Sasquatch, BigFoot and ThruHikers PCT 2011

In over 30 years of hiking in the northwest, I have never seen any of the above. There is no mythical monster of the northwest forests, no run-a-muck mutated human that reached back in genetic history for some neanderthal sized feet and certainly no one hikes 2800 miles first light to dark, day in and day out for 5 months in a row.

Sasquatch, compliments of Google Image Search

So this summer 2011 I hiked south on the Pacific Coast Trail. I saw a family here an odd ball hiker there, and a few who had minimal packs going quite a ways, maybe 150 miles or so, but no TTH'rs (TrueThruHikers) doing the mythical adventure from Mexico to Canada. Five months with a sub 20lb pack, eating sticks and leaves. Two weeks into my trip I was convinced that thru hikers belonged in the same category as Sasquatch and Big foot.

A family of 4 who just did a 12 mile day on the PCT.

Then one wet evening just prior to dusk, tromping through thick brush wondering if I'd ever dry out and see the sun again, I hear a noise---and from around a corner came Annie. This is where it all changed for me.

Annie looked so wet I felt dry by comparison and we took 15 minutes to chat, gnaw on some real Jerky from Roslyn, and discuss philosophies. As it turns out, she started in Mexico, had almost no gear she wasn't wearing, and was hiking all the way to Canada. A TrueThruHiker!

No Double Cheese Burgers on the PCT, but a nice shot of BigFoot.

And then she told me her story and I listened. She told me about hiking the Appalachian Trail two years ago, about throwing all her stuff in a dumpster and pledging to never hike again. With a smile as wide as a river she looked at me and told me she hated hiking. A perfect statement for a mythical entity.

Annie didn't give me the Flu, but changed my perception of light weight hiking forever!

I asked her, what then was she doing here hiking. Again she stated "I hate hiking, but I love the people." The random acts of kindness, the story's, the determination.

It's kind of like seeing a trillium in a Northwest Forest. You can hike for years and never see one, if you're not looking. But as soon as you know what they are, you'll see them everywhere.

Not Annie, BigFoot or a Sasquatch, but definately a TrueThruHiker!

It's also a bit like catching the flu, because it's contageous. I've retooled my camping gear attracted to the notion of being able to do 25 miles in a day or 175 miles in a week with a lighter backpack. And so delighted with the idea of simple trail life, I'm leaving for NewZealand Monday Nov. 12th, 2011 to hike the Te Araroa trail, coming back in April 2012 in time to start the PCT.

Such is how TTH's was for me, like a Trillium bloom in the woods and the Flu. After I saw my first, Annie, they seemed to be everywhere and it's definitely contagious!

Mythical thru hikers in early morning light moving so fast I almost missed them!

Always remembering her statement about loving the people I started paying more attention to the hikers than the scenery. I had already taken 2000 pictures of mountains and rivers that all look the same on a flat screen, but the people really started to catch my eye and so I began photographing them.

Not True Thru hikers but Sassy and BlisterBetty had great spirit and are hiking the PCT in 20 years, WA only!

I would say hello, ask for their trail name and if I could take a picture and they would look at me like what for, but pose for the shot anyhow. After talking and seeing that I was keeping a journal of the thru hikers, they became more interested, wondering who was in front of them, who I'd seen, who they were with and how far ahead were they.

dbBrad on the PCT 2011

It's taken me quite a while to sort thru all the pictures of my trip, let alone get all the Thru Hikers in one file, labeled and ready to post, but here they are in order of how I saw them.

True Thru hikers (Only those going the entire way) of the PCT, 2011.

Dewey

Drop Dead quotes "see the beauty you want to see"

CaddyShack quotes "I don't give a fuck, I'm just hiking"

Ninja and RoadRunner waiting for Rock-n-Roll at Snoqualmie Pass

MIJ stands for Made In Japan!

Annie wonderful Annie quotes "I hate hiking", but with a huge smile!

Mr Fox, RockLocks and Garfunkel, soaking wet with big smiles!

