are you worried about us?

Posted by Jenna.

A few weeks ago I went to my uncle's house to celebrate Easter with my extended family. The day went much like all holidays with my mother's side of the family. That is, until the conversation turned to my upcoming hike. This was the first time I had been around my whole family since I had decided to hike the trail, and they were worried, to say the least. They wanted me to bring a gun, a GPS unit, and wanted to know how we would go to the bathroom, where we would sleep, and much more. I mentioned shipping resupply boxes with food, which prompted them to ask how far I would be from "civilization". My answer of: "no more than 5 days or so" did not put them at ease.

They think Tom and I are utterly crazy for wanting to do this. While they were outwardly worried and skeptical, I know a lot of other people are more reserved with their thoughts (both mine and Tom's mothers, for example). Then today, I stumbled on a nice article about another PCT hiker's worried mother. So, if you are worried about mine and Tom's wellbeing, here are some tips to put your mind at ease:

• Check out the Pacific Crest Trail Association website (www.pcta.org). There you can learn more about the trail, including the route, terrain, weather conditions, and read other hiker's journals. 
• You can even call the PCTA with specific questions, concerns, or to hear about weather conditions. (916) 349-2109
• Talk to as many experts as possible: avid hikers, park rangers, PCTA staff, salespeople at outdoors stores. The more opinions you hear, the better you will be able to understand the big picture. And many once you realize we arent the only people doing this, you will be less likely to question our sanity...
• Follow our blog once we head out on the trail! We will post journal entries and updates as often as possible- including some breathtaking photos.

The bottom line is: the more you know about the trail, the less scary our excursion will seem. All of this information will help you see that the trail is well marked, rattlesnake bites and bear attacks are rare and easily avoided, and we will be carrying very detailed maps and guide books. Perhaps after all of your researching, you will want to join us on the trail.