Bill woke me up early this morning mumbling something about “It’s 3 am”—but I ignored him, since we didn’t plan to get up till 4 ! He told me later he was hoping I WOULD wake up so we could leave early, but getting no response, he went back to sleep till the alarm went off! Was he excited? I can’t imagine why?? After praying for safety and a good trip, we climbed into our rental car and were off.

Lunch was at a rest area in USMC Camp Pendleton, where we were serenaded by the sounds of helicopters practicing their landing technique on a concrete pad near the cliffs above a very blue, windswept Pacific. There was a starling begging for our lunch, who appeared to be a “helicopter wannabe”—he actually did hover next to our table at “sandwich level” and got in a peck off Bill’s sandwich when it was still in his hand!

Arriving in San Diego, we had little trouble finding Trail Angel Bob Reiss’ house. As he’d said in his note, he was still at work, but we had a warm welcome from Sandy, the golden retriever. Bill went off to return the rental car, while I rested by the pool and got a free slobbery facewash every time Sandy wanted more attention! There was a steady parade of airliners, military helicopters, etc. going by overhead—fun to watch. Eventually Bob Reiss came home, then two more hikers (Josh and Anna from Madison, Wisconsin), then finally Bill. He and Josh and Anna had some tales to tell of their San Diego bus experiences! Yikes! Apparently there are some REALLY BAD parts of San Diego, and the bus goes right through them.

We went to a great local hamburger place called Rallys (“Better than In N’ Out” said Bob Reiss!) and had fun getting acquainted! Josh and Anna are a young couple who went backpacking for their honeymoon. Anna just got her master’s degree in library science! We all went with Josh and Anna as they shopped for a few lastminute items (like 2 liter bottles of water), then went home and watched Weathercarrot’s beautiful DVD of the PCT. Bedtime was early!

BILL

It is easy to grow old, stiff, weak and overweight. Given time and lack of activity, tying my shoes can become a major challenge for the day. It’s not easy for an older person to reverse habits of inactivity. It is better to work hard not to develop them in the first place.

Just training for the PCT means lots of walking, exercising and stretching. Muscles that were rarely used in my working days rebel against this kind of treatment. Good! This is what I want. I also want to overcome the good life that leaves me shivering on cold days and melting into jello on hot days. I want to be acclimatized to any weather. I want to improve my night vision, only possible where there is little or no light pollution. I want to see my flab disappear. I want to find the limits of my aging body, ignoring its aches and pains. I want to enjoy the mental and physical challenges of meeting the elements on their terms, crossing snow fields, roaring creeks, avoiding strikes from lighting storms that frequent the crests, outwitting the bears, the ticks, the giardia.

I want to experience the magnificence of the desert, the sierras, the volcanic Cascades, the kaleidoscope of nature’s beauty that is the PCT. I can hear the challenges of the trail calling “come”. I can see its beauty calling “come to me”. I respond, “be patient, I’ll be there in May”.

MONTY

The summer of 2004, we tried an experiment–could two “senior citizens” with gray hair put in 20-plus mile days over steep trails, with a week’s worth of food, in all weather, including our least favorite–heat? Answer: yes, we could! (And a big thank you to Ray Jardine for the concept of hiking with an umbrella when it’s hot–BYOS (Bring Your Own Shade) really works!

Now, amid all the usual busyness of working in AWANA (a great nondenominational, international Christian club for kids!), plus “regular” jobs (Bill is an about-to-retire stationary engineer at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco; Monty is a semi-retired ballet costume seamstress/wardrobe mistress), we are involved in all the pre-thruhike details of making gear and clothing, collecting food, planning resupplies, and doing training hikes on the beautiful hills of Marin, Sonoma, and Napa counties of California. We are grateful to God for good health, a wonderful support team (our daughters Mercy and Alexa), and such a great opportunity to explore both the beauty of Creation and the aftermath of Catastrophe (Noah’s Flood) along the PCT.