Musings on Tools for Writing, Photography and More

The point of tools is to do a job. The right tools do the job well, the wrong ones don’t.  What constitutes right and wrong depends on several factors, including how you and the tool interact. The right tool for one person may be wrong for someone else. For me the tools I use for writing and recording are important. I want them to be ones I can use without thinking. If the process interferes with my thoughts then I want a different tool.

I was thinking about this after reading a comment on Threads by Alex Roddie (he’s alex_roddie on that site, I’m christownsendoutdoors) about note-taking and journaling tools in which he agreed with another poster that the best app for journaling was a notebook. I agree, to some extent. When camping I use a notebook. I’ve tried making notes on various digital devices (smartphone, tablet, and before them a Psion handheld computer – still in a drawer somewhere I think) and it’s just too difficult by headlamp in a tent or even just sitting outside on a log or rock. Pen and paper is far easier, even if I sometimes have difficulty reading my scrawl months or years later. Currently I used the excellent Thrunotes notebooks. (If you want one you’ll have to wait until next spring or summer though as they’re not available again until then).

At home I do all my writing on a PC. I like the full-size keyboard and the large screen. However brief notes and lists go on paper. I use the back of sheets that have arrived with magazines or products for this and have a pile of them on my desk right next to the keyboard. I have a notebook too but only write stuff I want to keep and can’t be bothered typing out in this. Ephemeral stuff on bits of paper gets chucked away eventually.

Dates I need to remember or be reminded about go in a desk diary and an online calendar. I look at the former more often but the advantage of the latter is that I can enter a reminder for a day or two before that pops up on my PC or phone. The desk diary can’t do that! I have a wall planner too. It used to be on the wall behind my PC so I could look up from the screen and see it. This year I moved it to a different wall where it’s more accessible and so easier to write on. I’ve hardly used it though as I can’t see it without turning round. I need to move it back! Office organisation matters.

This system, if it can be glorified with that term, works for me. Others may do everything using digital tech or by traditional means. Outdoor writer Hamish Brown writes his books and articles longhand, Paddy Dillon writes his guidebooks on a handheld computer during his long walks. Neither method would work for me. We’re all difficult. The key is finding what works for you not for anybody else.

In finding the right tools I’ve never bothered whether something is old tech or new tech, low tech or high tech. I use a mixture, as with the pen and paper and PC on my desk. In the hills I have a smartphone and an e-reader along with my notebook and pen. They’re all tools.

The e-reader is one of my favourite digital products as it saves me lots of weight and vastly increases my choice of reading. I used to carry a paperback on overnight trips and several on multi-day trips, including nature and route guides. I now have a library on a device that’s smaller and lighter than a paperback. I love it!

The smartphone is mostly for navigation in the hills. I carry a printed map as well though. Not just as a backup but because I can spread it out in the tent and get an overview of the area and maybe consider options for the next day. If it’s not too windy I can open it on a high point and identify distant features and get a general view of the landscape around me too.

My 2010 smartphone on the Pacific Northwest Trail

If I do any typing on the smartphone it’s usually just short texts. My fingers just aren’t made for tiny virtual keyboards. I don’t like writing anything much longer than a few sentences on a phone. The exception is on multi-day walks when I want to write blog posts or send updates to The Great Outdoors. Then I have no choice but to use my smartphone. It’s hard work! I’ve been doing this since my Pacific Northwest Trail thru-hike in 2010, the first walk on which I took a smartphone (here’s an example) and it hasn’t become any easier even though smartphones are quite a bit bigger now.

My main photography is done with a mirrorless camera with the smartphone as a backup. This is another area where I love digital. Having discovered a few unused rolls of film last year and still having some film cameras I tried film photography again for a while and was reminded why I really like digital and was very happy to stop using film. (See this post). Alex Roddie however has fallen in love with film and old film cameras and is producing some lovely photos.

Since 2010 I’ve used Sony APS-C mirrorless cameras. The basic design hasn’t changed much, which is good as it means that when I get a new one, as I did earlier this year (see this post), it’s familiar and I can quickly learn how to use it. There may be better cameras. I don’t know. And really I don’t care. My cameras do the job I require and that’s what’s important. They’re a means to an end and as long as the results are fine and I can achieve them easily then they’re doing their job, just like the notebook and pen, and the PC, and the sheets of paper. Just tools.

