King's Mountain

Hiked from Kings Mountain trailhead to the summit of Kings Mountain.  A very steep trail. 2500 foot elevation gain in 2.5 miles.  The civil engineer who surveyed this trail must have either been at the bottom of the class or very sadistic.  "switch backs? We don't need no stinking switchbacks."

Columbia Gorge hike

I hiked the Angel's Rest trail today. Foggy and no view at the top. It is about a 5 mile round-trip with 1400 foot elevation gain. A couple of weeks ago I hiked up Saddle mountain in Clatsop County. It was foggy and cold then too.

Welcome!

At some point in my life, I will attempt to through-hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) from Mexico to Canada.  This has been on my bucket list for 40 years.  Now that I will soon be an empty nester, it's time to start planning.

I set up this blog to document my preparations and hopefully the hike itself.  Why "pct57ford"?

• pct - pacific crest trail
• 57 - i was born in 1957 (and i will turn 57 in 2014)
• ford - this is part of my last name

I am slowly gathering my gear and starting to do training hikes.

I am now the proud owner of a Granite Gear Crown 60 pack.  And thanks to a sewing error, it's a collector's item: