People in the metropolis are trapped in this tiny city as a result of the epidemic. Hence, “see you on the mountain” became a popular phrase as some sought to escape from the chaos, some aimed to take some amazing social media photos, and some wanted to train for physical fitness. Every mountain varies in elevation, and hikers are like Sisyphus with the never-ending pursuit of rolling boulders, climbing up the slopes and then going down the descents, where there is no escape from the meaningless continuous cycle whether they are on the mountain or living in the city.

“You keep doing the same thing over and over again, and you ask yourself why do you go through such hard labor of walking this 40-kilometer trail for 10 hours every day.” Joshua Leung, a 24-year-old social worker with a passion for mountaineering, encountered the same hardships and almost had his feet amputated halfway due to a heavy snowstorm. But in the end, he became one of the few people in history to have completed the over 4,000 km trail. What was it that kept him going on his journey?

Joshua’s love for hiking was inspired by an extraordinary teacher in high school who had written on the blackboard, “I will climb Mount Everest.” This teacher was the first woman from Hong Kong to successfully ascend Mount Everest three times - Tsang Yin Hung. “At the time, we thought she was delusional. How could a teacher climb a snowy mountain and do something so crazy? No one had ever imagined that she would accomplish it.” Not only did she set a role model by going to Nepal and Sichuan for training during the holidays, but she also invited students to join her, and Joshua was one of the regulars. He was deeply moved by Tsang’s perseverance and determination, and has since grown to love mountaineering and outdoor recreation, and once completed the Trailwalker with Tsang in less than 18 hours.

“I was admitted to Polytechnic University in 2016, and one of the interview questions was, ‘What is your dream?’” The other five interviewees in the same group all said they wanted to become a social worker. I, too, hope to become a social worker, but I want to be one with life experience.” This conviction drove Joshua’s desire to accomplish something unforgettable after graduation but he had very few options due to his limited budget. It was then that he recalled the movie “Wild” he watched as a child about how the protagonist Cheryl Strayed, who had lost her way in life, was able to overcome her low point by walking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The opening scene of the movie is still engraved in Joshua’s mind, which led him to the idea of trekking the PCT.

In 2019, Joshua set out on his first trip to the PCT located in the U.S. with a passion to accomplish something memorable for the rest of his life, only to narrowly escape the brink of death. “Walking this trail was the most treacherous journey of my life and on the verge of death, so at that moment I really wanted to give up, and that was the first time I ever felt like giving up on the PCT.”

Joshua had just finished the Southern California desert and was entering the most stunning snowy stretches of the PCT, where he would climb the highest peak in the United States, Mount Whitney, when he was caught in a very unusual snowstorm. The snow-covered the original zigzag trail, so he and his companion Kevin had to take the steeper incline up to the summit. By the time they reached the top, it was getting dark and an ominous omen was looming. “It is easy to go up the mountain but hard to descend. We were physically exhausted on the way down. If you lose your footing and fail to self-arrest with your ice axe, there is a chance that you will fall down the mountain.”

Finally, after a long and difficult descent, he noticed pain in his toes, and upon removal of his socks, found that they were swollen and white in color. Besides Kevin, there was also a Norwegian couple, Ellin and Daniel, who had been living in the snow for a long time. After examining Joshua’s feet, they concluded that his feet were badly frostbitten and he should not continue walking. There was nothing else to do but to send for an emergency rescue. Unfortunately, the weather was so poor that the helicopter could not take off anytime soon. During the extended wait, Ellin let Joshua put his feet on her belly, warming them with the warmth of her body. “I was just a stranger to them, but they were so affectionate towards me. That scene is still vivid in my mind today.”

When he was taken to the hospital, the hardest thing to endure was not his injury, but the fact that he could no longer continue thru-hiking the PCT. The doctor told him, “Your hiking days are over!” Only then did he realize the seriousness of the situation, and even upon seeing the purple, swollen and bloody blistered feet in front of him, he still could not accept that his journey that had just begun was about to end. “The doctor said it was uncertain how much damage can be reversed, but we have to be prepared that some tissues will need to be removed post-recovery. It was only at that moment that I realized how terrifying the situation was.”

Joshua survived his ordeal and returned to Hong Kong. Besides his girlfriend and family, Joshua was also greeted by months of rehabilitation and unknown after-effects. He described the month after coming home as a low point in his life, with not only the need of getting around in a wheelchair and regular cleaning of his wounds, but also the constant feeling of self-blame. His feet were just recovering, with the dead skin still attached to the pink tender new flesh, and his toenails were still peeling off, but he already wanted to go back and continue his journey. Although he did not make it in the end, his passion burned brighter and stronger.