What I've Been Reading Online No. 20

Local woods, May 31

The next collection of pieces I've enjoyed reading online. This time over the last two weeks. The pandemic continues to dominate the world and as last time many of the articles are about Covid 19 or reference it.

MOUNTAINEERING, WALKING, TRAVEL, OUTDOORS

1976  Day 12 May 20 North to South Sron A'Choire Ghairbh, Meall na Teanga - Spean Bridge and a night in the railway station

David  "Heavy" Whalley continues his fascinating account of a north-south walk through the Scottish Highland in 1976. The whole series is worth reading.

One  Minute Mountain: Pen-y-ghent

Alex Roddie a favourite hill in the Yorkshire Dales.

Mark Richards, Author of Walking the Lake District Fells

Dan Bailey talks to Mark Richards about the Lake District and his guidebooks.

I cycled across Europe to Istanbul - and learned to live in the moment

Helen Moat takes a slow healing journey across Europe.

Midnight rambler: the joy of walking round Britain after dark

Matt Gaw discovers the joy of night time walks.

Hot rock Clean Sweep Hells Lum Crag

Heavy Whalley remembers a rock climb in the Cairngorms.

Field notes: Back to Basics in Torridon

Alex Roddie goes back to map and compass.

'Why did white men get to have all the fun?': the long road to diverse travel writing

Jini Roddy on travel writing as a young Asian woman.

 

Red squirrels, May 25.

 

NATURE

Ancient woodlands are more vital than ever

Irreplaceable author Julian Hoffman on the need for ancient forests.

Uisge Beatha: the Water of Life

Polly Pullar on the value of Scotland's birch trees, with lovely photographs by Peter Cairns and Rob Clamp.

The tree that changed the world map

The chichona tree is little-known. Vittoria Traverso shows how it changed the world as the source of quinine.

Nature notes: latest wildlife photography, May 2020

Alex Roddie has his best month ever for nature photography.

The out-of-bounds Cairngorms, May 16

LOCKDOWN

Should I, shouldn't I? 

As restrictions ease in England Lakeland Walker looks at whether walkers should head back to the fells.

Solitude

One Woman Walks ponders kayaking the river Danube and being alone during lockdown.

Volunteers isolate at Highlands 'lost world' to save thousands of young trees

Six volunteers are spending lockdown at Trees for Life's Dundreggan rewilding estate near Loch Ness.

AND FINALLY

Extreme night owls: 'I can't tell anyone what time I go to bed'

A look at people who's body clocks don't fit with standard routines. I'm one. 

Recent Online Reading No.12

Carn Ban Mor. November 18

Here's what I've enjoyed reading online in the last three weeks.

Walking for Mental Health: A Summit Camp on Sgur na Stri
A solo camp on Sgurr na Stri is redemptive for Sarah Jane Douglas.

Cairn Gorm: A Vision For The Future
I can see Cairn Gorm from my house so I have a personal concern for the future of this abused mountain. Here George Allan looks at the proposals from a group of five voluntary organisations (I'm a member of three of them) for its restoration.

Scottish Salmon's dark secret 
John D. Burns (author of Sky Dance, which I review here) looks at the environmental and animal welfare problems of fish farms.

Expert Tips for Walking Further and Faster
Dan Bailey asks three big route pros for advice.

Climate change - lessons from Australia?
On a visit to Australia Parkwatch Scotland's Nick Kempe writes about travel and climate change.

 'We want to keep our forest' - why Guyana's wilderness needs visitors
More on travel in the age of climate change. Kevin Rushby visits Guyana.

The Camera Needn't Lie
Interesting thoughts on realism in landscape photography.

The Landscapes Review - The Future of National Parks is in Our Hands
Paul Besley considers the Glover Review, the first official appraisal of England's National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Earth Does Not Speak In Prose
Thought-provoking conversation between Charlotte Du Cann and Paul Kingsworth about writing in times of catastrophe.

Listening to Nature: The Emerging Field of Bioacoustics
Adam Welz looks at a fascinating new remote-sensing conservation tool.

Tending Soil 
Emma Marris explores our ancient kinship with soil.

Down the Rabbit Hole with James Roddie and Mike Webster
Alex Roddie writes about his brother James Roddie and his complicated relationship with mental health and the outdoors and the new film by Mike Webster about this.

What I've Been Reading Online Recently No. 3

Torridon, late February

Here's the third instalment of pieces I've been reading online that I find interesting. This covers the last three weeks.

