Yogi's Guide Books
About Yogi
In May of 2001, I found myself in Southern California at the Mexican border. As I looked north, I knew that Canada was out there somewhere. That first day of hiking the PCT, I remember thinking over and over “what have I gotten in to?” It was HOT. Crazy hot. I was carrying too much weight, I had the wrong clothes and shoes, and I was totally unsure of what to expect for the next 2658 miles.
Planning for that 2001 PCT hike was confusing. I wasn’t sure what books to buy, what gear to carry, when to start the trail, NOTHING was clear. So my hiking partners and I arbitrarily picked a starting day and headed north, using the same gear that worked for us on the Appalachian Trail.
I made it about halfway to Canada before a leg injury forced me to get off the trail. I returned home to Kansas City, where I spent the winter HAUNTED by the Pacific Crest Trail. It had beat me. And I’m a terrible loser.
April 2002 found me back in Southern California. I once again stood at the Mexican border looking north to Canada. I hiked with a vengeance, and completed the 2658-mile PCT in 140 days with only 12 zero-days. No blisters, no injuries, just 140 days of pure hiking bliss. I had completed the PCT. It beat me once, but this time the victory was mine.
On the trail we knew how to live, and that’s exactly what we did. WE LIVED. Our senses were ALIVE. We experienced everything so intensely, that it seemed like more happened in one day on the trail than in an entire week here in the other world. On the trail, EVERYTHING MATTERED. Everything was so simple, yet everything we did had purpose and meaning. We were confident in our individual abilities, yet we were comfortably emersed into a supportive traveling community. It was a great place to be, both physically and mentally. I missed the trail, and I knew that someday I’d be back on the PCT. But I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.
I was prepared to spend the summer of 2003 working two jobs. My plan was to pay off all my bills, then hike the Continental Divide Trail in 2004. That plan was working perfectly until one Sunday night in late March 2003 when my friend Gottago called me. In about 10 minutes, she had me convinced to thru-hike the PCT again. Less than 4 weeks later, I was once again in Southern California walking north from the Mexican border.
In March 2003, I had also received an email from someone who wanted to know the locations of the water caches in Southern California. I got out my Data Book (yep, I still had it), and started to make a list. I have a very strange mind for strange details. I can’t remember where I put my car keys, yet I can remember specific curves of the trail, where the secret climbs are, and which streams were flowing or not. And, of course, the location of the water caches.
So I made this water cache list. But I couldn’t stop there. I mean, REALLY, what good is a water cache list? The caches aren’t always full, and you’re not supposed to count on them anyway. So I went through my Data Book again, this time noting which streams were/were not flowing in 2001 and 2002.
This was a pretty good water list. But I couldn’t stop there, either. My mind was on a roll. And I had nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon in Overland Park, Kansas. So I sat here at my computer, and by sheer memory, added information for all the towns I’d been to, noted the confusing trail junctions, and then solicited tips from other 2002 PCT thru-hikers. When it was finished, I posted this information on my 2002 journal site.
That’s when I realized that the PCT needed a book with detailed trail, town, and water information. The AT has books like this, why doesn’t the PCT? It’s obviously needed, as evidenced by the fact that many 2003 thru-hikers took the time to print the information off of my journal site and carried it with them. It became known on the trail as “Yogi’s Notes”.
During my 2003 PCT thru-hike, I did a lot of research. I walked down the aisles of the resupply stores, and wrote down everything the stores had. I confirmed the water cache locations, noted the bear box locations, and collected detailed information about each town’s services.
After my 2003 hike was over, I contacted many of my thru-hiking friends from both 2002 and 2003. I asked them to contribute their thoughts on the towns and many aspects of thru-hiking. What I’ve ended up with is a collection of different opinions from people who have thru-hiked the PCT. They’ve been where you’re going. They’ve done what you’re about to do.
I hope that this book is helpful to your planning. I’ve had fun putting it together, and I look forward to keeping it alive for years to come. And just think, this all started with an innocent question in an email . . . . .