離開台灣前我跟學生說如果關於老師的旅程還有不了解或很想知道的事情，可以寫問題給我然後我會在網路上回答。以下問題有的是別人曾經問過我所以我自己決定在這裡寫出回答，也有很多問題是學生自己想的。
Before leaving Taiwan, I asked my students to write down any questions they might still have about my upcoming journey in the States. Some of the questions below are ones I have been asked by others and so chose to include here, while some of them are the questions my students wrote for me.
太平洋屋脊步道是什麼？
What is the PCT?
太平洋屋脊步道，簡稱PCT，是在美國共人健行或騎馬的長途步道，起點在美國與墨西哥的邊境，步道一直延伸到美國與加拿大的邊境，最後幾公里在加拿大境內。沿途經過四個山脈以及不同的生態環境如沙漠、高山、雨林。步道由志工維護。
The PCT is a trail for hiking and horseback riding that extends from the California/Mexico border to the Washington/B.C. border, and then into Canada for a few kilometres. It passes through distinct environments, including desert, alpine and rainforest, and through several mountain ranges, including the San Jacinto, the San Gabriels, the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades. It is maintained by a large number of volunteers.
你為什麼想去？
Why do you want to go?
好問題耶，這可能要寫很久，我近期要另外發文討論這個問題。
Great question! This might be a very long answer, so I plan to write a separate page discussing this soon.
請問你會跟誰去？
Who are you going with?
我要一個人過去，可是每天都有很多人開始走這個步道，所以我走的時侯應該大部分是跟別人一起走，很容易交朋友找伴。
I am going there alone, but there will be lots of other people on the trail so I will not be walking alone the whole time.
你會帶什麼東西去？-曾軍郝
What will you take with you?
好多東西，近期會另外發文介紹裝備
So many things! I will write another page about this later.
你要爬幾座山？-Ivan
How many mountains will you climb?
我真的不知道，步道雖然在山上但不是沿途的每一個山頂都會越過，我可能要走完才會知道。
I have no idea. The trail goes through mountainous areas but doesn't go over every single peak it passes. I might not know the answer until after I've finished walking it.
其中的一座山是不是一半在墨西哥一半在美國? -Ian
Is one of the mountains half in the US half in Mexico?
不是，步道接到邊境那裡並不在明顯的山頭上。
The start of the trail at the border is not on any obvious mountain.
So when you walk across the border of America and Mexico, are there police? -Ian
(你走路跨越墨西哥與美國邊境的地方會不會有警察?)
Police could show up anywhere along the border but there are none stationed by the PCT permanently. Actually, the trail starts right at the border so I will not be in Mexico at all. When I get to the Canadian border, however, I will be just walking across and there are no police there. To do this, though, you need to apply for a special permit from Canadian customs ahead of time.
整個邊境都有可能出現警察，不過沒有警察長期在那，且步道是從邊境開始，我並不會從墨西哥走進來。到加拿大的邊境的時侯反而會直接走進去，也不會有警察，但是要提早向加拿大海關申請入境許可。
平均海拔多少？-Ian
What's the average elevation?
平均1800公尺左右，最低點23公尺，最高點4001公尺
Approximately 6000 feet. Low point: 77 feet. High point: 13,128 feet.
步道總共幾公里？
How long is the trail?
四千兩百多公里
Over 4,200 km long.
你坐飛機到那要幾天？
How many days does it take to fly there (from Taiwan)?
Taoyuan to Hong Kong to L.A. to San Diego will take about 22 hours.
我的飛機是從桃園飛香港，再轉機去洛杉磯，再抓機去聖地牙哥，總共要22小時。
你大概花多少錢在這趟旅行？-蘇翊賢
About how much will you spend on this trip?
The budget I have is USD5000. However, before the trip I bought quite a lot of new gear for the PCT and had to buy a plane ticket to the US, so the total cost for this trip is probably somewhere around 7000. That's quite a lot, but when you realize that it's for 5 whole months, it's not actually that bad.
我的預算是五千塊美金。但出發前我買了很多新裝備和機票，所以總共這趟旅行可能要七千塊美金，是有點貴但想到可以玩五個月好像也蠻划算的。
你會帶多少錢？-鄭凱蔚
How much money will you bring?
I won't have much cash on me most of the time, probably USD 200 or less. My savings are all in Taiwan so I will just pay for things by credit card and hit up an ATM occasionally if I need more actual cash.
身上不會帶很多現金，大概200元美金以內。我的錢都存在台灣的銀行，在美國要付錢的時侯刷卡比較方便，需要現金的時侯再去ATM領就可以了。
你去玩後，還剩多少錢？-台灣小屁孩
How much money will you have left after the trip? -A little Taiwanese rascal
足夠買機票回台灣跟你借錢呵呵
Enough to buy a plane ticket back to Taiwan. Then I'm borrowing from you!
你到山上幾天？
How many days will you be in the mountains?
要走完應該要接近5個月也就是150天左右，我預計9月底完成。
It should take around 5 months to complete, or 150 days. I hope to finish by the end of September.
參加這個旅程的男生和女生各有幾個？
How many men and women will be on the trip?
去年大約六成是男生四成是女生
It's about a 60/40 split between males and females.
你在山上的時侯睡覺在哪裡？-蔡瑋哲
Where will you sleep in the mountains?
在山上會睡帳篷，有時候也可能會不搭帳篷直接鋪墊子睡地上，這叫做cowboy camping牛仔式露營或露宿。
I have a tent to sleep in every night. However, many people on the PCT opt to just sleep under the stars if the weather is nice (cowboy camping) and I might try this.
你會吃甚麼？
What will you eat?
