About Challenges, Nature and Expectations

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to write this post, but as my start date is coming closer, this topic popped into my head again, leading to new realizations which I want to share with you. So why am I hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and what do I expect?

Of course, there is not one primary reason why I decided to hike this insane distance. It built up over the years, but I´ll try from scratch/beginning.

It´s an absolute adventure.

I definitely remember my thoughts when I read the first blog post about the PCT. It was an inception. The thought of this adventure was thrilling, butterflies in my stomach. Even though I didn´t have any multi-day hiking experience by then. Of course, I camped a lot as a child and hiked a little bit. But that thought remained present in my head from that very second and literally was the reason why I started hiking/backpacking/multi-day hiking. The thought of maybe one day doing it remained present in my head – like a wonderful dream.

Lifestyle

Digging a little deeper, it was not only the “call of the wild” which cought me. I always loved nature and grew up being outside a lot. Thinking of hiking for months, definitely entails a romanticized idea of gaining a super close connection to nature. A second strong driver why this thought was so appealing. I know, that the hike will provide a real and honest nature experience in all its beauty and brutality, but I think my previous hikes prepared me well. I do remember soaking wet days in Scotland, and super strong winds in Sweden, -5°C and snow in Canada.

Since then, hiking has been my favorite way of being on vacation, disconnecting from everyday life, and literally living life at your pace, step by step. The idea of hiking for a duration where hiking, eating, sleeping, repeat becomes your routine, your everyday life, is a concept that grew with every hike I did, and which I´m looking forward to – BIG TIME.

Lastly for the lifestyle component, I can´t wait to be with my future hiker buddies. I love meeting new people and learning from them.

Challenge

I always loved to challenge myself and to see what I could endure, physically and mentally. After moving to Austria, I started trail running. At first, it was the nature connection thing, but later on, I was fixed by extending what I thought I could do. Attempting now this unimaginable distance is the ultimate challenge for me from a sportive and mental perspective.

Healing/inner peace/Trauma:

When I told my friends that I was finally attempting the PCT, one friend asked me what I was running away from. Originally, I didn´t think about that at all. The adventure/challenge and nature-seeking components were my big 3 of why I would love to hike the Pacific Crest Trail – one day.

To be fair, I think you can’t completely detach yourself from the pretext that everyone hiking that trail is not looking for at least some extent of healing of the famous “finding themselves”. Maybe not in a Cheryl Strayed extent where you start hiking after hitting rock bottom, but speaking for myself, I know about my topics and trauma. And I might be able to dig deeper into those topics while hiking alone – inevitably. But this is nothing I force, as I started that healing journey already years ago, and definitely not stop post-PCT. It´s already going and whatever happens on the trail, it is just another step further.

Expectations

Concluding these deep thoughts in the question of what my expectations are. Well, it might come across above that my main expectation is just to have the most incredible time on trial, just embracing the time I grant myself to do this and everything that comes within. The challenge, the adventure, the nature, the people, the good days, the bad days, and the extra miserable days. I can´t wait to feel the moment, regardless if the moment is good or bad. In the end that makes you feel alive.

So, in the end, there is no detailed expectation like the ultimate epiphany, after which I have sorted out my entire life. I just want to experience this. For as long as I want to do it, or as long as I can endure it.

Guys I´m interested in who you are reading my blog. Friends, Family, Strangers? Please leave a comment. I´d love to know who´s following me on my journey.

22 days till day zero!

Thanks for reading,

Simon

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