The 65-year-old Hob McConville was on a mission: finish his second trip over the PCT. (His first trip had been back in 1976 when I was hiking on the Appalachian Trail in Maine.) He had already hiked the Appalachian Trail twice, and the Continental Divide Trail once. He and his wife had walked across Europe three times. In other words, hiking long distances is pretty much what Hob does. He didn’t know whether he would do the Continental Divide again. Large bears, i.e. grizzlies, worry him.
“I’ve camped under this beautiful sugar pine,” he informed me, “because it is my tent’s last night and I want to give it a good experience.” Obviously he liked his tent. In fact, it was well-loved, like a child’s teddy bear after five years of hard loving. The tent was literally falling apart at the seams and Hob had been repairing it with Post Office packaging tape. “My wife is meeting me at Echo Summit with a new tent,” he sighed, more sad than excited. Hob deeply believes that anything you purchase should be used until it is beyond use, and then a little longer.
I hated to tell him that his beautiful sugar pine was a white pine. I’m not sure why I did, except older mountain men like the two of us enjoy knowing our trees. He wanted to debate until I pointed out the cones. And the tree was a beauty, regardless of the type of cones it produced. I am sure that his tent felt well-honored. I wondered if Hob would take it home and bury it in his Connecticut backyard, like a favorite pet. Hob’s pack was in similar condition, but apparently it had a lot of miles left.
The next morning, our discussion turned to the PCT and Hob’s philosophy on long-distance hiking. “It shouldn’t be a race,” he proclaimed fervently. His feeling was that it was becoming more and more like one. He could foresee the day when companies like Nike might sponsor races to see who could finish the trail in the shortest amount of time. I agreed. Just completing the trail in a season leaves little time to appreciate the beauty of the region. Jumping from the already long 20-25 mile days to 30 or 40-mile days would make such appreciation much more difficult. I see nothing wrong with the pride through-hikers feel in finishing the trail; it is a pride well earned. And Hob was quite proud of his accomplishments. But the ultimate value of the hiking the PCT— beyond personal satisfaction and growth— is in experiencing nature and developing a commitment to protecting wilderness areas. The PCT is not a race track.
While the conversation had been stimulating, Hob had miles to go to meet up with his new tent (and wife), and I had more nature to go appreciate. We parted company with Hob heading north and me heading south. Here are some of the things I saw along the way.
I passed a few more lakes and then the PCT did what the PCT always does.
I met a young woman who was talking on her cell-phone with her brother. “I just saw a bear up the trail,” she told me breathlessly. I didn’t see the bear, but I did see…
The last time I had hiked through this area, we had walked around the lakes. The night before, one of my long time trekkers, Nancy Pape, had choked on pills. My friend Ken Lake had jumped in with the Heimlich Maneuver and saved her life. The time before, we had hiked out from the lakes to the small town of Markleeville, California and happened upon the Clampers holding their sacred initiation rites. Men were walking around with toilet seats over their necks shouting obscenities. They were quite upset that we had women along who witnessed the ceremony. The women were amused.
NEXT POST: A walk down Puerto Vallarta’s Malecon and an exploration of the public art along the way. After that, I will do a post on Huichol art in PV and then another post on the PCT.
Wandering through Time and Place 
Anyone would be proud of that wild garden!
And rightfully so. Mother Nature is hard to beat, AC. 🙂 –Curt
That photo of the little alpine lake….it’s what heaven looks like.
Pretty darn close, I’d agree, Craig. Much more beautiful than streets ‘paved with gold.’ –Curt
The butterfly looks surreal, such amazing colours!!
Yeah, I liked that shot, Christie. 🙂 –Curt
As I’m always commenting, Mother Nature is our finest artiste!
Yes she is, G. And her art work is there for everyone to appreciate. Of course, you have to work a bit on occasion to see it. (grin) But there is plenty for everyone along the world’s highways as well. –Curt
🙂
Yes, some hikers do make it a race. They raced past us when doing the Tasmanian wilderness hike. It seemed they were possessed with doing it in the shortest time. I don’t think they saw much. Great post, Curt.
Thanks, Gerard. It’s true everywhere. I understand the motivation. I’ve hoofed it down a few trails. But you miss do miss a lot. –Curt
Such beautiful countryside. And Hob sounds like a real character.
Alison
There are some great rock formations coming up, Alison. Hobs was fun. I loved his thoughts on equipment. (Mine was all new. Otherwise my pack would have weighed 15 pounds more. :))
15 lbs is a lot! Esp over those distances.
Wonderful photos. Especially like the one of the Nipple. Nice to meet Hob.
Thanks, Peggy. The Nipple is an old friend. Hard to miss as a landmark. 🙂 Would have been good to spend more time with Hob. –Curt
I think I’ve seen the UFO-alien plant up in the hills behind us here. I think “UFO-alien” is an excellent name for it. I hate it when I’m forced to rush through wild places. Luckily I don’t go there with anyone who fidgets during photo shoots!
I’d certainly like to know its name. 🙂 Yeah… can’t be rushed. –Curt
That man looks a real character, a wealth of stories I imagine!
I wish I would have more time to listen to them. I suspect that we could have swapped a few, Andrew. –Curt
A glorious photo essay, Curt. I’m so glad you took the half hour to admire the flowers and share them here with us. The views from the mountain to the lake gives me vertigo but stunning sights! Ahh…Hob sounds like a great guy. I bet you could have chatted away for hours, swapping tales!
Thanks, Annika. The flowers always capture me. 🙂 And I would have enjoyed more time with Hob! –Curt
Nancy certainly provided us with some excitement that evening. We were all glad Ken was so quick to react.
Yes we were, Leslie. I was still thinking and Ken was moving. –Curt
Both you and this gentleman you met amaze me. Yes, bears would worry me. But so would getting tired on a trail and taking a much-needed nap only to find that things have gone awry. You’re better men for it, but oh, my. I do see why you hike even late in life. When else would you get to spend time examining closely the beauty of the world. Thanks for the detailed photos. And for letting me know that age is just an age.
It was hard out there, Rusha, more so than in the past, but ever so worth it. I will continue to enjoy the experience through my photos. Our aging is a reality that we can’t reverse. But we can slow it down. 🙂 Thanks. –Curt
All things considered, we’re doing pretty well. I just took another part-time position with my school district in addition to my Friends of Library work. It’s not hiking, but it’s also not sitting around on the sofa watching TV. Here’s to many more productive, enjoyable years! Happy holidays.
Thanks, Rusha. Sounds like you are more than keeping busy. I am often pulled into FOL activities since Peggy is president of the local branch. (Translate ‘when moving books is involved.’)
I’ve never been very good at sitting around and watching TV. 🙂 Even then I have to have projects that I am working on. A very Happy New Year to you! –Curt