I just got off the phone with Brooke Osborne, aka "Wampus Cat". She was calling from Mammoth Lakes, California where she and Gavin Morris, aka "Zen" have just completed their 900th mile on the Pacific Crest Trail. They are already 1/3 of the way to Canada.
Wampus was in good spirits as she enthusiastically described her and Zen's recent highlights on the trail. There was the Bishop Bear that staked out a campground and forced our intrepid adventures to cross a high mountain pass, in the dark, by headlamp, after a long day, with lots of food, in search of a bear box. It took them nearly 3 hours to go 4.3 miles and I'll bet that Bear's ears are still burning over the expletives that were probably evoked every step of the way.
There was also a recent stream crossing where some of their camera equipment went unexpectedly white water rafting and had to be quickly recovered. Luckily, no equipment or files were lost or damaged. It sounded to me like when Sacagawea saved some valuable specimens collected by the Lewis & Clark Expedition when they were swept overboard while riding out some rapids.
These experiences are Wampus Cat and Zen's. They have happened to them. As a writer of non-fiction, it has been hard for me to communicate what they were doing. I am not the one doing it, but I have figured out a way to better cover this epic journey.
Through a collaborative effort with Wampus and Zen, together we will be able to shed some light on their thru hiking experience.
I had originally thought of comparing and contrasting their journey to my everyday life. This was like trying to play solitaire with a half a deck of cards. How did I know what they were experiencing and dealing with to be able to compare it to what I did know? I couldn't, but through a recent two day one night backpack trip of my own, enlightenment on the subject was achieved.
Their accomplishments are just that, their accomplishments. When I read about a guy like Andrew Skurka, it is incredible what that guy has done, but it may as well be a trip to the moon as far as me being able to relate to it, for it is his journey, not mine.
So, if I write a little and Wampus and Zen chime in as well, maybe the end result will be what I envisioned from the start, the recording of an historical journey that you do not see attempted everyday.
