I hiked with my dad back in the 1970s - high top leather boots, cooking over a fire -- hell, we probably carried canvas tents. I can't even imagine how heavy my dad's pack must have been. In my 30s (in the late 1990's), I returned to the Pacific Northwest and started hiking some of the same trails I'd trod with my dad. I ventured out on a few solo overnights. I didn't die, and I considered that fact a good omen. I'm now in my 50's and spend long hours dreaming of hiking. Career & family responsibilities limit my adventures to long weekends & an annual section hike, but I'm looking forward to hiking as much as my body will allow when I'm in my 70s. I live in Eastern Washington - the dry, sunny part - and most of my adventures are in the Cascades or along the PNT. I love the relative ease of the PCT, but the wildness of the PNT and the Blue Mountains (SE Washington, NE Oregon) appeal to the more adventurous part of my soul.