Received an interesting e-mail from reader Alex Scheingross who had a few questions about Scott Williamson, the first man to ever yo-yo the Pacific Crest Trail in one year. Williamson completed his second up-and-back trek of the PCT in Campo Tuesday afternoon.
“I'm sure he's a tremendous athlete and a nice young man,” Scheingross wrote. “He's been given a full page of coverage in the sports section today and a lot more coverage earlier this week. It's a notable accomplishment. However for the time it took (2 years?), I'd like to know who paid his mortgage and utility bills? Who paid for his food? Who paid for the gas in the car in the support team? Who paid for the car for the support team? Sure wish I could take two years just to hike instead of facing the stress of traffic and work every day.”
Yep, I'm right with you Alex on that last line. How many of us with any sense of adventure at all haven't fantasized about taking four to six months off to do something like what Williamson did?
By the way, it didn't take Williamson two years, either time. He hiked it up and back in 2004 in 205 days and beat that mark this year by successfully yo-yoing the trail in 191 days.
Williamson is a tree maintenance guy, a former logger who loves to climb trees. He doesn't own a home, so there is no mortgage. His car is a 1992 beater. He has no health benefits, pension plan or bills.
As for his support team, that was mostly his father, Dave of Escondido, and his fiancée Michelle Turley of Truckee. Much of his food and supplies were pre-packed and shipped to him at various post offices at 26 towns along the trail. Michelle said she drove to many of the spots in California, but once Scott reached the Oregon border, he was on his own and relied on packages sent to him.
Williamson once said: “I don't own a home. I'm self-employed. I drive derelict vehicles. I have to work on every weekend. But it's been well worth it. The sacrifices I've had to make to get out on the trail every summer have been well worth it.”
Yes, his hiking passion and lifestyle come with a price. Until recently he wasn't in a relationship. But he and Michelle Turley (they met on-line) plan to marry in June. And Williamson said he plans to write a book about his experiences on the PCT.
Alex, you said you wish you could take two years off just to hike. Start with a week, buddy, and build up. Williamson's message that came in loud and clear to me is to live your dreams, don't just dream them. Good advice to all of us who love the outdoors.
Tackle Day
Doug Kern's annual Tackle Day at Fisherman's Landing was hit with rain the last two years, but not this year. The weather was Goodyear Blimp worthy, and the turnout for the tackle sale and seminars was outstanding.
Corey Sanden of MC Swimbaits and Tommy Gomes, inventor of Uni Goop and Uni Butter out of Catalina Offshore Products, shared a booth and had good business all day next to the seminar stage. One of Gomes' pro-staffers, Jim Cowan, fished with his wife with four rods at Santee Lakes recently. Two of the rods were baited with rainbow Power Bait and dunked with Uni Butter. Two of them just had Power Bait.
The two rods with the Uni Butter caught the bigger trout – 2½-to 3-pound rainbows (two in all). The rod without the Uni Butter had two fish, too, but they were dinks – ¾-pounders, Cowan said.
Local buck
More and more evidence is coming in that proves this was one of the best years in decades for big, quality bucks. Way Chen, who is Mr. Outdoors at Fisherman's Landing, showed off a fine buck he shot on opening day in the Pine Valley area. The 3x3 buck had an antler spread of 20 inches (15 inches tall), and it's tines were Utah or Colorado thick.
Chen and three of his buddies filled two tags each in D-16 this season (ended Nov. 26). “And I had three other buddies who missed bucks,” Chen said.
Coues deer
Ed Howerton, pro staffer with Maxima, was at the Tackle Day festival with his stepson, Brandon O'Connor, who shot a fine Coues whitetail deer in the Tucson area this year. The antlers scored 104 (Boone and Crockett points).
Lobsters
The lobsters are marching like Gen. Patton is behind them right now, and as of 3:30 p.m. yesterday, Bobby and Gayle Arms had signed up 11 teams for the Second Annual Bobby Arms Drywall Inc. Lobster Derby at Shelter Island.
“We should get over 20 teams, and we only had 11 last year,” Gayle said.
Ed Zieralski: (619) 293-1225; ed.zieralski@uniontrib.com
