Some people give up months of their regular lives to hike the entire 2,650 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in a single season, but others, like El Cajon resident Dana Law, stubbornly complete one little bit at a time. , year after year.
“I’m a sectional hiker,” Law, 70, told a small group gathered for his trail talk at the Encinitas Library on Wednesday.
That means he's had to repeatedly find people over the years willing to transport him to each new trail segment, then pick him up a few days and miles later. A kind friend once drove him from Oakland to the east side of the Sierras, just so he could hike a section of trail, he recalls.
A professional magician for about three decades, Law began his plan to walk the entire Pacific Crest Trail in May 2003. He began at the Mexican border with two companions, one of whom refused to accept that he could quickly dehydrate. This guy eventually passed out during the first day and they had to have a helicopter come and rescue him, Law said, adding that “we never saw him again” on the trail.
Law completed his final, 31st segment – a multi-day hike through the rainy, rugged mountains of Washington state's North Cascades to the Canadian border – on August 22, 2016. Not being one to to pass up a new opportunity, he then began a cross-sectional journey along the 800-mile Arizona Trail. He finally finished it last fall.
Now he's pursuing something that's much closer to home because he discovers as he gets older that “I like hiking, but I don't like camping.” He says it takes hours to put everything away each morning, and it becomes tedious.
As a respite, he created a route where he can return home in the evening. He calls it the San Diego County Transurban Parkway — a winding route from the Mexican border to Temecula, passing many of the area's open space preserves. On Tuesday, he plans to walk the last segment of the route he's mapped out, then he'll face a new challenge between family trips to Europe, magic shows and presentations at local libraries. He is scheduled to give his next hiking lecture in January at the Borrego Springs Library.
A fan of travel writer Richard Halliburton's “The Royal Road to Romance” as a child, Law took his first long-distance hike decades ago when he and his son decided to go from Torrey Pines to the Salton Sea, essentially “devastating” parts where there were no real traces, he recalls. These days he sticks to designated trails, and he takes orders from his wife to check in via a satellite-connected phone twice a day.
His advice for those wishing to follow in his footsteps includes:
- Exercise frequently every week to stay in shape. (He uses a rowing machine, does Crossfit, and “backpacks” where he carries a 40-pound weight in a backpack around a 2-mile course.)
- Use walking poles as they provide stability and help condition the upper body. Also wear long pants, not shorts, and don't forget your sun hat.
- Keep the food simple and light. (He often eats macadamia nuts, dried salmon, and jerky, and admits to bringing ramen noodles for dinner.)
- Take advantage of opportunities to make new friends. (He finds hiking buddies through online groups of section enthusiasts and brings a small, lightweight bag of magic tricks to entertain other travelers.)
- Try not to let your fears stop you from venturing outside. (He has traveled more than 3,500 miles and reports seeing only one bear.)
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