Looking over Jackie “Yogi” McDonnell’s CDT guide, I got a good laugh out of what she said about “Hiking as a Couple.”  Yes, for sure, guys and gals hike differently!  Fixit and I are no exception.

Fixit’s idea of preparing for a hike is to toss some food in a pack and take off.  He likes to hike fast, from point A to point B.  He just puts his head down and goes, and as a result sometimes misses a turnoff.  Rough trail does not slow him down–he is very surefooted. Occasionally he will stop and look at a very awesome view, but only sometimes.  He is fine with hiking by headlamp at night in order to get more miles.  Food is irrelevant to him–he eats simply to get some calories then gets going again.  When faced with an expanse of snow on a steep hillside or a steep climb up a snow face, his motto is “Momentum trumps gravity” and he races across (or up).  He crosses rivers by walking across logs. At a resupply town, he would like to just get our box from the PO, eat a big town meal, then hit the trail again.  He likes to stay clean by literally jumping into a convenient lake, clothes and all and swimming around a bit.

I (3rd Monty) have a whole different approach.  My preparation is very detailed and involves lots of lists and measuring and making endless baggies of this and that to eat and organizing everything very carefully.  I can hike fast on nice even trail, but the minute it gets rocky/rooty, I have to slow down because I’m such a klutz that I’d be doing one faceplant after another, even with trek poles.  I love to look at scenery and take pictures of flowers, and I’m  the one who spots the turnoffs and yells, “BILL!   Come back!   We turn off here!”   I do not like hiking by headlamp unless it’s early morning and getting lighter.  Food is important to me.  I like it to be tasty, and I like to find a place with a view to stop and eat, even if it’s just a Snickers.  Snow fields and faces are scary for me.  I put on the Microspikes, get out my ice axe and proceed with great caution.  If I can’t ford a river, I CRAWL across a log.  When we get to town, I really like being able to get a room, wash clothes in a washing machine and wash myself in a shower.  And sleep in a bed for one night.  And eat a lot.

So how can we possibly hike together?  I will never forget an encounter we had while on the PCT in Washington state in 2010.  We met a couple who were out dayhiking (they were headed back to their car) and they said, “You guys look like you’ve come a long way (yeah, we did look like hikertrash all right!)–where did you start from?”   We said, “Mexico.  We’re doing the Pacific Crest Trail.”  The dayhikers stared in open incredulity and finally the gal said, “And you’re still together?  That’s amazing.”    Back in southern California on the PCT that same year, we were happily hiking along the trail when we met another northbound thruhiker named Transient, who’d stopped for a rest.  Transient was known for his blunt but wise philosophical sayings.  And this was no exception.  He said to Fixit, “So, how did you get a woman to follow you and do this trail?”

Fixit’s reply was, “God gave her to me.”   And then he said a bunch of nice things about me (which I totally don’t deserve) and about how God is really real and changed his life.  Transient said, “Aaa, I tried that God stuff.  Didn’t work for me.”  He and Fixit talked some more and I think Transient may have moved over at least a bit in his thinking.

But as Jackie McDonnell said in her guidebook, the bottom line is…..GUYS love their gals and are willing to make LOTS of changes so that we can hike together.  When compromises are made, it’s pretty much always the guy conceding to the gal, because they love us.  Fixit is very, very patient with me.  When I’m slow on rough trail, he stops and waits.  When I take forever crossing a snow field, he waits patiently on the other side.  When it’s time to eat and I get picky about looking for a place with a view, he doesn’t complain.  He doesn’t grump about having to pay for a motel in town.

Once a year he does the whole John Muir Trail, HIS way–I go with him to the top of Mt. Whitney and say, “Bye, Bill, have fun!” and off he goes, totally hiking in his own way and having a blast, I am sure!

So gals, we sure can be grateful for the guys who love us and want to be together.  They put up with WAY more than we do!