Joshua began working full-time as a social worker following his frostbite injury, but the thought of “going back” has always been in the back of his mind. “The first thing that comes to mind when I get up every morning is these words: I have to walk to Canada.” Many people asked him if he would go back on the trail, and he admitted that it was just a matter of time for him to fully recover from his injuries and to set a suitable date for his next trek. Eventually he decided to quit his job at the beginning of 2020 and take on the challenge of trekking to Canada again.

A single tree cannot become a forest. Joshua’s injury experience prompted his girlfriend, Ah Wan, to travel with him the following year. Prior to their trip, the pair was concerned about the severity of the epidemic in the U.S. At the time, there were about 30,000 new cases per day and the number was rising, so at one point, they even canceled their tickets. However, the epidemic did not deter Joshua’s determination, and they found a travel insurance policy with coverage on infectious disease / epidemic disease, so they resumed their plans. Before leaving, Joshua read on the internet about the PCT that year, commenting that no one would be willing to help hitchhikers and that the small towns would not welcome tourists. However, his experience in 2019 convinced him that the hospitality accompanying the PCT would not be altered by the epidemic. He finally set out on his PCT journey in May, after overcoming thousands of hurdles.

As the PCT treks across all kinds of terrain and weather, the choice of equipment will depend largely on durability and portability, and there are a few items Joshua considers essential. From his backpack, he pulled out a bundle of steel chains, covered with serrated teeth. He said, unlike conventional ice claws for climbing, they are miniature ice claws that are fastened to hiking shoes with rubber straps, making them easy to put on and take off. Wearing them can increase traction and improve stability in the snow. He will also bring an ice axe, to guard against losing his footing when climbing snowy mountains. If you are about to slip and fall, drive the pick of the axe into the snow to self-arrest and stop your fall.

The PCT trail is covered with deserted wilderness, where ordinary mobile phones cannot receive signals, so for their safety, he brought a satellite phone with him. By pressing the SOS button, the phone will be automatically connected to the nearest satellite, and will send a distress signal to the emergency rescue center, which was what he did in 2019.

The Pacific Crest Trail, or PCT for short, is a 4,269-kilometer trail that spans the states of California, Oregon and Washington, stretching from south to north through Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, passing through deserts, snow and forests along the way. In 2019, Joshua traveled the first 400 km of the trail, stopping at Mount Whitney Peak in California. The following year he and his girlfriend embarked on the route directly from the entry point in Los Angeles. It took them 123 days and a total of 3,500 km to reach the northern terminus at the U.S.-Canada border, checking off one of the top three trails in the U.S from their list.

On the trail, there are many kind-hearted folks, commonly known as Trail Angels, who help PCT challengers along the way, providing lodging and even food for the thru-hikers. Joshua has received help from the Trail Angels many times, but they do not ask for anything in return, they only hope that those who have been helped will pay it forward, so that the culture of the Trail Angels can be passed on. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” is Joshua’s greatest lesson learned.

While in Washington State, he and his girlfriend were drinking next to a water source. A man stumbled over to the water source and said he had not had any water for two days and then collapsed next to it. He was unable to drink from the water source because he had no water filter. Thinking that since they had two water filters and not many distances to go, they could both share one, so Joshua and his girlfriend gave the man the other one. In the culture of Trail Angels, Joshua sees the theory in the discipline of social work. “As I used to say when I was studying social work, it is unconditional caring or unconditional giving. And those Trail Angels in America are people who truly practice this kind of unconditional care.”

After walking through the freezing snow, desolate deserts, and dense forests, and persisting in walking 4,269 km, Joshua gained clarity on his path forward. He believes that everyone on the PCT can take the route they want, just as there are different paths in life, which ultimately all lead to the same destination. He maintains that beyond the pursuit of fame, wealth and materialistic goods, one can also take a different road from others and only through perseverance can one realize the value of one’s own journey. “Hike your own hike, live your own life. What people tell you may not always be right, but can you live the life you want despite what they say to you?”

If you persevere until the end, you may be able to defeat the repetitive cycle without realizing it.

Facebook: @Joshua.OnTheTrail

IG: Joshua105

Youtube：Duct Tape On The Trail

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