Where to begin

I have now been done with the PCT for two whole weeks. I crossed the snowy Canadian border on September 18th, 2017 after 115 days spent on trail. Being back home in Phoenix is somewhat dreamlike. For the entire summer my life consisted of acclimating to living outdoors, collecting all the water I was to drink that day, and possessing only what I could carry on my back. Now life is easier and more comfortable but indeed lacking daily adventure and the opportunity for spontaneous hiker friendship.

The experience I had this summer is unforgettable and irreplaceable. I wouldn’t trade it for anything and it was worth every step I took. Being home people ask me how it was and each time I find it terribly difficult to try and come up with any other answer than “It was great!”. For me it is seemingly impossible to sum up this experience in just a few concise sentences that can be exchanged in a passing conversation. So I figured perhaps by putting a few of my thoughts down it could give people a better understanding of the feeling you get when finishing a thru hike.

The first thing people have to realize is that it isn’t all fun and games. One of the most difficult reasons for me to explain my trek with people back home is because of the variance of emotions one could have in any given day on the PCT. The trail is hard. No question about it. Especially when you maintain the idea of actually crossing the border. But for all of the difficult times and sore feet and droning hiking stretches there are 10 times as many fond memories and breathtaking freedoms one can have. For me, the most enjoyable aspect are the people and the relationships that you form. We call them Hiker Family and they form very quickly. Traveling and adventure are great but they are even better when you get to share them with other people. I would often refer to it as having outdoor room mates for the summer because we eat, sleep, hike, laugh, and cry together. We entertain each other and we support each other. We are all we got out there! The bonds formed are each unique and special.

The second thing that I think shapes my attitude of the trail is the way in which my thoughts and perceptions are shifted. I’m not talking about some existential mumbo jumbo that people think about when they imagine hippies frolicking in the woods. But four months hiking across the country in the wilderness has some effects on you. Mainly, I am used to life being more simple and more gratifying. Coming home I feel that peoples lives are too complicated because they have no other frame of reference to compare it to. To put it simply, I’m not in a rush to get somewhere and I don’t need much to make me happy. The trail teaches you to be content with what you have and that you’ll get there eventually. All other worries, wants, and wishes are simply but on the back burner. The biggest element of “culture shock” I experienced by coming home is that everyone is always asking me “Whats next?”. I simply respond with “I don't know yet! Whatever I want, I guess.” It’s not that I lost any ambition or became lazy while hiking 2,100 miles (an ironic idea, I think). It’s just that being out there teaches you to slow down and really focus on what you want to be doing and how you are going to get there. I’m not broke and have lots of opportunities thankfully. I have just come to the conclusion that whatever I end up doing next is going to be something that I truly want to be doing. And the thought of what that next thing will be makes me happy.