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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels August 4, 2004 Ashland is a welcome stop for hikers By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings The worn-out shoes, matted hair, thick beard, and the clothing full of holes disguise the fact that Brian Tanzman is an accountant from Rochester, N.Y. But the CPA is glad to have traded calculations for scenic vistas for the past few months. Tanzman, 29, has taken a leave of absence from crunching numbers to complete the entire 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail on foot. "You're just out there all alone on this trail, and it's such a perfectly amazing experience," he said. The avid hiker is impressed with the acceptance and interest in his travels from the people he has met in Ashland. "It's be real nice," Tanzman said. "A lot of times people make you feel like a homeless hippie, just because of the way you look. But here, they make you feel like you're doing something amazing." Tanzman and three hikers he met on the trail and developed a friendship with took a breather from their travels to make a pit stop in Ashland. Arriving on Sunday, the group left town Tuesday afternoon. The men talked about their travels and experiences on the Pacific Coast Trail while grabbing a bite to eat at the Wild Goose. All four plan to walk the entire journey, from Canada to Mexico. The group includes Mat MacDonald, 24, from Davis, Calif., who worked two jobs to be able to save enough money to do the five-month trek, and Adam Pelletier, 31, a graphic designer from Windham, N.H., whose hiking name is "Magnum P.I." This is because the only shirt he wears on the trail is a bright blue Aloha shirt, with hula dancers on it. "I bought it for nine bucks at a grocery store and it's the most comfortable shirt," he said. "You just unbutton it and it gives you great ventilation, especially when it gets hot." The fourth member, Scott Schimkowitsch, 31, of Sugarland, Texas, was a security programmer for a computer company. After being laid off by budget cuts in March, he decided to do the hike. "I had a nice severance package, so I thought 'Hey, this would be a good time to do the PCT'," he said. Though the foursome's layoff in Ashland has been relatively brief, the reception sticks out as a favorite among their travels. When trying to get e-mail access at Southern Oregon University, they struck up a conversation with a woman, who, when she found out what they were doing, invited them to have dinner with her family. "People have just been so incredibly nice here," MacDonald said, "and they're so knowledgeable about the outdoors and the trail and are interested in what we're doing." Schimkowitsch said that is a change from some of the other communities they have encountered on the trail. "There have been people who look at us strangely and say things like 'Why are you walking? You can just take (Interstate) 5 in your car,'" he said. Each year, an average of more than 400 hikers grab their gear and attempt to walk the trail. The goal is to reach the end of the trail in Canada by mid-September. The PCT is well known for its wide variety of scenery, from hundreds of miles of desert, changing to miles of mountains and snow in the Sierra Nevadas. "It's an amazing contrast," Tanzman said. The four normally walk by themselves during the day, hiking an average of 25 miles, and meet up in the evening to camp together, or to make their weekly treks into a town for supplies, and of course, a shower. Pelletier, Tanzman and Schimkowitsch have all walked on another well-known trail, the Appalachian, which they said changed their life. The men said they wanted a similar experience of adventure, being in nature and of self discovery. "You are seeing things no one else is seeing," Schimkowitsch said. "It's been something I'll never forget." Even troubles with some rascally chipmunks haven't deterred him. A few days ago, Schimkowitsch woke up and discovered several holes in his socks, courtesy of the little critters. "I tried to put my socks on and they were all these holes and they had taken half of my socks," he said. "They like to get the salt and lick it off the socks." When they reached the Oregon border on Sunday night, they had traveled 1,700 miles in three months. It was a special moment for them. "We took pictures, celebrated and reflected on everything we had done," Tanzman said. "It's amazing what the human body can do." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams