An average of 300 people make the attempt every year to hike the 2,650 mile path, yet less than that are successful. It is an excursion wherein the adventurer passes through three states (California, Oregon and Washington), climbs nearly 60 mountain passes, and makes its way through seven national parks. The trail crosses the San Andreas fault not once or twice, but three times. Worth noting, too, is that travelers make their way by the three deepest lakes in the United States (Lake Tahoe-1,645 feet, Crater-1,932 and Lake Chelan-1,149 feet).

So what inspired Dobra to hike that trail, and all in one season, no less? "Well, I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail back in 1988-89, and over the years had hiked most of the trail in Oregon and Washington, so I took the next step."

When Dobra left Shirley on May 1 of last year, there was snow on the ground, and the ice was not yet out on Moosehead Lake. Upon arriving at the departure point, he was met with 95 degree temperatures.

As he made the solo trek from Mexico, Dobra had to plan, as all those that make the attempt, for water conditions in California to be sparse. As a matter of fact, anyone making their way along the trail, whether on foot or other modes of transportation (the trail is graded for horseback, so some take advantage and ride the trail instead of making their way via pedestrian-style), must plan for an average of 20 to 30 miles between water sources in the Golden State. "It was a different feeling leaving each water source, as you knew you were 30 miles away from the next." Dobra commented.

As he made his way from point to point, Dobra met interesting people and relished the experience of sleeping underneath the stars. He mentioned that, whenever possible, he would hike until it was nearly dark, find a flat spot, and make that his home for the evening. "And I never did feel like quitting." He was happy to report.

As he, and a group of hikers he had connected with late on the trail, approached the last 50 miles of the trail, they were met with obstacles that eventually led them to circumvent the traditional hiking path, due to earlier than usual winter conditions, but were able to finish the trail just the same. As he looks back on his adventure, and with a youthful gleam in his eye, Dobra said, "I would say the best advice to anyone attempting the thru-hike would be not to have a set schedule, or a set deadline, those that did typically got injured," Dobra spoke, now having the experience of the full trail behind him, "No, I would say start slow, and go steady. Take what the trail will give you."

With that, we welcome Mr. Dobra back from his latest adventure, and appreciate his time in sharing it with the rest of us.

He will be discussing his trip, accompanied by a slideshow, at Northwoods Outfitters on Friday, November 30 at 7:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend.
"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the Tuesday, November 27, 2007 edition of the Moosehead Messenger and is used here with permission."