Sara from Sweden – The Trek
In almost 3 months, on April 9th, I will be hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. A decision that was both very impulsive but at the same time not at all. I was sitting on a toilet in southern Colombia. Feeling a bit lost and overall aimless, both in my journey and in my life. I had left Sweden 6 months earlier, to backpack and volunteer through South America. Making the decision to leave and at the same time breaking my own heart by leaving someone I still loved was tough. But those 6 months turned out to be absolutely wonderful and extremely difficult. As life often is. But now I found myself scrolling Skyscanner, Instagram and Google Maps for answers. Wondering where to go and when. I came across a note I had written on my phone a few months ago at the beginning of this whole thing. “Do things that scare the crap out of you” I had written. The PCT, a dream that had been sitting in the back of my mind for years, came right to me. Of all the things in the world, that track scares me the most. It really, really scares me. And in that case, I knew what I needed to do. There and then. In a dirty toilet in the Colombian jungle. Two weeks later I applied for the permit, I got it, crying loudly in front of strangers in a cafe.
Life is bloody strange
My name is Sara Falck. I turned 23 a couple of weeks ago, and I feel like I know both everything and literally nothing about life. I was born in northern Sweden, in a small mining town above the Arctic Circle called Kiruna. It is a country of extremes. The endless polar nights and the never-setting midnight sun run through my veins. I like to think that my way of life comes from that. Makes me love things short but difficult. This applies to everything except PCT. For some reason, that’s the dream I haven’t stopped loving. It was always in the back of my mind. I can’t even remember when it happened. I just know it’s been with me for years. And now it’s finally happening. Life is bloody strange.
But why?
But why? A question both I and those around me have asked. A million different reasons and none at all I answer. The idea of carrying everything you need on your back. The feeling of ultimate freedom. Hardening on the outside and softening on the inside. And many other very logical reasons. But the illogical thing is that I only know that I need to do it, not want but need. Call it what you will. Intuition, fate or need for therapy. Regardless, it’s something I know I won’t be able to let go of if I don’t try. Like an itch, I need to scratch. Maybe I’ll hate it and quit after a week, or maybe I’ll go to Canada. Maybe it will be absolutely terrible, or maybe it will be everything I ever wanted. There’s only one way to find out.
Planning from a farm in Colombia
I hope you will join me on my journey, whatever happens along the way. Just making it to my start date will be a win for me. As well as handling everything that comes with planning a hike for five months. To make it even more difficult for myself, plan it half a world away from my home – it’s not going to be easy. Visas, various permits and gear lists are a deep jungle, especially for foreigners. And especially if you choose to spend the time leading up to your trek on a farm in Colombia with poor internet connection. Call it stupid or call it a challenge. Anyway, it’s not ideal, but hopefully not as difficult as walking 4200 kilometers across a country. We’ll see.
/Sarita
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