OUTDOORS 

There are no rules, says mountain bagger extraordinaire Anne Butler

Anne Butler, who has climbed all the Munros (five times), Munro Tops, Corbetts, Grahams, Donalds and Furths (mountains over 3,000' in England, Wales and Ireland), discusses the 'rules' for peak bagging. 

The way we were: 50 years of the Yorkshire Three Peaks Walk

Clive Darley tells the story of this popular and excellent walk in the Yorkshire Dales, which I did back in the 1980s.

Up North Loop: Brand Ambassadors Complete Over 2,600 Miles On New Trail

Two hikers describe a new circular route in the NW USA linking the Idaho Centennial Trail, Oregon Desert Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Pacific Northwest Trail. Sounds wonderful!

Equipment For Ski Touring Adventures In Norway

Paul Kirtley describes the gear needed for ski touring in remote areas. Detailed and good advice.


In Britain, Enraptured by the Wild, Lonely and Remote

Stephen Hiltner explores bothies and bothy culture.

Achadh nan Seileach

A moving refelctive piece by David Lintern about the effects of a trip where someone else disappeared in the same area.

The legal issues with the camping byelaws as they come into effect again today

March 1st sees the controversial anti-camping byelaws in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park come into effect again until the autumn. Nick Kempe discusses what's wrong and what should happen.

Trek back in time 'to the real Nepal'

Kevin Rushby takes a remote hike to a little-visited part of Nepal.

The Social Instinct

James Poulter praises mountain rescue teams and shows how they exemplify what Russian anarchist and geographer called 'mutual aid'. 


 

Rain sweeps across Loch Maree and the regenerating forest of the Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve this February

 

CONSERVATION, NATURE, AND ENVIRONMENT

Magical, Wild, Beautiful Glen Etive - A National Treasure

The future of Glen Etive is in the balance due to the threat of hydro developments. Photographer Michael Stirling-Aird describes its magnificence in words and pictures.

The Long Walk-in

Cameron McNeish considers what could be the future of Cairn Gorm and the ski resort and funicular railway if it was allowed to return to nature.

Adam Watson Obituary

Scotland is poorer for the passing of Dr. Adam Watson but his wonderful writing lives on

Two excellent pieces on the late ecologist, conervationist and mountaineer Adam Watson by Des Thompson and Roger Cox.

Conservation in the 21st Century

Cairngorms National Park CEO Grant Moir considers what conservation means in a time of climate change.

How the Grand Canyon changed from a 'Valueless' Place to a National Park

Grand Canyon National Park was 100 years old in February. Stephen Pyne tells its story.

What is Rewilding?

A look at what 'rewilding' means to different people and in different contexts. Thought-provoking.

Five maps that reveal the world's remaining wilderness

Steve Carver looks at the maps that show wilderness and what they mean.

Winter reflection, a barn owl, fallen from the skies 

In a lovely piece of writing novelist Melissa Harrison contemplates winter mortality

Winds of Change

Farmer and conservationist Derek Gow looks at farming traditions and possible future.

We're conservation scientists - here's why we haven't lost hope for the future

Two scientists explain why they are optimistic about nature in Europe.

Plummeting insect numbers 'threaten collapse of nature'

Damian Carrington looks at analysis that shows insects are disappearing.

'The devastation of human life is in view': what a burning world tells us about climate change 

David Wallace-Wells looks at the effects of climate change now in the future. Potentially devastating but he's optimistic.

America colonisation 'cooled Earth's climate'

A disturbing study shows that the massive reduction in the native population of America after Europeans arrived led to farmed land reverting to forest and reducing the CO2 in the atmosphere.



 










 

Book Launch for 'Out There'

Reminiscences & Memories: Recording Outdoor Trips

Writing my journal at a camp on the Pacific Northwest Trail

I am currently revising and editing the material for my next book, a collection of essays going back many years, which will be published next year by Sandstone Press under the title Out There: A Voice From The Wild. Reading my words from long ago reminded me to be grateful I'd always kept journals of my trips as it is from these that my essays and books are written. Last year I wrote a piece for The Great Outdoors about this. Here it is, slightly revised. 

