Another impression is the number of people you meet solo on the trail that you never see again, or do not see for days at a time.
how about do not see them for years at a time? I've now met the same person on three consecutive JMT hikes, each time about in the same area (first time Silver Pass in 2009, in 2010 at the water crossing just below Silver Pass, and this year at Bear Creek Crossing). Her name is Connie, and she's the grandmother of Sierra, who is quite well known for her PCT and JMT hikes at an early age. She also didn't hike the JMT between 2010 and 2013, so this is the same experience for her - each time she is on the trail, she runs into us
in 2008 and 2009 we ran into the same PCT hiker as well, once at Reds, the next year on top of Forester. It's a small world up there...
