4,285 km. PCT pacific crest trail

Starting from the Mexican border and crossing the three U.S. states of California, Oregon, and Washington, this road ends in Manning Park, Canada, and is called a dream road for walkers and the most beautiful road in the world.
It is a place where you can encounter various natural environments such as deserts, canyons, and lakes, and frequently encounter wild animals that threaten the lives of walkers, such as bears, rattlesnakes, and mosquitoes.
This road became known to us as the setting for Cheryl Spread's book and film, Wild.

Another reason why this path is special is that you have to carry all your belongings and food on your own for the entire path.
You have to go to the supply points that appear every few days to pick up supplies that have been mailed in advance, including camping equipment such as tents and sleeping bags, as well as food.
It is a route where you have to carry several days' worth of water, which is essential for running.
This path is even more special because it requires you to take full responsibility for all the unforeseen situations that arise along the way.

Hikers who set off from Mexico in March or April often arrive at their destination in southern Canada in October, looking like beggars.
There are only a few hikers who complete the entire trail each year.
This difficult and challenging path was walked by a group of Korean housewives.
Sometimes several, mostly just two.

We started together, but completing the journey was a different matter.
Because everyone has their own life and each person's circumstances are different.

Nam Nan-hee, a legendary Korean mountaineer, and Jeong Geon, a member of the 94 Everest expedition, walked this entire route and compiled the process and thoughts of the walk into a book.
This is a precious result obtained after five years of hard work.
During the coronavirus pandemic, I walked 4,285 km, one month every year for five years.
They walk 4,285 km like people born to walk.

Nam Nan-hee

It is not as steep and steep as our Baekdudaegan, nor is it as sublime and sacred as Kailash, nor is it as breathtaking as the Himalayas.
It just has its own unique color.
The color cannot be proven yet.
I have to wait until it slowly seeps into me.

--- p.47

Every day our daily routine repeats itself.
It's either walking or eating and sleeping.
I live the simplest life in a world where there is nothing else.
The road makes life so simple.
What a blessing! I usually walk for about 10 hours, and then rest, lie down, or sleep for about 10 hours.
The rest of the time, there is nothing to do but eat, purify water, and prepare the tent.

--- p.156

Your thoughts will decrease, your worries will disappear, and you will have no more questions.
Instead, I'm only interested and focused on how far I have to go, how far I've come, where I'll camp, and what the weather will be like.
What a simple life! The pack is heavy, carrying everything you need for a walking life, but life is incredibly simple.
I like this primitive daily life where I don't worry about anything, am not tied down by anything, have nothing to be greedy for, and don't envy anyone.

--- p.157

You won't know until you walk with all the burdens of life on your back.
Living small, eating less, and throwing away less is how we take care of nature and ourselves, and how we all live.
Therefore, the road is the teacher.
Only experience, which allows you to know for yourself, is true learning.

--- p.160

Even though I was already happy, Geon-i felt sad and handed me a can of beer.
This guy must have secretly brought me beer that he can't even drink.
We even cut our toothbrushes in half and carry them around because of the weight of our luggage.
Beer is a burden that can be boldly reduced unless absolutely necessary.
I am impressed.

--- p.189

After talking about something difficult for both of us, I felt a little sad, but I smiled and patted his shoulder.
It turned out well, I say, and you say it turned out well too.
I'm serious.
If we had each accomplished what we set out to do back then, would we still be alive and able to climb this PCT today? Perhaps we might have drifted to higher mountains, perhaps even ended up in a bad way?
--- p.195

The road never gets shorter unless I walk it.
It's just that the steps I take accumulate to shorten the path.
I have to believe in myself and believe in the path.

--- p.316

The trail we walked was a world steeped in monotony.
You have to adapt to the same rhythm and extreme simplicity every day.
A place without any artificial rules, norms, or standards.
The PCT was our world, a place where only nature and human scale existed.
Do everything yourself, do it yourself and take responsibility for it yourself.
You have to survive in the wild completely independently.
Those times when I realized that I was nature were truly blessed times.

--- p.330

Jeong Geon

I was grateful when my sister just casually told me about her painful story.
Because I believe that talking about something is the beginning of healing.

--- p.253

I like coming down the mountain as much as I like going up it.
I can't compare the dedication and hard work of thru-hikers who simply get lost in the mountains and complete the entire route over several months to anything else, but I think that staying in the mountains for too long can actually be poisonous rather than integrating into the mountain.
I like a mountain that I can climb when I have to rather than a mountain that I have to climb by forcefully saying, "If not now, then when?"

--- p.250

It was a cloudy day, with dark clouds in the distance, and the magnificent view of the sky and the panoramic cascade ridge left us momentarily dazed.
For some reason, I felt sorry and grateful to Estella.
I said, looking at Estella, her pink face covered in sweat.

"thanks.
“Thank you for being here with us.”
Estella answered with a bright smile.
“No, I am grateful.
If it weren't for you, how would I have gotten here?
“This is such a wonderful place.”
I felt like all my emotional baggage had melted away and I had forgiven and been forgiven.
As we came down the hill, we seemed to have made up and ended the hike like that.

--- p.486

In particular, it was special to be with Nanhee, who was with me from beginning to end.
Although he was the leader, he entrusted me with the leadership and trusted me and followed me.
Whenever I was unsure or wavering, my sister comforted me by saying everything would be okay.
My sister believed and was grateful that an invisible force was protecting and guiding us.
I also trusted that backbone and walked with my sister in the past, and I always felt secure and confident without any anxiety.

--- p.510

For the past few years, as I've planned and executed the PCT, I've felt good about myself and believed that this moment of walking was the best moment of my life.
Now it's time to finish the PCT.
I think I received special treatment.
I am grateful to the PCT for allowing me to do so and to the mountaineers who have been with me in the past.
As I finish this journey, on one side of my heart, like the lyrics of BTS's song, my best time has not yet come and my heart flutters again for what is to come.

--- p.512