What Happens When You…

Make Up Your Mind!

What happens when you make up your mind to do something you thought you’d never do?

Well – It happens! Maybe not the way you thought, or according to the timeline you set. 

Here’s what happened when I said, “IT’S NOW OR NEVER!”

In 2018 I said, “This is it – now or never.” And I took measures to find a hiking partner for the BIG ONE – the PCT!. I’d been collecting gear over the years with this long-term goal in mind. (You can read about how that came about in a previous blog:. “Twenty-Year Journey to the PCT” to learn how I met my hiking partner, Debbie.)

2019 – Debbie and I obtained the required permit for a through hike. (Mexico to Canada 2650 miles) We began by hiking different sections in Southern California, avoiding snow, preferring to go where the weather was favorable. Debbie said, “We’re going all the way to Canada!” I had my doubts, but Debbie was adamant!  After a few small section hikes to see if we were compatible hikers, and if I could actually do this at age 65. After a few hikes I did some math and informed Debbie that if we hiked every day with no breaks we’d be hiking until February 2020! She conceded to a two-year plan and gradually came to accept a three-year plan. (eye roll) That year we completed about 900 miles that included 300 miles of  Oregon!

2020- With over 900 miles behind us we got new permits and planned a minimum of 1000 miles for 2020. But while we were getting prepared, the news of a pandemic hit, and the PCT was basically CLOSED. Ugh! What a kick in the pants, not only for us but hikers from all over the world who had quit jobs, saved for years, quit their leases, and had tickets for international travel. To close out 2020, we decided to fill in some of the local PCT gaps for a grand total of 86 miles. 

2021 – Feeling more relaxed about Covid -19 fears (including our Governor declaring Covid was no longer a problem EYE ROLL!) we obtained new permits to begin a quest for another 1000 miles. The plan was to go South Bound (SOBO) from northern CA and go to Walker Pass. If successful we would have completed contiguous miles from Mexico to Washington – Oregon border. As typical of our track record, we didn’t quite get all those miles in but did hike through the Sierra including all the major passes for a total of 800 miles. Isn’t that a lucky number?

Moral of the story…Make up your mind! And stop putting off what you want to do!