NORTHERN CALIFORNIA: The Long and Winding Road

One good thing about leaving behind all that water, is that you also lose the mosquitoes. Not to mention a fair share of the original hikers. By this point, nearly one third of the thru-hikers have dropped out. At some point you have to ask yourself why you're doing this. And if you dig deep and you can't find the answers, there simply aren't the reserves left to make yourself take another step.

And so you stop, maybe check yourself into a motel or lodge somewhere and tell yourself you'll come back next year and finish the rest. Or, if not next year, sometime soon.

There are certainly some compelling reasons for demoting oneself from "thru-hiker" to "section hiker." Section hikers choose a portion of the trail to hike each year, and just stick to that terrain. It may take them 30 years to traverse the entire stretch. Some of them don't have a choice ­ their lives don't easily lend themselves to trekking 6 months at a time. Or perhaps they prefer to savor each section at a slower pace, rather than simply pound through the miles. And, too, hiking within the proscribed times to allow a complete traverse might mean not witnessing the scenery at the optimal season.

The standard route leads from south to north, owing to the constraints of weather. But there are those who travel the opposite direction. Eric Ryback, considered the first person to hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail, began his trek in June, 1970. His departure point: Manning Park Lodge, Canada. And then there's Scott "Yo-Yo" Williamson, who just this year completed his long sought after "there and back" journey.

For those who do stay on the trail, this is the time for long days and big miles. North of Donner Summit, the terrain starts to change from the granite of the Sierras to the volcanic rock of the Cascades. Between the scenery turning less dramatic and the onset of what nature writer Karen Berger calls "the halfway blues," the focus turns inward. Grappling with boredom, drudgery and loneliness, the tone of the hike takes on a more meditative, poetic quality. Hikers might dredge up long forgotten memories or make up some fantastic tale to entertain themselves.

Perhaps that's the origin of the legend of the Lemurians, refugees from the kingdom of Mu, who supposedly live in underground tunnels inside of Mount Shasta.