Kathleen Horning- HONY Presents Man Backpacking the PCT

Kathleen Horning- HONY Presents Man Backpacking the PCT

Topic: My choosing

November 3, 2015

            “I recently returned from seventeen days of backpacking on the Pacific Crest trail. I took up my backpacking after I got through the divorce. It was my way of regaining some control. After five years of adjusting everything to her, it gave me something to focus on that was only for me. I love to plan the trips. I love to look at the maps, and pick the best trails, and study the elevation profiles so I can choose the campsite with the best view. There is no pressure when I’m backpacking except for the pressure I put on myself. In the city, it seems that I always have a reason for being in a place. I’m in this park right now because my therapy session was half a block away. But when I’m backpacking, the only reason I’m in a place is just to be there. And that’s very cathartic.”

            This is a quote I read on the Humans of New York Facebook page on October 26, 2015. Immediately, this post grabbed my attention because it relates to topics we have discussed in class. This man backpacked on the Pacific Crest trail to experience a spiritual journey. Similar to the reading about the Appalachian Trail, the PCT served as a pilgrimage route for this man. It provided an experience of axis mundi by providing healing for him from his divorce. The spatial qualities changed this man because he experienced it.

            Also, it seems that this man found his sacred place on the PCT. The first two guiding axioms are relevant in this man’s particular case. The first axiom is “sacred place is not chosen, it chooses.” The second axiom is “sacred place is ordinary place, ritually made extraordinary.” Backpacking on the PCT gave this man peace and tranquil.