Dean on Mt. Meru, Tanzania (Kilimanjaro in background)
Dean Paschall will be thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada starting April 15, 2015. He will attempt to complete the hike in a single season, walking an average of 20 miles a day, hopefully finishing in 5-6 months.
The Pacific Crest Trail is 2650 miles long starting in Campo, California on the Mexico border and ending in Manning Park, Canada. About half the people who start the hike as a thru-hiker actually complete the trail. More people have stood on the summit of Mt. Everest than have completed the entire Pacific Crest Trail.
Dean Paschall is 63 years old and has been an avid adventurer and outdoorsman for his entire adult life. Dean has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Rainier, has hiked on Mt. Everest and Mt. McKinley, achieved the first hang glider flight off of Half Dome, and also loves to mountain bike, road bike, ski, and rock climb. He was a park ranger at Yosemite National Park, CA for 10 years; created and ran the outdoor program at the Community School in Sun Valley, ID for 10 years; was a Division Manager with the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks for 13 years; and is a principal at Adventures Within Reach.
“We are so proud to have Dean tackle this amazing challenge,” Robin Paschall of Adventures Within Reach said. “While this hike is not ‘within reach’ for most people, it is inspirational to anyone who loves adventure and travel.”
The hike will recorded on a regular basis on Dean’s PCT blog: http://www.dean9r.com/ . The blog will be a record of the gear he used, his schedule, and ongoing photographs and journal.
“I grew up in the Sierras, my first backpacking trip was in the Sierras, and my lifetime hero is John Muir. Thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail is a way to follow his footsteps in a trek through the ‘Range of Light,’” Dean Paschall explained.
Dean’s hike is being sponsored by a number of local Denver-Boulder companies including Ultimate Direction, Sea to Summit, Solar Panel, and Adventures Within Reach.
Ultimate Direction Fastpack 30
“We are really happy Dean has chosen our Fastback 30 for this amazing adventure”, said Buzz Burrell, Brand Manager of Ultimate Direction. “It’s very lightweight and comfortable, while providing plenty of on-the-go accessibility so Dean can easily reach everything he needs, which is important on such a long hike.”
Dean has been preparing for the hike for over two years including researching the right equipment to use and training for the physical challenge of such a long hike with great elevation gains.