When I was writing my book on my Pacific Crest Trail walk – Rattlesnakes and Bald Eagles - in 2014 I was describing events that took place a long, long time ago – 1982 in fact. To write the book from memory would have been impossible. Although I can remember the overall walk and specific events, places and people I can’t remember many of the details and some periods of a week and more are blanks in my mind other than very vague thoughts such as ‘there was a lot of forest’. This would not make a very interesting book! However I did keep a journal during the walk, which fills three notebooks, and this was my main source for the book rather than my memory. Without the journal there would be no book. Reading my long ago words has brought back many forgotten memories and I enjoyed reliving my walk. (I was also surprised I could read my writing, much of it scrawled by candlelight in the tent). I rediscovered adventures I would never have known about again if I’d written them down and found that others have changed in my memory – my words are not what I thought I remembered. There are people I’d completely forgotten but there they are in my journal suddenly coming back to life. In places I wish I’d written more, my words hinting at places and people but without enough description for me to really picture them now. Of course I have photographs too but this being back in the days of slide film rather than digital images I had to ration the number of photographs I took (my notebooks frequently express the hope that the next town will have film) and I concentrated on landscape and camping shots rather than towns or people. Today I use my camera as a notebook as memory cards are ultralight and will hold hundreds of photos. Back then a 36 shot roll of film weighed 28 grams. Ten rolls, 360 photos, meant an extra 280 grams. A memory card holding twice as many images doesn’t register on my scales.

My Pacific Crest Trail notebooks

I was already keeping a journal of my walks before the Pacific Crest Trail and I’ve continued to do so. Now I have a small library of notebooks with ones for each year covering day walks and shorter backpacking trips plus separate notebooks for each long distance walk. This isn’t enough organisation to locate specific trips or specific days on long walks specific days of course. When did I first climb Liathach for example? Well, I know it must have been between 1977, when I climbed my first Munro, and 1981 when I completed my first round. That’s five notebooks, which could take a while to read through. However each one has an index for which I must thank an author whose name I never recorded and now can’t remember. Back in the early 1970s when I was starting hill walking I read an instructional book simply called Fellwalking. In this the author suggested keeping a chart of walks with date, route, hills climbed, weather, time and companions (this would be a spreadsheet today). I thought this a good idea and started doing so at the back of my notebooks, adapting it for different trips. This has proved invaluable. I just have to skim through these lists looking down the names of hills to see when I climbed them. And Liathach you ask? In less than a minute I found it. June 26^th 1979 during a five week 100 Munros walk I did from the Loch Treig hills to the Fannichs. My weather notes say ‘thick cloud, NW wind, rain’. The walk took 51/2 hours. 

Pacific Crest Trail daily record

On long distance walks with few ascents I adapted the format and often keep two lists, one with details of  days, mileage and campsites, the other with weather information. In my journal I also keep route plans, addresses of people I meet, shopping lists and any other information I want to record. It’s surprising how some mundane details can trigger memories in later years! If in doubt, write it down. With that in mind I try and write something in my journal every day on a long walk even if it’s only a brief note. When I leave it even a few days something will be forgotten. 

Without my journals many of my walks would have gone forever. On days like the Liathach one I took no photos and so would have no record at all. If you want to remember days out in years to come I really recommend keeping some form of record. I still use pen and paper (Inka Pen or Space Pen with waterproof ink, Alwych notebooks with ‘All Weather’ covers). I’ve tried tiny keyboards on phones and tablets and just find them far too awkward to use lying in the tent. I also prefer having an actual notebook that can be read at any time. If I’d been able to record my journal digitally back in 1982 would I still be able to read it now? I do however use my digital camera as a notebook, photographing everything that catches my eye. Often I go through these images in the evening and make notes on the interesting ones.

Writing notes at a rest-stop in the Cairngorms

'Chris’ narrative..... is mesmerizing'. Philip Werner (Section Hiker) reviews Rattlesnakes and Bald Eagles.

Mount Rainier from the PCT, 1982

Another excellent review of my Pacific Crest Trail book has appeared, this time by Philip Werner on his Section Hiker website. You can read it here.

Philip describes the photos in the book, all scans of my old Kodachrome slides (as is the one to the left), as breathtaking.

I'm really delighted by the final words of the review: 'Although I’ve read many PCT accounts over the years, Rattlesnakes and Bald Eagles is the first that’s ever inspired me to consider hiking the PCT, not even the works of John Muir or Colin Fletcher. Thank you Chris for that.'

Thank you Philip.

The Great Outdoors Latest Issue: Waterproof Jacket for £100 or less, when does spring begin?

