Michelle's Final Post

Jumping for joy

Into the unknown

Sunset through trees

Driving from Manning to Seattle in the back of Spiff’s dad’s Suburban, all I could think of was how I much I wanted to keep hiking. Now that I’ve read some other journals from hiker friends who finished during the week after we did, I sure felt lucky that we got to end our hike when the weather was still perfect. Nights were cold but the days were sunny and right for savoring. The wilderness seems benign, free, supportive, until the weather turns wet and cold or you get sick or injured. Then it can feel scary, dangerous, mean. Civilization smooths the bumps out of the wild. It's magical to be able to spend time out there; it's comforting to be able to come back to shelter and food and family. 

Now the inertia of civilization has kicked in again and I’m content to lounge about the house and maybe venture outside for 45 minutes of jogging. Elatedly, the east is still beautiful. The trees are colored with shades of fire, the weather is damp but mild, and the energetic wind picks up leaves to send them whirling. I guess part of me worried that, after being immersed in the majestic pacific crest for so long, subtler eastern landscapes would have lost their beauty. Nope – it’s more beautiful than ever here. Instead of feeling jaded, I’m appreciative of differences in flora and topography. 

One PCT night I dreamed of how I would feel when I finished hiking. I traveled through the world by leaping and bounding everywhere, with superhuman strength and energy. I feel the teensiest bit like that when I go running now, but my lungs also start aching. Apparently they were so coddled by western wilderness air that they aren’t too happy about breathing industrial eastern air any more. Hopefully they adapt. My feet too have changed. They’re a bit longer and feel toe squeezed by previously comfy shoes. 

Ahem … I LOVE TO WALK!!!! The PCNST is da best!! Long trails ROCK!! YAHOOhaaaheeee!!!! 

Oh … ah … sorry for that (um) little outburst. 

As we flew back across the country from San Francisco, I watched captivated out the window: the city, the Sierras, Lake Tahoe, farmland, circles of irrigated green set in endless barren brown desert, then the Rockies, treed rivers snaking through dry fields and towns, and into clouds around Cincinnati. I thought about land use, wilderness, regional planning, development, and the remarkable vision, coordination, and work it took to build the PCT and all of the other long and short trails scattered throughout the US and the world. We are awesomely fortunate have the opportunity to walk this land on trails that are, for the most part, superbly built and maintained. 

p.s. 

I’ve got a couple of foot gear thoughts that I wanted to share in case you are interested. 

1. I wore Injinji toe socks the whole hike and loved them. They help keep your toes from mashing against each other and getting blisters. I heard from some people that they got holes in their toe socks really fast, but I wore out only 2 pairs over the entire hike. 

2. I put bag balm on my feet every morning, which kept my feet almost callous-free and I think minimized blisters. 

3. After bad experiences (blisters, Achilles pain, ill fit) with various pairs of Montrails, I bought a pair of New Balance 607 in Palm Springs, and stuck with the same shoe for the rest of the time, going through 2 additional pairs. I highly recommend New Balance because they are a) cheap ($30-50 for my on-sale basic trail runners), b) durable, lasting at least 700 miles, c) made in America (depending on the model), and d) come in various widths. When I tried on shoes in Palm Springs, the only ones that felt good were the extra wide shoes, because they didn’t rub against my blistered big toe or pinky toe. The extra width also allowed room for thick socks, which I liked to wear over my liner toe socks. 

4. Feet are really different. I think the best thing to do is to allow flexibility in your footwear plan for a first-time thruhike. For example, if you've bought a few different models for your hike, but aren't sure which will work best, put a pair or two in your first mail drop so that you can switch if your shoes are causing problems, then mail the others home (if they don't work) or ahead (if they might work later). It's really hard to know in advance what your feet will do in response to day after day of pounding on mixed terrain with varied temperature. 

Also, if you're planning a hike and are worried about how your feet will hold up, the book Fixing Your Feet is a good resource for foot care info, especially blister treatment. Reading the book before the hike empowered me to prevent and treat foot problems that otherwise might have been more worrisome and/or painful. 

p.p.s. 

Thanks Gerry for envisioning this trip years ago. You are the best, most competent, funniest, most wonderful walking partner ever. 

p.p.p.s 

Thanks again everyone (there are so many of you but especially my mum) who supported and encouraged us on our hike. Such altruism! Such generosity! A bazillion thanks for ever and ever ... 

Love, 

Michelle