Thanks for taking the time to visit my page!

Matt was a huge part of a really close-knit and successful team that we had at Cobham rugby. He started with the minis and continued all the way to the seniors. A big character. Everyone would join me in calling him a good friend and agree that he'll always be sorely missed - especially for the selection of dodgy hairstyles (check out the album of photos). From rugby tours to family holidays... to a photo shoot for a Cobham RFC cookbook... Matt and his family will continue to be a huge presence in our lives. He would want us all to try something a little bit crazy and so here's my attempt!

Now that my visa's been confirmed, I can go ahead with my plan to hike the full 2659 miles of the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) starting in April 2017 and hopefully raise plenty of money for CRY at the same time - In Craggy's memory. For anyone that knows me well enough, you'll appreciate that I have tendencies to get lost and walk/ski into things, as well as having legs that are the envy of most ballerinas! 

Here are some facts about the trail, what I'll come across and the challenges that I'll face:-

• It's a 2,650-mile wilderness trail that runs from Mexico to Canada via California, Oregon and Washington.
• Including almost 60 major mountain passes to climb.
• 19 major canyons to descend into.
• Passing by over 1000 lakes and I'll have to cross up to 6 rivers a day at some stages.
• Hazards include dehydration, wildlife and severe weather (desert heat, snow, storms, rattlesnakes, bears, mountain lions and a whole lot more I've recently found out about!)
• Currently, fewer people have thru-hiked (full length in one go) the PCT than have climbed Everest. 
• 99% of my nights will be spent in a tent/outside.
• This is not a planned event. The trail is apparently well marked and you are left to your own devices to make it to the North Terminus - I'll be starting at the Southern Terminus in Campo. 

I've set a target time for completion of 5 months, hiking on average 20 miles a day - which would actually take just 4 months - so I've allowed for rest days, that I'll be in need of at least once a week. There will inevitably be times (in the mountains) when I can't quite manage 20 miles due to the terrain, so I'll have to make up for this.

The reason that I'll start in April is because that's the recommended time to leave, due to the weather conditions both in the desert and mountainous areas. There are some water sources, but most involve filtering your water from natural sources.

There's plenty more info I could give here, but have saved it for my blog(!), of which I'll send the link out for once it's in full flow. Here are some interesting links that give more info on the PCT:-

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Crest_Trail/
• http://www.halfwayanywhere.com/trails/pacific-crest-trail/photo-essay-pacific-crest-trail/
  
• Yes, this is the trail from the film/novel 'Wild'. The book gives a better idea of what you come up against, as it doesn't leave out the charging bulls, ice axing OR bear confrontations. Plus, she walks just the 1100 miles of the trail - leaving almost 1600 more miles for me to go wrong. 

I'll also set some fundraising milestones over the coming months, which should encourage everyone to donate accordingly depending on how much you would like to make my life even more difficult over those 5 months! Such as not shaving for the duration and whatever else I can come up with. 

As well as donations towards my fundraising goal, it would be great to borrow or get sponsorship for some of my equipment and clothing . If anyone knows of ways for me to gain sponsorship and experience it would be much appreciated and of course I will promote the provided products! 

Thank you all for taking the time to read this and hopefully some of you will want to join me when training, which is every possible weekend in the build up...

Please also follow my website for updates on my progress/training and the hike itself! Here are my Instagram and Twitter names too.

www.ryangoggin.com

Instagram - Lost_Outdoors

Twitter - @RyanGoggin2