INTERVIEW WITH A THRU HIKER(Double Tap)

Pacific Crest Trail 14

Interview With A Thru-hiker

Trail Name : Double Tap

2014PCT

09.04.2017

0. Talk about yourself?

I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Went to Texas A&M University and have been working in the electronics industry (sales) for my career. I lived in New York City before moving to California in 2003 and that is when my hiking obsession began after visiting Yosemite National Park in 2004. Every summer/fall season I spend as much time as possible in the Sierra with my favorite place to backpack being Kings Canyon National Park.

Pacific Crest Trail 14

1. Why did you decide to hike the PCT?

It’s hard to pinpoint and exact reason but after hiking the John Muir Trail in 2007 I started thinking of the next big trip and the PCT seemed to be the logical choice. In the end however, it all comes down to being immersed in nature for 5 months is an amazing experience. Plus, not having to worry about a job, bills, and all the normal stresses of everyday life pushed me to thru hike.

2. How many miles you cover when hiking?

Depends on the region. In SoCal (High Desert & Sierra) I averaged about 17 miles a day. In NorCal that went up to 20-25 miles per day. In Oregon it was ~28-29 miles per day and then it went back down to ~20 miles a day in Washington due to the large elevation gains everyday.

Pacific Crest Trail 14

3. Tell me about the memorable episode

There are so many memorable experiences on the PCT over a thru hike. One that sticks out is hiking the Knifes Edge in southern Washington as clouds were rolling in. The landscape up there is so barren that with the fog/clouds blowing over the ridge it made me feel so very … alive. Reaching the CA/OR border was another memorable experience as you realize at that point you just walked across what is probably your first state ever and it’s a long state going north or south (~1,700 miles). I also have very fond memories of sitting around a campfire one night at Kennedy Meadows South (and another night at the Saufley’s Hiker Heaven) with a bunch of other thru hikers just talking about our trips so far. That was a lot of fun.

4. What was your favorite part of the experience?

The entire trip all rolled up into one. Every day you get to be in nature the entire day away from civilization. It’s a very liberating experience.

Pacific Crest Trail 14

5. What is the hardest part of hiking?

Getting up in the morning when it’s really cold and warming up. 

6. Do you think people get addicted to thru hiking?

Yes. Post trail depression is a real thing that we all go through when we get back home. It’s hard to return to normal everyday living after being on the trail for 5 months.

Pacific Crest Trail 14

7. What are trail angels and what is trail magic?

Trail angels help hikers in any way, shape, or form. They can hang out at trailheads and offer hikers cold drinks and food or they can host hikers at their homes for a break. Trail magic is what the trail angel offers to the hiker, whatever that may be. Trail angels/magic is special aspect of thru-hiking as often they have never met you and don’t want any money. It’s done out of the kindness of their heart and that is something hard to come by these days.

8. Did you try other long distance trail? what is the difference between CDT and others?

Yes, my first long distance trail was the John Muir Trail (2007). I have also hiked the Tahoe-Yosemite Trail (2010), and am now section hiking the Sierra High Route. One of these days I would like to hike the PCT SoBo and also hike the CDT.

Pacific Crest Trail 14

9. What lesson you learn on hike?

Enjoy every day and treat it like it’s your last. It can all end at a moment’s notice.

10. Any tips for aspiring or current thru hikers?

Slow down and enjoy the experience. It’s easy to get tunnel vision with getting to Canada and doing miles miles miles everyday. Yes, you have to make mileage to get to the end before weather hits but try to enjoy every second of it (even the painful seconds). Also, break up the trail into smaller sections in your mind. Don’t start thinking of Canada your first week into the trail. Treat each section like a section hike except in this case you are stringing a bunch of section hikers consecutively.

Pacific Crest Trail 14

11.  Any new hikes planned?

This summer/fall hitting the next section of the Sierra High Route via Snow Tongue Pass and heading north ~50 miles. I also want to explore the Ampitheater Lake area and Ionian Basin/Enchanted Gorge region of Kings Canyon National Park. This winter I also want to explore/backpack more of Death Valley National Park and maybe backpack up to White Mountain.

12. What do you think of happiness?

You make your own happiness, go out there and do it.

Pacific Crest Trail 14

Thanks to Double Tap for sharing a big of his experience with us. We really appreciate the picture and story of your hike. I hope that Double Tap story gives you some inspiration, a sense of what it is to long distance trail the PCT

So, now what can we do?

Let's go hike!!!

INTERVIEW WITH A THRU HIKER(Bard)

Continental Divide Trail 16

Interview With A Thru-hiker

Trail Name : Bard

2014PCT/2016CDT

09.04.2017

0. Talk about yourself?

My name is Connor “Bard” DeVane. I’m a writer, a teacher, volunteer activist and organizer, and odd job worker.  I’m currently working on a multimedia journalism project about my hike and grassroots climate action in the states the CDT traverses called Hike the Divide. I started the CDT on June 28th and reached the Mexican border on November 19th.

