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Finding a True Path by Long Distance Hiking
by Wayfaring Bern
If hiking and camping is something completely new, then the perfect walk in the woods may be the first of the three national scenic trails of the Triple Crown. Imagine deciduous forest terrain for as far as the eyes can see on the backbone of the east coast, and you have the 2,167 mile Appalachian Trail.
With as many as 3000 people on this trail you will find yourself perpetually entertained. Even though you may be walking among hundreds of others, no one will be experiencing the trail in the same way you are. No deep camping experience is even required -- other hikers will show you their techniques and gear. Some hikers don't even bother to bring tents anymore since three-sided shelters can usually be found every three to five miles. Re-supply points and crossroads are frequent, and there are chances for showers at hostels.
Even though the Appalachian Trail may be wonderful for beginners, it isn't an easy trail. Instead, it is an intense journey that will make you truly feel your body for the first time. It will make you work for every step you take. Switchbacks seem to have been omitted from the designers' vocabulary. There is only straight up and straight down, where even your hands get some of the action.
By Virginia, the herd has thinned and the leaves on millions of trees are unfolding. Hikers begin to awaken as walking takes them into the heart of summer. Some fears begin to dissipate just as new difficulties begin to surface. You find yourself in 90 and 100 degree temperatures at one hundred percent humidity throughout Pennsylvania and New York.
Mosquitoes and biting flies become companions as you work your way over slick, glacially-polished rocks. The rocky and wooded terrain finally begins to open up in New England, and stunning views of infinity capture the hiker's heart and soul. Conifers dominate in Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. A hiker's mind begins to quiet as the body finds itself in its best physical condition
Finally you pull up the final mountain to the top of Katadin in Maine with tears in your eyes, and you ask yourself "What's Next? Where do I go from here?" The possibilities may now seem endless.
On the opposite side of North America is the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, reaching from the border with Mexico in California, Oregon, and Washington 2,700 miles to Manning Park in British Columbia. The first hurdle is to overcome the lack of water through the deserts and chaparral country of southern California. The distance between watering holes almost dictates the need to hike twenty plus miles a day compared to the five and ten mile days that are more common for Appalachian Trail hikers.
Also, distances between re-supply towns tend to be greater than those on the Appalachian Trail, so one quickly learns to bring only what is essential and to let go of the rest. A light silicon-impregnated nylon tarp may become your only shelter. A light pack with four to seven days of food may feel like a part of your body. Traveling light one flows with the terrain.
The Pacific Crest Trail rolls continuously from the dry lower lands to the towering snow capped Sierra Nevada where the challenge of route finding increases during heavy snow years. Even melting snow becomes a hazard by creating swollen streams. Your shoes may stay wet for weeks.
Road crossings are infrequent. Birds, elk, deer, and meandering bears may be the only companions you see for days on end. You learn not to think but just to pay attention to the beauty that surrounds you. Later, your legs seem to stretch and you glide your way through Oregon at 35 miles a day, seemingly obstacle free. Nothing can stop you as you leap over the Columbia River into Washington State. Life is nothing but beautiful. Traversing the mountaintops of the North Cascades you feel as if you've reached the pinnacle of experience. There are no more hardships and no more worries. There is only the realization that you wouldn't want to be anywhere else on earth. This is the Pacific Crest Trail. This is Heaven.
The third and most seldom used trail of the Triple Crown is the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. Known to the world as the "King of Trails", it taverses the Rocky Mountains from New Mexico to Montana. This 3000 mile epic challenge essentially tests the essence of who you are. "Trail" is not even the appropriate word. In actuality , it is a route of paved and unpaved roads linking up to established trails. Only about twenty hearty souls set out to complete this maze each year.
New Mexico, like southern California, tempers the quest with thirst and heat. The appropriately named Continental Cow Trail begins weaving its way through traffic on hard pavement. This immediately challenges your definition of a trail. Finding actual hiking trails in New Mexico brings a sense of relief and joy.
More energy is needed in the 12,000-foot snow capped peaks that tower over Colorado, where the San Juan Mountains may have snow lingering until the end of June. There are mountains as far as the eyes can see and you have the choice as to where you want to venture without really knowing where the trail actually is.
The true journey along the Continental Divide Trail actually lies in losing the official trail, and how you deal with the situation. Time and again a thru-hiker will choose the wrong junction or will just run out of treaded ground. Frustration is inevitable. Rage, sorrow, and even tears are possibilities
But wisdom doesn't come from being in control of your journey. It comes from letting go of expectations. When the trail disappears, you must realize that you will eventually find it again. No matter where you are you know that it is your true path. There are always unexpected detours in life, and they themselves may provide the valuable lessons we need to learn.
The trail transitions again in Wyoming to a treeless high desert where cows, pronghorn antelope, badgers, and even wild horses thrive. You learn to live with little water because water sources are typically dung infested. The sub-alpine and alpine mountains of northern Wyoming become a hop, skip, and a jump to Montana and Idaho. You flow as if floating on a breeze. Thunderstorms explode above and all around you while winds do their best to push you off narrow ridge tops. Signs and early snows mislead you. But all that just doesn't matter anymore. You've been through the worst and the best. It all just is what it is, and you are there to experience it. And as a farewell gift are greeted by a grizzly bear protecting two cubs as you approach the Canadian border in Glacier National Park.
In hiking long distance trails one eventually learns that the path always take us somewhere. Just because the Appalachian Trail ends in Baxter State Park, the Pacific Crest Trail ends in Manning Park, and the Continental Divide Trail ends at the border doesn't mean that the trail is finished.
Taking a long hike can in fact break mental shackles, letting you leave behind expectations and attachments. Having learned to walk you realize that you can do anything, anywhere. The grass is never truly greener on the other side of the rainbow. What the Triple Crown of long distance hiking can instill is the desire to live life to the fullest.