Pacific Crest Trail Pioneers in a...
SEARCH FOR A SHADOW OF THE PAST
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Once upon a time when frontier Americans still had the freedom to explore the West on horseback a young father—with children 8, 10, and 12 years old—led the way, 2,500 miles from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail System. Through following the discontinuous paths of mountain men as Jedadiah Strong Smith, “skookum” rangers who actually ranged, and a great-great-uncle leading the first wagon train bound from Oregon over the Applegate to the gold fields of California, the Murray’s accidentally made history themselves by being the pioneers of what had been designated The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.
The irony of that situation is Congress spent multiple millions to turn the way through into a “turnpike” trail. This expedition, taking risks by cutting cross-country through barely touched wilderness, besides being the first, may be the last pack train ever to do the PCT. Well intentioned (?) bureaucratic “number of heart beats,” and “bring your own hay-replacer pellets” regulations do not add up to make it physically possible to do the complete trail on horseback today.
The fact that pack horses are endangered species reinforces Murray’s calling the family’s sojourn through the mountains, “A Search For A Shadow Of The Past.” The old West family motto of, “When you come across an obstacle in your life, you can go around to the left, or to the right; crawl under, or over the top, or hack your way through, but never give up,” also has turned out to be ineffective when running into today’s “Back East, Great White Father,” style regulations.
This book also explains what happens when horses are no longer man’s partners, but kept as pets. The Murray's may have been numbers 1,2,3,4,5 in the log book of PCNST finishers, but what they are proudest of is that Pokey, and Charlie Horse, and No Name, and the other “family members” loved their life on the last, of the last frontier—and came through safely. This book has been dedicated to their memory.
Roberta Dickerson
Publisher
The irony of that situation is Congress spent multiple millions to turn the way through into a “turnpike” trail. This expedition, taking risks by cutting cross-country through barely touched wilderness, besides being the first, may be the last pack train ever to do the PCT. Well intentioned (?) bureaucratic “number of heart beats,” and “bring your own hay-replacer pellets” regulations do not add up to make it physically possible to do the complete trail on horseback today.
The fact that pack horses are endangered species reinforces Murray’s calling the family’s sojourn through the mountains, “A Search For A Shadow Of The Past.” The old West family motto of, “When you come across an obstacle in your life, you can go around to the left, or to the right; crawl under, or over the top, or hack your way through, but never give up,” also has turned out to be ineffective when running into today’s “Back East, Great White Father,” style regulations.
This book also explains what happens when horses are no longer man’s partners, but kept as pets. The Murray's may have been numbers 1,2,3,4,5 in the log book of PCNST finishers, but what they are proudest of is that Pokey, and Charlie Horse, and No Name, and the other “family members” loved their life on the last, of the last frontier—and came through safely. This book has been dedicated to their memory.
Roberta Dickerson
Publisher
Text and Photographs © Barry Murray 1971-2007