An igloo on the Moine Mhor in the Cairngorms, mid-April, 2014

The May issue of The Great Outdoors has just appeared. My gear piece is a review of eleven waterproof jackets costing £100 or less. Can you get an adequate jacket in this price range? Yes, you can, and a few are really good for backpacking. Which ones? Read the review to find out! In my backpacking column I look at the start of spring, or rather the wide range of dates over which it starts depending on location, altitude and weather.

This issue is described as the Backpacking Issue. To that end there's a big feature on backpacking 1000 miles right round Wales via the coast and the Offa's Dyke Path by new TGO Editorial Assistant Will Renwick along with his suggestions of the best places, wildlife, castles, pubs and more. Carey Davies has an overnight walk in the fells east of Ullswater while Mark Waring goes much farther afield and spends ten days backpacking on the Arctic island of Svalbard (a fantastic place where I once led a ski tour - it's the farthest north I've ever been - and for the only time ever carried rifle, as Mark does, in case of an encounter with a polar bear).

Also in this issue Jessica Traditi looks at whether Everest has become too commercialised, Ed Byrne takes an outdoors first aid course, Robert Mercer photographs the island of Handa, Carey Davies is depressed by the 'renaming' of Malham Cove, Roger Smith wonders why our natural treasures are accorded such a low value, and Jim Perrin praises Colin Kirkus' 1941 classic Let's Go Climbing. In the Gear pages Daniel Neilson reviews and likes the chunky-looking Hoka One One Mafete Speed shoes and Kirk Watson tries seven mountaineering tents.

This is also the last issue under the guidance of Acting Editor Daniel Neilson who is standing down on the return from maternity leave of Editor Emily Rodway. Daniel says he will still be writing for TGO, which is good. Daniel has done a great job in my opinion and it's been good working with him.

Latest The Great Outdoors: Ethics of Wild Camping & Trekking Poles

The April issue of The Great Outdoors is in the shops now. My backpacking column covers the ethics of wild camping and minimum impact techniques. In the gear pages I review eleven pairs of trekking poles.

Also in gear Judy Armstrong looks at six women's softshell jackets and Daniel Neilson tries the Ecco Biom Trail FL shoes, which sound excellent. Daniel also gives a run down of the most interesting new gear he saw at the ISPO show in February.

The issue starts with the now usual set of enticing double-page photographs, three very different ones this time - David Lintern's atmospheric Lake District shot from Great Gable, Dougie Cunningham's dramatic rocky image of Bla Bheinn from Marsco on the Isle of Skye and Geoff Barton's colourful summer meadow picture taken near Edale in the Peak District. Geoff has been the TGO designer for quite some time. This is his last issue. He'll be missed.

Also in this issue The Great Outdoors has teamed up with the European Outdoor Conservation Association and readers can be involved in choosing which of six conservation project gets funding this year. In the Highlands Hanna Lindon tackles the splendid and challenging Aonach Eagach and Stefan Durkacz walks the 290-mile River Tay Watershed. Much further afield Daniel Neilson takes on the scary looking via ferrata to the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain, and Steve Bull goes backpacking in the Hornstrandir region of Iceland. I know which of those two adventures I'd prefer! Carey Davies is also abroad in his Mountain Magic column, exploring the countries of the Mediterranean. Meanwhile down in England, right down in England in the flatlands south and east of the hills, Edoardo Albert finds some surprisingly wild places. Away from walking trips Roger Smith considers the important role of local communities and conservation and Jim Perrin praises Heart's Desire by Edward Hoagland, an author but not a book I've heard about before.

Finally in the Hill Skills pages Mark Gilligan gives advice on photographing sunrise and sunset, doctors Jim Duff and Peter Gormly give a protocol for outdoor accidents and Tim Gent gives tips on loading a canoe for a camping trip.

The Great Outdoors Latest Issue: Green Gear, Loch Lomond Camping Restrictions, Insulated Jackets

Camp in the hills high above Loch Lomond

The March issue of The Great Outdoors is in the shops now. In it I've written about environmentally friendly gear and the proposals to further restrict camping around Loch Lomond plus reviewed eight insulated jackets.