Continental Divide Trail 16

1. Why did you decide to hike the PCT & CDT?

I decided to hike the PCT right after graduating from college in 2014. I wanted to immerse myself in wilderness and do something wholly new for me; I’d never been backpacking before. I didn’t think I’d do another thru-hike after finishing the PCT, but it didn’t take long ‘til I felt the itch. I’d heard the CDT was more rugged, more wild than the PCT, and that really called to me.

2. How many miles you cover when hiking?

I would guess I logged 25-30 miles per day on average, my longest day being 62.2 miles (100km) through the Great Divide Basin.

Continental Divide Trail 16

3. Tell me about the memorable episode

Every day was memorable! But one of my most cherished experiences was seeing three Mexican Gray Wolves, the most critically endangered mammal in the US, just north of Snow Lake in the Gila National Forest. I was road walking (typical New Mexico) with Anchor and we saw them just after sundown, maybe thirty yards up the road. At first we thought maybe they were just really big coyotes… and then they let loose some bone-chilling howls that only a wolf could produce.

4. What was your favorite part of the experience?

My favorite part of my CDT hike was just being out there. There’s nothing like the life of a thru-hiker: waking up in a new place every day surrounded by sublime mountain ranges, seeing the different ecosystems give way to one another, being able to hear yourself think. Favorite section, though, I’d probably say the Winds. The Wyoming section is way cooler than it gets credit for.

Continental Divide Trail 16

5. What is the hardest part of hiking?

Some people say the hardest part of a thru hike is the first step (and the buildup of commitment and planning to take that first step), but I think the hardest part is what follows the last step. Transitioning back to society after a long trail is pretty disheartening and disorienting.

6. Do you think people get addicted to thru hiking?

Yeah, you could say that.

Continental Divide Trail 16

7. What are trail angels and what is trail magic?

A trail angel is anyone who performs a selfless act of generosity for a hiker. Sometimes it’s a ride into town, a shower, a beer, or a warm bed for the night. Trail magic is, well, magic that happens to take place on trail. This often manifests as a cooler full of sodas, or a trail angel making pancakes, etc., but it can also be an encounter with wildlife, a run-in with a hiker you haven’t seen in a while, or simply the glimmer of sunlight on an alpine lake when you’re having a bad day. Trail magic reminds you of the good. It washes away anxieties and negative feelings.

8. Did you try other long distance trail? what is the difference between CDT and others?

I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (NoBo) in 2014. The PCT sees more traffic, has a larger non-thru community, has a lot more signage, and is much more maintained than the CDT. I don’t think I could say I like one trail more than the other, but the PCT does have a special place in my heart. 

Continental Divide Trail 16

9. What lesson you learn on hike?

My friend Kokopeli, a hiker who passed away last year, said (and I’m paraphrasing), that on trail we learn what really matters to us. I think that’s pretty accurate. Another friend, Rocket Llama, once said that, “The Trail is a lot of different things to a lot of different people.” Me, I learned what I’m capable of, how little I need to be happy, how much of what we assign importance to is entirely constructed and ephemeral, as well as how important it is to live in partnership with the natural systems of our planet.

10. Any tips for aspiring or current thru hikers?

Get yourself a good pair of shoes and get on the trail! You absolutely CAN complete a thru hike, but don’t get caught up in the idea of accomplishment. Just get out there, hike in the general direction of a terminus, and enjoy each moment for what it is. Smiles before miles, baby.  

Continental Divide Trail 16

11.  Any new hikes planned?

No new hikes on the books as of yet. I’ll be spending much of 2017 working on Hike the Divide. I’ll probably go out and hoof a section of the PCT in Washington this summer, but no thru hikes, unfortunately. In the future, I’ve got my eyes on the PNT and this new Open Sky Route that Dirtmonger is laying fresh tracks on this year. Maybe the AT, eventually…

12. What do you think of happiness?

Happiness is yours; all you have to do is choose it. My recipe for happiness looks like: compassion for yourself and others, a connection to the land, and engagement with community and collective efforts to build a better world. Thru hiking isn’t a path to happiness per se, but I think it functions as a pretty good incubator for finding happiness within yourself. 

Continental Divide Trail 16

Last word?

If anybody wants to see more from my hike or the journalistic side of my experience on the CDT, they can do so at HikeTheDivide.com, on Facebook and on Instagram @hikethedivide 

Thanks to Bard for sharing a big of his experience with us. We really appreciate the picture and story of your hike. I hope that Bard story gives you some inspiration, a sense of what it is to long distance trail the CDT & PCT

So, now what can we do?

Let's go hike!!!