It was in April 2015, while I was studying for a Finance exam, that the discussion with my friend Laurence came up on the subject of the Pacific Crest Trail. I was looking for my next challenge or adventure, so she told me about this trail. After our discussion, I spent half a day learning about this hike, and I made a decision pretty quickly. I had decided to do it the following year!

My bank account was almost zero. I was working as a financial analyst at Intact Insurance, and I was lucky enough to have an incredible manager and inspiration in my life: Candice Archer. I then decided to design a marketing communication plan and propose it to my employer in order to finance my adventure at the Pacific Crest Trail.

After a few weeks, I presented my plan to my manager. She was overwhelmed and saw the potential of my project. I then discussed it with the VP of the department, who in turn referred me to the company's communications department. So I also presented the project to them.

It was a failure. A definitive no! It was late summer of 2015, and I had to start from scratch. I couldn't raise the money for this challenge. The only solution I had left was to work 25-45 hours a week to finance it. Luckily, it worked!

With a very (but really) tight budget, I looked at all the options. It was especially important to look at my weight/cost ratio. I finally managed to get a "base weight" around 12 pounds (5.5 kg). In the past, I had made my mistakes with a backpack and equipment that was too heavy. This time, I wanted to make the right choices for MDT.

Know that with a lot of research, everyone can find their perfect mix, according to their needs. Every hiker is different and every need is different.

I realize afterwards that the only mistake I made was my quilt. I hated having one! I'm a person who always sleeps on my side, so I sewed my quilt into a sleeping bag.

I have optimized the calorie/weight/price ratio. So no freeze-dried food for MDT but lots of mashed potatoes !

I had identified the biggest grocery stores on the hiking trail by thumbing through them. My stages were linked to the biggest cities and grocery stores to get supplies.

In terms of accommodation, my choice was my ultralight tent. In fact, I spent 115 days doing the Pacific Crest Trail in a tent without a bed!

To orient myself, I had a map and a compass. That's all I had. No cell phone or GPS. I'm "old school", but I have to say that it's also because I was confident in my orientation skills. Don't think that GPS is synonymous with safety. I've known so many hikers who have gotten lost, either because of a bad signal, cold weather, lack of battery, broken GPS, or whatever.

In fact, I met Dave Fleischman several times on the trail. He is my friend today. He had done MDT in 1993. He was very surprised to see someone these days without technology. He had done it without technology, but that was then. I remember his words: "This is the first time in years that I have met someone without technology ".

I wasn't ready in terms of equipment for the Pacific Crest Trail. I had never tried my tent before I left. I'm ashamed to say it, but I trusted my research.

Physically, I haven't done any training. It's really not advisable, but at that time I was running out of time.

From a mental point of view, I had had extreme experiences in the past: long hikes, bags that were too heavy, adversity, multiple mistakes, undernourishment, etc. I had been through some extreme experiences in the past.

Nowadays, it is easy to find information on the internet, in Facebook groups or by acquaintances who have walked long hiking trails.

Jumping into a project like MDT can be scary, but can you imagine in 1993? Rest assured, you will find the information. All you have to do is research!

In the summer of 2015, I proposed to a childhood friend to do the Pacific Crest Trail challenge with me. He was still in school in Sherbrooke. He was a friend with incredible potential in life and who, deep down, had a thirst for adventure and challenge.

My friend had thesame constraints I had back then. He had a job, his studies, and no money. We discussed the project at length and he was in! He mentioned the different constraints he was facing, and mine were very similar to his.

I like to tell this fictional anecdote.... Imagine having a brother five years older than me. I'm 18 and he's 23. I ask him to leave. He can't, because he's finishing school and he's close to moving into the workforce. He says to me: "You are young and you are at the beginning of your studies. You don't have any constraints, but I do."

I'm 23 and he's 28. I'm asking him to leave. He can't, because he's in the workforce and he's aiming for a promotion. He says to me: "You are young and still studying. You don't have any constraints. I'm at the end of my studies, my career is taking off. »

I'm 28 and he's 32. I'm asking him to leave. He can't, because he's moving in with his girlfriend. He says to me: "You're young, at the beginning of your career. You don't have any constraints. I'm going to move in with my girlfriend. »

Do you understand what happens next?

We all have constraints in life. The question is how do we overcome adversity? How do we overcome obstacles? How do we find the solution that is not at the end of our nose?

It's the same thing on an expedition or on a long hiking trail. How do you deal with the unexpected? How do you search for information? How do you find the perfect mix of equipment? How do you deal with the unpredictable?

I have had more failures, mistakes and bad choices in life than any of the readers who will read this article. That is correct. Every failure, every mistake, every wrong choice has given me the tools to make the Pacific Crest Trail and to take on even crazier challenges: resilience, creative solutions, cognitive processes.

The message here is that you must believe in yourself!

The Mount Trail Team