The theme of this issue is Winter and there's a big section on the Highlands in winter for which I've written the introduction and suggested some places for wild camping in the snow. Also in this section guidebook writer Dan Bailey chooses three top ridge walks, mountaineer Andreas Heinzl looks at climbing Ben Nevis, instructor Mark Chadwick gives safety tips, author Alan Rowan gives his favourite spot for night skies and wildlife expert and photographer Laurie Campbell suggests birds and animals to watch out for in the snow. And Andy McCandish has an exciting and challenging stormy cycle trip to Ben Alder.

The Winter Lake District is also covered in a big feature by Alan Hinkes. Further afield Alec Forss skis across the Muddus National Park in arctic Sweden.

Winter features in the Hills Skills and Gear sections as well. Terry Adby and Stuart Johnston give advice on how to walk on snow safely and Kirk Watson looks at essential winter gear. Also in Hill Skills Steve Long looks at navigation techniques that are essential year round.

The magazine opens with some splendid snowy vistas too - the Langdale Pikes by Stewart Smith, Helvellyn by Alan Hinkes and the Moine Mhor by David Lintern.

There's much more in this issue of course, Roger Smith looks at global warming and its consequences and pays tribute to conservationist Martin Litton; Ed Byrne experiences a climbing wall; Carey Davies reflects on why Blencathra is special; Jim Perrin praises the journals of Dorothy Wordsworth; and there are reviews of the Montane Axion Neo Alpha jacket and the Vivobarefoot Tracker boots by Daniel Neilson and James Reader.

The Great Outdoors Latest Issue: Ski touring, winter camping in the Cairngorms, insulated vests and more

Ski tourers on the Moine Mhor in the Cairngorms

The February issue of The Great Outdoors is in the shops now. I have a feature on ski touring, appropriately as I went on my first short tour of the season yesterday (see last post), plus a backpacking column piece on a winter camp in the Cairngorms, a review of ten insulated gilets/vests and a review of Jim Crumley's excellent book The Eagle's Way. The winter camp also produced two photos in the magazine - the frontispiece and a double-page spread taken at night at Loch Etchachan.

This issue also features two other spectacular double-page winter photographs - one from David Lintern of the Sneck in the Cairngorms and one from Stewart Smith of Grisedale Tarn in the Lake District. More great pictures appear in Colin Henderson's photo essay on hillwalking and scrambling in the Scottish winter hills. The first image of a hillwalker climbing Mayar in the Cairngorms in clouds of snow and spindrift really captures the Scottish winter experience. Perhaps the most atmospheric picture though is Terry Abraham's sunset one of a winter camp on Bowfell that opens a feature on Lakeland in winter. Carey Davies is also in the winter Lake District, writing about a playful day on Crinkle Crags with ice axes for his Mountain Magic column.

Far away from snow and winter Tony Howard visits the Manas National Park on the India-Bhutan border. This follows my ski touring feature and I found it quite startling to turn the page from my snowy pictures to see elephants and a langur. Elsewhere Jim Perrin explores the hills of Shropshire and, in his Hillwalkers' Library, recommends Neil Gunn's Highland River. In his Environment column Roger Smith warns how a recent new planning policy could have a negative effect on the countryside in England and calls on outdoor lovers to ask questions of candidates for the general election. In the Hill Skills section Mark Chadwick of Glenmore Lodge gives advice on avalanches and there are also tips on ice axe self-arrest, understanding snow and mountain weather, and a recap on compass use.

As well as my gilets test the gear section has a review of eighteen base layers and the Sherpa Nangpala Primaloft Down Blend jacket, both by Daniel Neilson.

Down vest in use at a chilly camp in the San Francisco Mountains on the Arizona Trail

The Pacific Crest Trail

Siberian Outpost in the High Sierra

Following the publication of my book on my Pacific Crest Trail hike, Rattlesnakes and Bald Eagles, I've been asked about the trail and what it's like. Of course the way to find out is to read my book but in the meantime here's a piece I wrote for The Great Outdoors a few years ago with some photos taken on my walk.

One sunny April morning nearly thirty- four years ago I took my first steps north from the Mexican/USA border. I had begun my walk along the Pacific Crest Trail, a walk that would end 174 days and 2700 miles later when I reached Canada. En route I would walk through deserts, forests and mountains and watch a vast wilderness unfold. I would see black bears and rattlesnakes, moose and coyotes, strange Joshua trees in the deserts and giant firs and pines in the mountains, smoking volcanoes and bubbling mud pots. I would experience searing heat, deep snow, tremendous thunderstorms and dangerous creek fords. I would learn to carry a gallon and more of water in the desert, the hassle of hanging my food to protect it from bears and the need for snowshoes or skis when hiking through deep, soft snow. My pack would be heavy, my feet often sore and my skin burnt and frozen but at no point would I wish to be anywhere else. The beauty, tranquillity, power and magnificence of the landscape would overcome all difficulties and discomforts.

