This post was written in Danish in June 2017. It already carried a machine translation below the Danish original; the duplicate has been removed and the post rewritten as a single, properly translated English version.
My name is Rod Clemen and in April 2018 I am going to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from the Mexican border, up through the USA to Canada.
At the beginning of January 2017 there was a small voice inside me saying that something drastic had to happen. Whether that is my answer to the midlife crisis I have no idea, but SOMETHING had to happen! (and I have not bought a motorbike or a convertible, so the midlife thing may not be so far off 😉 )
Previous hikes
Most of the trips I have taken in recent years have been hikes. The last time I was working out where to go, I had my eye on the Appalachian Trail, which is around 3500 km long and takes 3-5 months to finish.
At that point there was no way I could take a trip like that, unfortunately. So I walked across England instead (Coast to Coast), with my good friend Bo. A trip of about 309 km. (which was absolutely fantastic, so it was in no way a bad alternative)
Anyway, something had to happen, so I decided it might be time for a long hike like that, and after a bit of research on the Appalachian Trail I suddenly stumbled across the Pacific Crest Trail, or the PCT as it is called, and knew straight away that this was the trip I had to do!
The Pacific Crest Trail is 4279 km long and runs from the Mexican border up through the USA, ending right at the Canadian border. Along the way I pass through the states of California, Oregon and Washington.
5 months!
The trip takes five months on average to complete, so it needs a fair bit of planning. Both in terms of what gear to bring and how much food to pack (there are many stretches where I will not come near food for up to a week at a time). But certainly also in terms of things back home – work, bills, the missing income while I am away, and so on.
My boss thought it sounded like a fantastic idea, so I have been given 6 months off, which is enough time to complete the trip without rushing, and at the same time have time to ‘land’ back in civilisation and find the daily rhythm again when I get home.
The finances
Financially it is a slightly bigger challenge, and that is why I need your help! I still have rent and various bills to pay, but since I sadly could not persuade the boss to pay me a salary while I was away, there is a big hole that needs filling.
I have already cut back on all my expenses and am saving like mad, but there is still a good way to go.
So you have the chance to help me a little along the way, and as you can see over on the right (or down at the bottom if you are reading this on a mobile) there are various ways to donate a bit of money towards my trip.
No amount is too small, and every little helps… And there is of course a bit of thanks in the form of various “gifts” depending on how much you feel you can spare.
My main form of updates along the journey will be a vlog on my YouTube channel, so that is where you can follow what is happening once I have set off. There will also be plenty of pictures on my Instagram profile, so that is definitely worth a visit too 🙂
Regards
Rod
Gear: the full setup I carried on the PCT is on the PCT 2018 gear list.