The PCT explodes your ideological bubble. You meet people from all different backgrounds with many different opinions about life, politics, hiking strategies and, most importantly, what to eat at the next resupply town.
And that’s a good thing because I’ve been living in my Berkeley bubble, reading the New York Times, Washington Post and BBC, and giving to Democratic causes. Because the stakes have been so high in the Trump era, I’ve grown intolerant of other opinions or maybe I’m just getting old.
That’s why it’s been such a gift to be hiking with my buddy, Moving Target. We have totally different views about politics, but we’re tight hiking partners.
Moving Target is a good man, husband and father. He’s a small businessman whose been running an auto repair shop in southern Illinois for more than 40 years. We share a love for nature. He can spot wildlife better than anyone I’ve hiked with. Below is one of the short videos he makes while on the trail. He also can identify birds from their tweeting and he’s an encyclopedia for the plants and trees we’re seeing every day.
A few times we tried to start a discussion about a political or social topic, but it was clear that there was a gaping chasm between our positions. In diplomatic terms, we had a frank exchange of views. I understood where he was coming from, but it was a difficult discussion.
But that didn’t stop us from being simpatico hiking partners, appreciating where we shared values and where we didn’t. It’s a good lesson to keep in mind, and not just on the trail. You don’t necessarily have to agree on politics to have your hiking partner’s back.