Reasons to Come to America

[Lamplighter]

I've read about the Pacific Coast Trail since I was a kid,
but never seriously thought about actually doing it.
Our family has done a bit of back-packing in the Canadian Rockies,
back when our girls were still willing to follow their parents wherever.

Here is a little article I enjoyed about a local resident's journey this past summer...

The Columbian
Susan Parrish
1-07/12

Vancouver [WA] woman tests her limits on Pacific Crest Trail

Lena Sessions pulled off her shoes, then peeled off her socks and winced.
Blisters had formed on the bottoms of all 10 toes.
Putrid, yellowish skin was peeling off in big chunks. Walking was painful.
But not walking wasn't an option. She'd already hiked 200 miles, but another 2,433 miles
of the Pacific Crest Trail stretched ahead of her on a Mexico to Canada journey.

So she pulled a tube of Superglue from her backpack and glued her blistering toes.
Gingerly putting on her socks and shoes, she hoisted her pack onto her back and continued her trek north.<snip>



At least every seven days, the trail is near a town with a post office or a small store to purchase supplies.
She mailed herself resupply boxes along the trail, including four new pairs of hiking shoes.
Instead of carrying an entire trail guidebook, Sessions divided her books into sections
and mailed them to herself. Her parents and friends mailed her care packages along the trail.
<snip>
On Sept. 21, the new Vancouver resident completed the biggest
challenge of her life: thru-hiking the 2,663-mile Pacific Crest.
Hiking 25 to 30 miles a day, she completed the journey in 149 days, just under five months.<snip>