My Strategy

Goals
  • I want to ride the whole Pacific Crest Trail
  • I want to see and spend time in wilderness and nature, as surrounded as much as possible by human-free land
  • I want to get to know the areas I am riding through - spend some time going back and forth and exploring specific places till I know them well
  • ​I want to make extensive picture, video and write records of the trails I explore and post them online for others to use. This will also help keep me content to explore one area slowly and go over the same spot more than once, rather than getting anxious to move on. 
  • Extensively phonograph and map the trail and document all that I do so that others may learn from my experience.

Unique Obstacles
  • unpredictability - No matter how careful I am or how well I plan there are always times when my energy crashes unexpectedly and I must change plans mid-trip. I don't believe it is useful to believe I can keep this from ever happening, so I want to find a way to plan it in so that it isn't a problem when it happens. I want to plan the help I would need to take care of such times into the trip from the start but contacting resources ahead of time for last minute transport and horse boarding as needed.
  • short rides - I can presently only do about 5-6 miles a day. Thus, I need to find places where I can explore in short bursts and know I will find camp spots at least ever 5 miles.
  • rest breaks - I need to be able to rest after a ride, maybe taking a day off after each riding day, and every 3-4 days I will need to rest for up to a week. Thus, I need short spurts of riding mixed with returning to a stable, easy camp where the horses can mostly take care of themselves and I can get good rest.  I will also need to make my sleep as restful as possible by having gear that is comfortable enough to allow for a  good night's sleep.
  • limited equipment - I need to conserve my energy in all ways, so I will have to plan to have the most minimal gear, and number of horses possible. I have found it very important, for instance, that I can simply and easily pack and unpack the horse without using a day's worth of energy up just getting ready. I will plan this trip with a focus on backpacking type gear which will be as lightweight and simple as possible, taking as little of my energy as possible in care, organization, packing up and transport. I can't do a single horse when in a desert climate but need to stick to two horses, which will mean minimalist gear, as I will need to carry their food and water as well as all my own gear.

My Strategy​

I am going to choose a base camp area for each leg of the trail. The base camp will be one I can drive to and which is as set up as possible - an established horse camp, if possible. I will do short trips out of this camp up and down the trail for 20 miles in each direction over the course of a number of months, getting to know the area well in short, 2-3 night trips. At the 20 mile mark in each direction, I will have planned a horse motel and place for me to get some rest so that I can have true rest breaks every now and then.  I will bring only two horses and pack like a backpacker - minimalist and light weight. I will gather resources in the areas I will be going to and make arrangements for help transporting horses and places to board horses when I need extra rest. 
USEFUL RESOURCES:
Click here to see my YouTube page of videos on how this trip is going every step of the way, including my preparations at home and my days on the trail.
Want to know more about who is on this trip? Me, my dog, my horses and any friends who happen to join me along the way...