrosive nonsense. Stick to the positives: you have done something millions never get the chance to do (let alone have the stamina to achieve even the extraordinary distance you have already travelled). You have written blogs worthy of a bestseller and I don’t care about the spelling any more. You have made us laugh and we have joined you in awe at the sights and sounds and textures, wishing we were there just for that one minute. We have wondered at those strange creatures you met along the way, wildlife alive and dead, folk with crazy names and those fabulous angels. And we have imagined how you have found the taste of a beer was pure heaven after a particularly hard leg of the journey.
You have dared. And this will stay with you for the rest of your days: from elation to despair, and the absolute determination to experience more of the former and less of the latter in your life ahead. Lucky you. You have lived life with a capital ‘L’ and you are still bloody young. Lucky you. You have escaped the drudgery that most people must accept in their day to day lives and seen some heavenly bits of this earth.
Could things have gone just that little bit better? Perhaps. Have you learned a little humility and a little gratefulness for those who simply helped you along the way but who could never consider doing that walk themselves? And are you actually stronger by surviving both victory and defeat? Absolutely. I can guarantee you will be ‘a force to be reckoned with’ in years ahead.