Since hiking the PCT I have undertaken many other long distance walks and hiked in wild areas in many parts of the world from the Arctic to the Himalaya. But if there is one route, one experience, that sings in my mind above all others it is the PCT. Maybe because it was the first big walk in real wilderness, the first one outside the UK, but mostly, I think, because it is such a superb route with such a wonderful variety of landscape and terrain. 

Desert Mountains

The PCT runs through the States of California, Oregon and Washington, following the line of mountains that rises up east of the Pacific Ocean, hence the trail’s name. In Southern California this long chain of mountains breaks up into little ranges split by big sections of desert. Here there is heat and a lack of water, even in April. Cacti and rattlesnakes are everyday companions and the location of water sources is key to comfort and safety. Only when the trail climbs to cross the east-west running steep Transverse Ranges – the Lagunas, San Jacintos, San Bernardinos and San Gabriels – is there shade and water and coolness. This splintered section, forever changing between flat desert and steep mountain, ends with a crossing of the Mohave Desert amidst the weird Joshua trees, which are giant yuccas rather than real trees.

From the Mohave Desert the PCT climbs into the glorious Sierra Nevada mountains, which it follows for 1000 miles. The name means the Snowy Range and it was appropriate for my PCT hike as the mountains were still deep in snow when I reached them in mid-May, the previous winter having been exceptionally long and snowy. For the 500 miles of the High Sierra, the highest part of the range, I plodded through the deep snow in the forests on snowshoes and climbed icy slopes to high passes on crampons in the company of three American hikers I’d joined for safety in this winter mountain wilderness. The trail was buried and hidden but we could follow the rough line, though we walked across frozen lakes rather than round them and crossed one ridge by the wrong pass. The wilderness was empty and we saw no other people or any tracks for the twenty-two days it took to cross the high country to Yosemite National Park. The high point, literally and emotionally, of this snow trek was the ascent of 14,494 foot Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the 48 contiguous States. In summer you need a permit to climb Whitney as the mountain is so popular. In May we were alone.

In the Three Sisters Wilderness, Oregon

 

In the Yosemite backcountry the snow began to melt and there were many swollen torrents to ford either with a safety rope or by crawling along wet slippery fallen trees. The week spent here was the most hazardous of the walk and probably the most dangerous seven days I’ve ever spent in the wilds. Beyond Yosemite the snow slowly melted away and the terrain was lower and less remote though still magnificent. The Sierra Nevada fades away too, into the southernmost Cascade Mountains, a range typified by the string of massive volcanoes that stretches all the way to Canada. In Northern California I went through Lassen Volcanic National Park where I saw my first geysers and bubbling mud pots and then passed lovely Mount Shasta, its shining white cone prominent in the views for many days.

 

After 1500 miles the PCT leaves California for Oregon, where the walking is perhaps the easiest of the whole route, with many level forest trails. The volcanic landscape is still impressive though, standouts being the pristine blue waters of Crater Lake, set in the huge caldera of an ancient volcano; the spiky rock fangs of Mount Washington, Mount Thielsen and Three-Fingered Jack; the rippled peaks of the Three Sisters; and the bigger volcanoes of Mounts Jefferson and Hood, the former set in beautiful timberline meadows. Oregon ended with a descent to the Columbia River via spectacular Tunnel Falls where the narrow trail is cut into the side of a deep gorge and passes behind a tremendous waterfall.

In the North Cascades

 

The final section of the PCT, through Washington State, is the most rugged and steep and has the stormiest weather, a fitting finale. From high pass to deep valley to high pass the trail threads its way through the North Cascades, a dramatic tangle of alpine mountains clad in glaciers and snowfields. The big volcanoes are still here – Adams, Rainier, Baker – but not as dominant as further south due to the welter of other impressive mountains, especially Glacier Peak, surrounded by flower meadows and tree groves. Then there is the last splendid high level walk along the Cascade Crest in the Pasayten Wilderness. All too soon Monument 78 on the Canadian border arrives and there are just the last few miles to hike to the nearest road. The PCT is over.

Pacific Crest Trail Association  http://www.pcta.org/