IT was 5am when an elbow to the ribs woke me and the enticing words, "I'm getting excited." Numerous possibilities danced before my mind's eye. My wife's elbow found its target once more, and I heard Maggie say, "I'm getting excited … about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with you”. What followed was how every good English person deals with becoming slightly over-excited. We sat up in bed and had a strong cup of tea. Thus began my seven-year quest to gain my Triple Crown of thru-hiking (a long-distance walk from start to finish in one go, also known as end-to-end hiking) in the USA by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (4270km), the Appalachian Trail (3540 km) and the Continental Divide Trail (5000km).
The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) heads north (NoBo) from the Mexico border in the desert of California, then
