Prologue 3 ~ Page 10
The where-we-were-going problem didn't have any easy put-it-off-till-later alternatives. Since our 'pack saddle' dinner, I had been getting replies to my inquiries to forest service rangers that ranged from "Impossible" to "Impassable." One answered, "Never heard of the trail you are asking about!" This was simply amazing as my first solid bit of research had turned up the coincidental information that Congress had recently passed the National Scenic TraiI Act. The loosely connected series of trails I had mentioned to the family—The John Muir, the Oregon Skyline, The Tahoe-Yosemite—now were designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, and shown on a beautiful full color map as a continuous red line from border to border. A search through a book of up-dated maps at the California Region Headquarters, U.S. Forest Service, soon proved that the answers we had received from rangers in the field, were right. That beautiful line was merely a mark on a piece of paper. Part of the way through depended on the California Riding & Hiking Trail—a project that was never completed, and officially abandoned.
Now that the trail is well known, it might seem a fairy tale to write that we really had no plans to be the pioneers of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. We weren't looking for fame by being a 'first.' What really happened was that all of our friends were expecting us to ride off into the sunset, and rather than stay home and answer all the questions why we weren't going, the easiest path was to continue on with our plans, trail or not.
We almost put the project off for another year, which probably would have meant forever. With our scheduled departure drawing near, the rains kept falling, which meant snow in the mountains. That winter was reported as the worst in 37, or 57, or 87 years, depending on how many snowfalls the commentator had experienced. I had originally hoped to complete the trip in one season, which would have been extremely difficult, for summer doesn't blossom in the high mountains of the West until August, and fall follows with a thud in September. When we heard reports that it was snowing in the desert, it became obvious we had to delay, and break the trip into two summers, even if this left other questions unanswered, such as where, and what, would we do next winter?
Another good reason for delaying was that I still didn't know where to start. Finally I came across a copy of The Pacific Crest Trail Conference Log. This defunct organization was founded in the 30's by Clinton Clarke, a Pasadena playwright, who, though he didn't hike, was well known for making out detailed lists of what others should carry, and where to go.
Now that the trail is well known, it might seem a fairy tale to write that we really had no plans to be the pioneers of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. We weren't looking for fame by being a 'first.' What really happened was that all of our friends were expecting us to ride off into the sunset, and rather than stay home and answer all the questions why we weren't going, the easiest path was to continue on with our plans, trail or not.
We almost put the project off for another year, which probably would have meant forever. With our scheduled departure drawing near, the rains kept falling, which meant snow in the mountains. That winter was reported as the worst in 37, or 57, or 87 years, depending on how many snowfalls the commentator had experienced. I had originally hoped to complete the trip in one season, which would have been extremely difficult, for summer doesn't blossom in the high mountains of the West until August, and fall follows with a thud in September. When we heard reports that it was snowing in the desert, it became obvious we had to delay, and break the trip into two summers, even if this left other questions unanswered, such as where, and what, would we do next winter?
Another good reason for delaying was that I still didn't know where to start. Finally I came across a copy of The Pacific Crest Trail Conference Log. This defunct organization was founded in the 30's by Clinton Clarke, a Pasadena playwright, who, though he didn't hike, was well known for making out detailed lists of what others should carry, and where to go.
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Text and Photographs © Barry Murray 1971-2007 Mac&Murray Multimedia