Anyway Just wanted to let you all know that I just didn't fall of the face of the earth, and hopefully I'll seeyou all in the fall. Bye for now and happy trails


Ryan

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Wed, July 30, 2003

Greeting's All
Sorry I haven't been in better touch, I haven't been anywhere near a computer since I left. Anyway the journey is going very well, I've made it as far as Ashland Oregon which is only a couple days hike short from California, so I'm
really stolked to of made it this far so far. I can't begin to tell you all about the adventures I have gone thru to get here all I can say is I have had Great Highs like seeing all this beautiful country and very deep lows like when I got stuck in a storm for a couple days in Washington and was unable to navigate and
then ran out of food for a couple days. My first leg of this journey was very lonesome I went 8 days without seeing another human being. However now I seem to be running into people almost everyday even hikers that have come from Mexico and are going to Canada. I am now finding myself in the best shape of my life and am
averaging 30 miles a day or 48KM. After my stop here in Ashland where I am buying some replacement gear like shoes and a new lightweight stove I should take just under three months to complete California, providing I don't getted
snowed on in the High Sierra's and the heat doesn't get me in the mojave desert. Anyway I will try and keep in better touch from now on, unfortunatly my e-mailaccount expired on me so any mail you may have sent me since mid june has been erased. Bye for now.

Ryan the Bougie

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Wed, October 1, 2003

Damm this is one long ASS trail.

Hey everyone, yes it's me Ryan and I'm still alive. I regret not being able to keep in touch with all of you throughout this summer and fall but finding any internet has proven to be near impossible. Anyway I'm still on the trail with
about 550 miles to go, knowing that over 2000 miles are now behind me I am very motivated to finish. I am now out of the High Sierra Nevada Mountains and I have dropped into what is called the high desert. This next stretch proves to be one of my greatest challenges as I cross the mighty Mojave desert with over 90 km without water I will have to carry an enormous amount of extra weight in water to make it. Alright enough about this trail, I expect to be back in town by Halloween and am very much looking forward to seeing all of you and hearing about
all the adventures that have crossed your path's this summer. It's time for this dirt-bag hiker to get back to the trail, See-ya!

Ryan
A.K.A Pancake

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Sun, November 2, 2003

Greetings

DONE!!!!!!! Yup I finally completed my Pacific Crest Trail Thru hike.
All I can say about the trail is that it took me everywhere, through countless different environs and climatic regions, from the freezing snowy peaks of Washington’s Cascade Range to the sweltering deserts of southern California. I came across Volcanoes, Water Falls, Hot Springs, Glaciers, Geysers, Deep Forests and Forest Fires, Countless Bear, Deer, Elk, wild hogs, Coyote’s, Marmots Pristine Lakes and tarns even the tallest Mountain in the contiguous U.S (which I climbed). The trip and the solitude was like
nothing else I have ever experienced before, and I find it very hard to explain what it was like to leave everything behind and just hike. After
it’s all said and done I’m not sure if I found myself or lost myself maybe neither, I think the true lessons from this adventure will be learned in time. I am very grateful for being able to finish the trail i.e. no injuries and narrowly escaping the ravaging forest fires in California. I want to thank every one who helped me out along the way, I am truly grateful for all my experiences. E-mail me back I’d love to hear what all you people are up to. PEACE

Ryan “Pancake” Bougie

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More info on the Pacific Crest Trail

The trail itself is 2,650 miles long or 4,250 KM long. I took me from june 6 to Oct 23 to finish at a total of 147 days. Here's a quik snippet of what the PCT Association (www.pcta.org) says about the trail


Zigzagging its way from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) boasts the greatest elevation
changes of any of America's National Scenic Trails, allowing it to pass through six out of seven of North America's ecozones including high and low desert, old-growth forest and artic-alpine country. Indeed, the PCT is a trail of diversity and extremes. From scorching desert valleys in Southern California to rain forests in the Pacific Northwest, the PCT offers hikers
and equestrians a unique, varied experience.

Fun Facts:

# The PCT crosses the world-famous San Andreas Fault three times!

As the crow flies the distance between Mexico and Canada is just over 1,000
miles. The PCT is two and a half times that.

I hope this is enough info on the trail, really though, the only way to find out about it is to get out there and do it. :-)