lagunabeachindy . com SEPTEMBER 30 , 2022 25
GUEST OPINION : FINDING MEANING
Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail
BY SKIP HELLEWELL
Two Laguna Beach scoutmasters , hiking over the 11,700 ’ Kearsarge Pass with their troop in the Sierras , came across a trail sign . One arrow pointed south : “ Mexico , 790 miles .” The other pointed north : “ Canada , 1,860 miles .” They had crossed the Pacific Crest Trail ( PCT ), and if you add the numbers the trail runs 2,650 miles . One asked the other , “ interested ?” The answer was , “ Yes !”
They got busy with life , and two years passed with the only action of buying a copy of Jeffrey Schaffer ’ s guide to the Pacific Crest Trail . One finally said , let ’ s just set a date and start . The date was Memorial Day weekend , 1996 , and four Laguna men in their mid-thirties with three high school daughters started at Campo near the Mexican border . As opposed to “ through hikers ” who make the hike in a single season during the snow-free months , they planned to do it in sections .
Each year they chipped away , arranging transportation to trail portals , then hiking a section of the trail . Laguna friends joined the group , especially around Mt . Whitney ( 14,508 feet elevation ). Years slipped by . The daughters finished high school , went off to college , married , and started families . The dads kept hiking , through their 40s , 50s , and into their 60s . Last month , two of them , Alan Caserio and Larry Black , completed the hike , reaching Canada .
Mission accomplished , and it only took 26 years .
The biggest changes over the years were in technology . Improvements in equipment reduced Caserio ’ s basic pack weight ( without food and water ) twelve pounds . Cell phones ( with solar chargers ) and GPS made map and compass optional . Another change was the number of people hiking the trail , greatly increased in recent years .
PCT hikers have their own language . FKT stands for “ fastest known time ,” recently set at 52 days , the holder hiking or running an incredible 51 miles per day . Yo-Yo refers to a person who completes the hike and , not wanting to stop , reverses it back to Mexico . The Triple Crown requires completing the PCT , the Continental Divide Trail ( 3028 miles ) and the Appalachian Trail ( 2200 miles ). A Trail Angel is anyone who gives you needed help along the way .
Hikers are known by assigned trail names . Caserio was known as “ Piecemeal ,” for doing the trail in pieces . Black was “ Poptart ,” for his preferred breakfast ( Kellogg ’ s should put him in a commercial ). One hiker was named “ MacGyver ” for carrying very little equipment while first hiking the Continental Divide Trail , then heading west on the Pacific Northwest Trail until it hit the PCT , then heading south to Mexico . Life can be simple on the trail .
Summing it all up , Caserio found the hike to be a spiritual experience . Hiking day after day through the beauty of the mountains , you ponder the world about you . Stripped of distractions , immersed in nature , life becomes spiritual . There ’ s meaning in that .
Skip fell in love with Laguna on a ‘ 50s surfing trip . He ’ s a student of Laguna history and the author of “ Loving Laguna : A Local ’ s Guide to Laguna Beach .” To get in touch , email skip @ lovinglaguna . com .
Alan Caserio ( left ) and Larry Black at the end of the Pacific Crest Trail near the Canadian border . Because the border was closed due to COVID , they hiked back 30 miles to their final starting point .
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