這一點我還沒有很確定，而且每個禮拜吃的應該不太一樣，要看當地的超市在賣什麼也要看自己當時想要吃什麼。主要會找高熱量水份低的食物如巧克力、麵條、乾燥馬鈴薯、義大利麵、麵包、臘腸、肉乾、花生醬之類的，也會盡量找乾燥蔬果來補充重要的營養成分。當然到附近的小鎮時會去餐廳大吃喔！
I'm not sure about this yet, and it will probably be different from week to week depending on what local stores have in stock and on what I feel like, or don't feel like, eating at the time. In any case, I will need to find calorie-dense food without much water weight, like chocolate, noodles, bread, salami, peanut butter, dried potato flakes, pasta, etc. I will try finding dried veggies and fruit as well to make sure I get enough vitamins and minerals in my diet. Of course, when I get to a town to resupply I will definitely take any chance I can to have a feast at a restaurant!
你去美國時，你會吃泡麵嗎？-Ian
When you go to the US, will you eat instant noodles?
應該會喔，泡麵是乾燥食品所以特別輕，熱量偏高，煮起來又快，很適合登山旅。
I probably will. They're dry and thus very light, have a lot of calories, and are quick to cook up. They're ideal for hiking trips.
你會一次帶所有自己在步道上需要的糧食嗎？
Will you take all your food with you for the whole trail?
平均一天會吃一公斤，步道要走5個月所以若一次背所有會吃的食物要背接近150公斤，這有可能嗎？其實每個禮拜會離開不到一兩次到附近的小鎮補給，幾乎不用背超過一個禮拜的食物。
On average I will eat 2 pounds of food per day. Since the trail should take me about 5 months, that would be 300 pounds on my back if I carried it all at once… pretty absurd. Instead, I'll be going off the trail once or twice a week to nearby settlements to buy more food, and will almost never have to carry more than a week’s worth at any one time.
你會洗澡嗎？-張睿宸
Will you shower?
會，但不能每天都洗，大概一個禮拜一兩次而已，步道上沒有洗澡設備，只有在我離開步道到小鎮補給的時侯才有可能在露營區或旅館洗。
Yes, but definitely not every day. Whenever I leave the trail to go into town, there might be a chance for a shower at a campground or hotel, so probably only once or twice a week.
你會生病嗎？
Will you get sick?
有可能，其實很多人無法完成步道是因為生病或受傷。我要特別小心水源，每次取水都要進行消毒，畢竟有些水源是共牛喝的，不是很乾淨。消毒有很多方法但我個人是採用一支紫外線器具，若前者故障還準備了一種丟在水壺裡的藥片，也可以得到消毒效果。
This is possible. The reason many people can't finish the trail is because they get sick or injured. I have to be very careful about treating all water before drinking. I have a SteriPen UV wand for this, and some tablets as a backup. Sometimes the water sources may be the same ones vows are drinking from!
你會死嗎？-Young
Will you die?
會，大概85至90歲的時侯吧，希望在那之前可以完成步道。
Yes, maybe when I'm around 85 or 90. Hopefully I've finished the trail by then.
有什麼危險的動物嗎？
Are there any animals that can hurt you on trail?
黑熊、毒蛇、蜱，通常只要沒有打擾野生動物牠們就不會打擾你。有看到熊的話當然會PO照片。
Black bears, venomous snakes, ticks. As with most wild animals, if you leave them alone, they will usually leave you alone. If I see a bear I'll try to get a picture and post it!
你回來時，可以來教書嗎？-Ian
Can you come teach again when you come back (to Taiwan)?
希望有機會去代課，跟以前的學生見個面
I hope I can fill in for other teachers sometimes and see my old students again.
你會看到川普嗎？-張睿宸
你會看到歐巴馬嗎？
Will you see Trump? Will you see Obama?
哈哈，機會不大，這兩位好像沒有很喜歡登山，也沒有住西部。
Haha! The chances of this are almost zero. I don't think they hike much and they don't live in the West.
你會跟金鋼打架嗎？-張睿宸
Will you fight King Kong?
不會，牠一看到我強壯的樣子就會逃走
Nope, he’d be too scared of my incredible strength and run away.
如果在旅程中遇到你看中的女生，你會跟他在一起嗎？-楊涵茵
你會在旅程中交女友嗎？-鄭凱蔚
去爬山那麼久會不會認識很多漂亮女生？（帥哥也可以啦如果你是gay)
你會在路上結交女性朋友嗎？
If you see a girl you like during the trip, will you two be boyfriend and girlfriend?
Will you get a girlfriend during the trip?
Will you meet a lot of pretty girls while you're away hiking for that long? (or, if you're gay, handsome guys?)
Will you make any "girl friends" along the way?
哇，怎麼這麼多人問這一類的問題呢？走這個步道的人一整天都在流汗，晚上也不能洗澡，我想這樣子應該沒有人會漂亮或帥吧！我確定在步道上男性朋友和女性朋友都會交到，其他問題目前很難回答。
Wow, why so many questions about this?! Well, everyone on the trail is sweating all day and not showering… I don't know if anyone can be “pretty” or “handsome” after that! I will certainly make both some “boy friends” and “girl friends” on the trail, but that's about all I know now.
你有老婆嗎？-Rayon
你有女友在加拿大嗎？-鄭凱蔚
你現在有女朋友嗎？
你單身嗎？
Do you have a wife?
Do you have a girlfriend in Canada?
Do you have a girlfriend?
Are you single?
咦，等一下，這些問題跟主題根本沒關聯呢！
Wait a minute, this has nothing to do with the PCT…
你會去大不列顛及北愛爾蘭嗎？-Morgan
Will you go to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland?
不會，不順路。
No, it's far out of the way.
Can you 用中文回答這個問題嗎？-Richard
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