For the weekend hiker fall is the best time of year. The colors are vibrant, the bugs are gone, the days are fresh and the nights are crisp. Yet for the long distance hiker fall requires an adjustment, as I mentioned on this blog once before. Fall is a time of transition; that is once again where we find ourselves out here.
Three times I’ve hiked through autumn. The first was on this very PCT, where as a college kid I struggled with staying on the trail when custom allured me towards going back to school. The second was when hiking the Continental Divide Trail in 1985. I was better adjusted then, but our whole group was affected nonetheless. On an unfinished trail that called for us finding our own routes, those routes tended to be adventurous during the summer, quicker and easier during the fall.
On our recent American Discovery Trail journey we hiked throughout a full year. We entered fall with two-thirds of the trail left to do. Hiking towards winter in the heartland produced the most foreboding effect of all. Yet for all the foreboding of fall an enchanted stillness pierces through that. Hiking through the prairie for the very first (probably last) time provided additional benefits that stick to your soul more than does the foreboding. The golden cottonwoods, the harvests, the migrating geese (the lack of tornados!) perhaps make fall the very best time to be hiking through the prairie.
Charissa now goes through what I went through those three times. I understand in part what she feels. I say “in part” because my own experiences were not compounded by the desire to be with a special someone back home. Her sadness weighed heavily on me when we finally left The home of Carlos and Mariana to hike for a half day by Bucks Summit.
Charissa hiked with her Mom, while I drove her car around in support, formulating a new option for us to proceed. Going home was not in Cindy’s best interest, while continuing to hike as much as the PCT as possible may be tough on Charissa. With a boyfriend on her mind she may not be able to get over the fall hump as I eventually did. Consequently, if Charissa’s not happy I don’t think I can continue to be upbeat. If I lose an upbeat attitude out here everyone will suffer.
The new option was to hike PCT highlights and combine that with other activities of Charissa’s choosing. I presented this option as soon as I saw them, but Charissa balked. She wants to do what is in her Mom’s best interest and did not want to be responsible for a decision that might be counter to that. The next morning, as we laid in our sleeping bags, I presented the options again to just Cindy.
Cindy ruled out going home immediately. A new compelling factor for her being out here, in addition to wanting to complete the PCT, are our plans for how we would spend Thanksgiving. I pointed out for her that we needed to come back next year to finish the trail regardless of which option we choose. I admit I am starting to feel duplicitous in this manner. There is no guarantee Cindy will still be able to do this next year. Even so, the more left to do the less likely we can do it all in the summer months even if we do come out.
Cindy agreed to the PCT highlights option with an enthusiasm that suggested this was best for her regardless of the odds for finishing the trail in the future. When I shared Cindy’s decision with Charissa her spirits appeared to be lifted. She was back to poking and teasing her Mom again.
We left the PCT for points along the coast. We will come back to the PCT to tackle the highlights such as the San Gabriel’s, Mt. San Jacinto and the Anza Burrego desert, though I’ll be encouraging Charissa to determine the “how much,” the “when” and the alternatives.
