7:24 p.m. on July 16, 2007 (EDT)
Pika
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 12, 2007
Posts: 23
Introducing myself.
Hi all. I am new to this forum and thought I should introduce myself. I am a retired forestry researcher living in SE Arizona about halfway between Tucson and Nogales on a small acreage in rural Pima County. I am now a few months short of seventy and started backpacking and mountaineering in 1946. I hiked the John Muir Trail solo in 1954 and have climbed most of the major peaks in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. I have also hiked and climbed in western Canada, Alaska, North Africa, Japan and Antarctica. I am not a particularly daring or distinguished climber but have always been serious about the sport. I don't climb much now; I have arthritis in my hands which seriously limits such activity. So, my main interests now are in light-weight backpacking and longer, solo, remote-area hikes. I'm planning to hike the JMT solo again this coming summer; this time with resupply drops. I look forward to getting acquainted with you folks who come here.
7:23 a.m. on July 17, 2007 (EDT)
Ed G
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 14, 2001
Posts: 1009
Re: Introducing myself.
Welcome to the forum Pika!
I'm sure you and Bill S will have many interesting conversations. Sounds like you two have a lot in common.
Regards,
Ed Geary
(Backpacker living in Florida and one of the board moderators)
3:14 p.m. on July 17, 2007 (EDT)
Alicia
Editor in Chief
Joined: Mar 14, 2001
Posts: 472
Re: Introducing myself.
Hi, Pika. Welcome to Trailspace! It's always great to hear from other climbers and backpackers, especially ones with experience to share, like you. Thanks for taking the time to introduce yourself.
Your John Muir Trail trips sound great. I actually mentioned to someone today how the JMT was on my ever-growing list of trails (and mountains) to do someday. I imagine it will be interesting to compare this upcoming trip with your 1954 experience. Feel free to tell us more about it.
-Alicia
6:07 p.m. on July 17, 2007 (EDT)
Bill S
OGBO
Joined: Mar 14, 2001
Posts: 2321
Re: Introducing myself.
Oh, no! Another Old GreyBearded One! Trailspace is greying! And gaining yet another grizzled veteran of the woods and hills!
Welcome to the group, Pika! I was born in town in Phoenix, but brought up in Sacaton. Except for a year in Honduras, by the end of which Spanish was my primary language. As Ed says, it sounds like you and I have a lot of overlapping experience - Sierra, Rockies, Cascades, Alaska, Western Canada, Antarctica. I have yet to get to Africa (Barb and I are headed there in Dec-Jan) or Japan. But I can add in Australia (the Red Center requires very similar skills to the Sonora Desert), Mexico, New England, the Deep South (mountains, swamps, and bayous), and a few other places. With Kutenay having decades of expertise in Western and Arctic Canada, plus that young whippersnapper Brian in SLC with his experience in most of the rest of the world, we have it pretty well covered. Well, at least the land masses. I'm not sure if there are any deepwater, long-distance ocean sailors.
I look forward to your contributions.
6:32 p.m. on July 17, 2007 (EDT)
Tom D
Moderator
Joined: Aug 10, 2002
Posts: 704
Re: Introducing myself.
Hey Pika, Thought I recognized you. Welcome to Trailspace. I'm one of the moderators on TLB also-same name, w/t the space. Good to have you here. We have a fairly collegial bunch and just like on TLB, the expertise and experience of adventurers like you is always helpful for the newcomers. We don't have one particular focus, so the questions you will see here are more general in nature than on TLB, but it all comes down to the same thing-getting out and doing something interesting.
