In the United States, bushwalking is called hiking. There are three famous hiking trails in America: The Appalachian Trail, The Pacific Crest Trail and The John Muir Trail.

The Appalachian Trail extends from northern Georgia to Southern Maine near the crest of the Appalachian Mountains on the eastern side of the country. Compared to the isolation of the other two trails, it is a social gathering. Approximately 3,400 kilometers long, the trail is host to about 750 through hikers each year. There are a number of huts along the trail where one can stay overnight. There is no reservation system. It’s first-come, first-served. Like the other two trails, it can only be hiked in the summer from late March to early October.

The Pacific Crest Trail is located on the western side of the country. 4,255 kilometers long, it extends from Mexico to Canada near the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California and the Cascade Mountains in Oregon and Washington. The trail is oftentimes remote. We once hiked for 35 days between civilization although you usually will come into a town about once every two weeks in the less remote areas. Because of the length of the trail, one cannot carry regular food; it would be too heavy. One must carry freeze-dried food. Since it is usually unavailable in the little towns in the mountains, one must have a base person somewhere in America to ship the freeze-dried food packages on a regular basis to remote post offices in the mountains. The trail can only be hiked from March to early November but those who start early and quit late will probably have to hike across snowfields. For this reason, one must know and be intimately familiar with the usage of an iceaxe. It is the only

thing that will save your life if you slip on the snow in the high mountains. It would also be helpful to have a pair of crampons along in case they might be needed. Instep crampons would be sufficient.

There are several mountain passes, the highest of which is Forester Pass at 13,120 feet (4,000 meters). Although one can hike the entire trail in one summer, you would have to average about 30 kilometers a day. The problem with completing the hike in one summer is that you would not have time to stop and enjoy a few days of some of the world-class scenery along the way. Sure, you may have "done the trail" but you might as well walk around a running track. If you plan to do it, I strongly recommend that you plan on two summers and start in late March. You must also be aware that some years, the snow is so deep in the high Sierras in central California that you may have to bypass that portion of the trail and skip to a lower altitude in Northern California, and then return to the High Sierras later.

If one can get away for only one summer, then I recommend that you hike the John Muir Trail. Named after our most famous naturalist, the trail covers 352 kilometers in central California where it is 90% congruent with The Pacific Crest Trail. It passes over the High Sierras, the most beautiful part of The Pacific Crest Trail. Although one can hike it in either direction, I strongly recommend that you hike it from North to South for two reasons.

First, the southern terminus of the trail is the top of Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the lower 48 states at 4,420 meters. It does not make sense to start a hike at the highest point. Although one can drive up the Owens Valley to the town of Lone Pine where one can hike directly up Mount Whitney, many persons suffer from lack of oxygen (hypoxia) because of a failure to acclimatize to the higher altitudes first. The only cure for hypoxia is to descend. I have passed several hikers with this malady on my two climbs of Mount Whitney.

Secondly, the direct hike up Mount Whitney from Lone Pine is very popular. To prevent too many people from being on the mountain at one time, the National Park Service limits the number of permits on this route. Also, one cannot always get a permit on one’s planned starting date unless one applies many months early. Although a permit is required to hike the entire John Muir Trail, it is much easier to get one to hike North to South. That way you will also acclimatize your body for the last push up Whitney because most of the time on the trail, you will be at 2,750 meters or above. At the northern end, it starts at 1,230 meters in Yosemite National Park.

Plan on three weeks to a month for the hike because you will probably want to stop and enjoy the scenery or fish for the golden trout in the high mountain lakes periodically. The views are simply awesome. The best time to hike the trail is from mid-July to late August.

Plan to hike with a partner. This is not a stroll in the park. It can get very remote; a partner can make it both enjoyable and safer. Get to know your partner well before making the hike. You will be living at very close quarters for a month and you will want to remember the hike as an enjoyable experience.

You will need to resupply along the route. There are several locations, but some are a few thousand meters down in the Owens Valley. I recommend that you pick resupply points as close to the height of the trail as possible, even if you have to hike several kilometers off the trail to a town or ranger station. You will need a base person in America to send the supplies that you have packed in advance to the remote post offices in the mountains. If you do not know someone in America who can handle this task, I recommend that you get in touch with the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) and ask them to give you the name and address of someone who will perform this task for you. The PCTA address is 5325 Elkhorn Road #256 Sacramento, California 95842. Their contacts are:

PHONE: (916) 349-2109

FAX: (916) 349-1268

EMAIL: Info@pcta.org

Web: www.pcta.org

Hiking the trail is not a spur of the moment decision. It is extremely important to plan ahead. In this vein, I recommend that you write to Wilderness Press for their publication: GUIDE TO THE JOHN MUIR TRAIL by Thomas Winnett and Kathy Morey. Their address is 2440 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, California 94707. Although there are maps of the trail in the guidebook, they are small. I recommend that you also order THE JOHN MUIR TRAIL MAP-PACK. If you wish, you could call them at (510) 843-8080, fax them at (510) 548-1355 or visit their website at www.wildernesspress.com.

You will need a Wilderness Permit for the hike. The guidebook tells you how to get this permit from several sources.

The hike is a journey with lifetime memories. I spent a career flying jet aircraft in the United States Air Force but my mind wanders back often to the spectacular mountain vistas and remote placid lakes of the High Sierras. My wife and I look forward to the day when we can introduce our grandchildren, who live on the plains, to those mountains when they are old enough to appreciate them.

you have questions about The John Muir Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail, you can reach me at TEBoyle@hotmail.com. I’ll be glad to answer them.

Happy Trails. Tom Boyle