The secrets to life, it turns out, can be found along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Award-winning writer Bob Welch shared some pearls of wisdom Saturday during Umatilla Electric Cooperative’s Annual Meeting. Welch, an associate editor at the Eugene Register-Guard, talked about a hiking trip through Oregon on the Pacific Crest Trail he took in 2011 that opened his eyes to more than just the beauty of nature.
His wife, Sally, convinced him to take along his brother-in-law just to make sure he’d get back home safely. What he learned during that hike were things that can be applied to one’s journey through life as well as outdoor adventures.
“First of all,” he said, “to get ready for something like that you need to get in shape, buy new gear and spend a lot of money. To be a minimalist, you need to max out your credit card.”
Welch said who you are at the end of a journey needs to be different than who you were when you started.
“You need to be stronger and smarter,” he said. Welch met some hikers who called themselves the 10x10s, meaning that liked to hike 10 miles by 10 a.m. Welch considered that insane and looked at his brother-in-law and said, “Let’s be the 2x4s.”
But, before they knew it, the two had crossed 10 miles before 10 a.m.
“The journey makes you stronger,” he said.
Another of life’s lessons learned on the trail is that hiking alone is fine – until you get in trouble.
“When you’re up in elevation and low on food, you need each other,” he said. “You can be stronger together than you can as individuals.”
And, said Welch, it’s not the destination that matters, but the relationships you form during the journey there.
“The most contented people are those who give to something greater than themselves – when life is not all about them.”
Humble yourself, advises Welch – especially when it can save your hide. Welch and his brother-in-law found themselves lost along the trail. Help arrived in the form of some experienced Californians. Welch hated the idea of being a native Oregonian who had to ask a Californian to show him the way through Oregon, but he said “it’s better to admit you’re lost than be lost and not admit it.”
And, keeping a healthy perspective is important. He told the story of the end of a day’s hike and coming upon a beautiful lake where he and his brother-in-law were looking forward to a relaxing evening when the peace was disrupted by a troop of Boy Scouts. Welch said he grumbled about the boys spoiling the quiet of nature when his brother-in-law said something that changed his perspective.
“He said, ‘Look at those kids. They’re going to remember this day for the rest of their lives.’ It made me realize there is more going on in life than just Bob Welch. Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you view it.”
And finally, Welch said every journey has a secret destination of which the traveler is unaware. When he started the hike through the Pacific Crest Trail, his goal was just to get to the Cascade Locks.
“But it turned out the best thing that happened was the strong bond I formed with my brother-in-law,” he said.
Welch said it’s important to welcome new experiences and be ready for surprises throughout life.
“There is no way of knowing what the end is going to be like.”
