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THROUGH-HIKING THE PCT, PART I By Simon Willis, BBC journalist and TGO Magazine (UK) contributor It's a matter of balance, this hiking thing. I don't just mean the obvious skills, like being able to walk along a log bridge across a river, but achieving balance in other more subtle ways. Equipment choice is a good example. Take too light, too fragile, or too inappropriate a kit, and the backcountry experience could be cold, damp, and altogether not one willingly repeated in a hurry. Beginners seek comfort in quantity, taking many items "just in case," only to lean that hauling an overweight pack all day can be even more miserable than a damp night. The ideal clearly lies somewhere between the two. The skill lies in striking the balance that works for you. Liz Krol, my PCT hiking partner, and I live, work, and hike in Scotland. Over time we've gained enough experience to achieve that balance more often than not. Enough experience, in fact, to test and review GoLite equipment for the magazine TGO-The Great Outdoors. But now we're in the USA, trying to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, 2650 miles from the Mexican border to Canada. We have to cross deserts and mountain ranges, coping with a wide range of temperatures and terrain. So here we're beginners again. Even with GoLite equipment (home-modified Gust packs, C-Thru shirts, Flow and Coal jackets), I suspect we're taking too much, "just in case." It wouldn't surprise me if we're soon mailing stuff back to friends. We have yet to find our balance. And yet I suspect such physical considerations will be relatively easy to cope with. Mental balance will be harder to achieve. We must temper our drive and desire to reach Canada with a patience to relax into the journey, or we won't enjoy it. For our relationship to last, we must balance our personal needs; there's no point in one of us striding off into the distance while the other is struggling with illness. And on a spiritual level, I hope we come to a better understanding of the balance between ourselves as individuals and as part of a greater whole. A star filled night or alpen-glow sunset can humble the greatest ego. As I say, this hiking thing is all about balance. Somewhere between Mexico and Canada we will find ours.