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Man Duck Walks Entire PCT
"Camper" Dave
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Stick Witch
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Another long distance hiking barrier fell this year. Recently the first yo-yo of the PCT had been completed, and then the first two-trail hike in one year, and this year we saw the Triple Crown accomplished in one year. Now "Stick Witch" has completed what is thought to be the first person to traverse the entire PCT by walking like a duck. A few dozen thru-hikers tried to plant an obvious trail name on him, but he already had Stick Witch going in. "I approached Disney to help finance my duck walk thru-hike, but they declined," says Stick Witch.
Purists may say he didn't walk the entire PCT that way, but Stick Witch claims he did. "Of course in towns I'd walk normally. I received enough digs on the trail; I didn't need the stares and comments during my town stops. Once in Belden Town I met a bunch of guys on Harleys, I wasn't going to duck walk past them: I'd get beat up! Other animals were o.k. with my walk- sometimes the coyotes made me nervous. The rattlesnakes in Southern California were scary. I wasn't sure how a duck would react, so I just waddled really fast."
Stick Witch had walked the PCT through Oregon last year, so he knew he was ready for a thru-hike. "I wanted to do something different, something no one had done before, so I chose the duck walk. I thought about crab walking, but I wasn't sure my hands were up for it. And the logistics of carrying the pack on my stomach were too severe. I ruled out a gorilla walk due to the upcoming 'Planet of the Apes' movie. Maybe I'll gorilla walk the AT."
Duck walking the entire trail isn't a cakewalk; it's an incredible strain on the ligaments. Up hill is easier than down hill. "Coming down some of those Sierra passes in the snow was hard!" exclaimed Stick Witch. "My form with an ice axe wasn't the best either." The difficulties of walking the PCT like a duck are numerous, and some of them (see photo crossing Bridge of the Gods) are downright dangerous. Otherwise he had the same difficulties other hikers have: blisters, sunburn, thirst and hunger.
So what has Stick Witch learned from his duck walk of the entire PCT? "Hike your hike, lighten up and have a good time."