Gangster Rap foreground and Hon Solo

Zim and Goodness, two very positive thinkers.

Sea Horse (had a plastic one on her backpack) and Chilly Dog (had an encounter with a hot dog early on in the trip)

Boots (wearing boots when everyone else has shoes) and dbBrad smoking on the PCT!

Bubbles (self explanatory)

Pepe (started with a sombrero) and Bubbles

Marmot (only vertebrae that actually hibernates, lowering body temperature to within 4 degrees of den temperature, but still no one can tell me what the fat little buggers eat) and Rue, an inspirational couple.

Stag (how he roles) and 12oz. (shotgunning beers at kickoff party)

Free range Amilia. Never even slowed down to pose for a picture, truly full of determination.

Burning Calves from Germany (self explanatory)

Jerry and Cheryl from Redmond WA (Cheryl is 67 years old)

Diversity (demographic implications of the PCT), Rocky and Dr. Cronies (after the underwear?!) after hiking 33miles on a very wet day.

Hike-a-holic and Diversity

Dr. Cronies, Diversity and Rocky just 11 hours after arriving wet and hungry, depart in the early AM for yet another day.

Silent Joe didn't say much. A programmer from CA in a life/career transition.

KillRoy left little drawings along the trail. I have an origional in my sketchbook!!

Chilly Willy was always cold.

I didn't get their names, but they came in after dark and were the first ones out in the AM.

Didn't catch the name.

Quake and Holden

Unload - definitively not afraid of the camera! (Had too much stuff to begin the trip with thus he had to 'unload')

Hot rod, Battler, Flash and Broken record. I only know the story of Flash who never wandered far for a pee and Broken record who apparently repeated himself often.

Happy Whale, though I think his name should have been Rock Star!

Crasher, another inspirational hiker like Annie, was very knowledgeable about thru hiking and gear. She told me of this trail called the Te Araroa in New Zealand. I looked it up when I got back and now in less than a week, I'm off to hike the entire Te Araroa across both islands of New Zealand returning in time to do the PCT from Mexico to Canada. Thanks Annie and Crasher--dbBrad

No name available

No name available

Webster (has wet feet) and Master Bates, a rough last name to have!

Anthony and Dustin taking an early AM break in the sun which had been hiding behind rain clouds for about 3 days previous. You can tell portions of the trail see few hikers by how likely some one is to plunk down in the middle of it for half an hour and grab a bite! I love it.

Fly Bye aka. Chris DeSantis, retired from a Honda dealer in CA at 30 and is hiking for the next few years. Chris, see you on the Te Araroa--dbBrad.

7-11. The seventh of 11 kids who's parents were recently deceased, caries the 11 roses from the Funeral all the way across the United States

Tickette (got a tick early on) and Radio (said he had a face for radio!)

These two came in about 8pm one night during my dads visit. I never new what they looked like until I saw this picture--a great looking couple!

No name but very knowledgeable, kind and gentle.

Podd? and Gnarr?

No name, but just picked up these new boots two days previous.

Gnarly (kinda self explanatory)

Wandering Dot, probably named after her pupils!

Mike, a friendly chatty engineer we had to peel ourselves away from I think he was relating to my dad, also and engineer, after being surrounded by idealistic youth for the last 2400 miles!

Dan-a-sour? and Been There?

Story Time?

Triangles? When asked what he was thinking about on the trail one day, he said triangles. Those explaining it though this was odd but I insisted that if you're navigating, what else would you think about?

Honey Bee had a flower on her pack. The dog was Skeatter but because the woman on the right was Tails (hair braids), the dog was going by Heads (also always up front), hence heads and tales!

Topsey Turvey

Yardsale from Mexico, really from Mexico and Half Step, about 5'2"tall and mother of Ramblin'Rose.

Half man, Half Biscuit (apparently eats quite a lot)

Ramblin' Rose after the Greatful Dead song and Soft Walker (tried to traverse the desert barefoot)

Noodles Romanoff and Rock Fish, the last two thru hikers I saw going into Goat Rocks.