KERNVILLE, Calif. (KERO) — Asa Cosby is no stranger to flying long distances in his airplane he keeps at the Kernville airport, but this summer, he went on a journey of a slower nature. Cosby, a Weldon resident, has traveled over thousands of miles on the Pacific Crest Trail this year, and he’s not done yet.
- Asa Cosby decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,653 mile hiking trail that stretches from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, after realizing it was the best shot he had to summit Mt. Whitney 50 years after he originally did.
- Cosby trained for months leading up to his departure from the Mexican Border in April. It took him 54 days to hike to the part of the trail that crosses over Walker Pass.
- Cosby told me his ultimate goal is to hike half of the trail before the end of the season, which would be 1,325 miles.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"I still can't believe it. I'm like, wow, 1,000 miles.”
Weldon resident Asa Cosby is reflecting about the distance he’s hiked this year on the Pacific Crest Trail - and he’s not finished.
“The mountains are calling,” Cosby said.
Asa Cosby has been charting his journey on his Youtube channel 65 and Alive Hiker – he spoke to 23ABC after he came back to his home to the KRV to rest for a week before he headed back onto the trail.
“God bless her, she's, she passed away, but, but she was, you know, when I was able to sit with my mom, and my mom was always, you never want to let a dream go,” Cosby said.
Cosby’s original goal was simpler – Summit Mount Whitney.
“I climbed Mount Whitney when I was 15 as a boy scout on my 15th birthday. I'm gonna do it at 65, 50 years later,” Cosby said.
He looked into getting a permit to hike up Mt Whitney.
“Most people got to come up out of Lone Pine to the Whitney Portal trail. But that's a lotto. You can't just go hiking. You apply for it and hope your name gets picked.”
However, those hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail - a 2,653 mile long trail that stretches from the Mexican border to the Canadian one - have access to a different trail going up Mt Whitney.
“I was gonna have to take this back way,” Cosby said, “And I said, ‘I'm gonna start at the beginning if I'm gonna do that.’”
Cosby always strove to go further in his life.
“Primarily I think from my mother, gotta go all, go big, or go home.”
AT age 65 and on day 65 of his hike - he summited Mt Whitney.
“We left at 12:30 in the morning to do Mount Whitney, because we wanted to get there at sun-up. And we got there at 5:25 am, the sun was up about that far, and it was probably 28 degrees.”
He completed his original goal and he continued his hike, which was primarily done alone - but his daughter traveled to join him for certain sections.
“She's got 200 miles on PCT. You can see it in the videos, if you watch the ones, when she's involved, the trail is so much happier. You know what I mean, I got my daughter with me, of course, you know, we have fun.”
I spoke with him late July when he came back home to rest for a week - but in early August he resumed his hike where he left off - at Sonora pass.
“I'm hoping to make the halfway point, 1325 [miles], you know, if, I mean, that's still amazing. If I can make 1325 I'm going for the Oregon border."
He says his daughter plans to meet up with him again, and though it has been incredibly hard - it’s been a life changing journey.
He has advice for anybody who has wanted to hike on the Pacific Crest Trail.
“It's hard. Not going to say it isn't, it's hard. But there's not an age limit. You can do it. You can do it. Just one foot in front of the other.”
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