On April 13, 2014, Ian Rowsby, Director of Sales at Bird-B-Gone, embarked on a 2,650 mile trek across the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). “Since I first read about the trail ten years ago I’ve wanted to hike the PCT, and now seems like the perfect time,” says Rowsby.
Rowsby’s life has been full of adventure to this point. Born and raised in the U.K. where he raced motorbikes professionally until the age of 27. He then decided to take a new path and move to the U.S. “You only live once and I don’t want to have any regrets, so I like to live to the fullest,” says Rowsby on work and life.
While his life sounds like all play, he has been very dedicated to his career. After completing his degree (B-tec in Entomology) Rowsby pursued a career in the pest control industry, focusing on bird control. He now works as the Director of Sales at Bird-B-Gone, Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of professional bird control products, http://www.birdbgone.com/products.html based in Southern California. “Mr. [Bruce] Donoho, owner of Bird-B-Gone, has been gracious enough to understand my need to pursue this dream. And of course, I will be returning to the Bird-B-Gone family in October, after completing the hike.”
This is no small endeavor. The PCT is a 2,650 mile stretch of rugged terrain that consists of temperatures ranging from below freezing to 115° Fahrenheit, 50 mountainous passes, serene wilderness and harsh desert climates.
The journey will begin in Campo, California on the border of Mexico and ends in Manning Park, BC Canada. Food supply is slim. Rowsby will have food packages delivered to various points along the trail but as he reminds us, “You burn about 5,000 calories per day so it’s nearly impossible to get enough food.” (Most people lose massive amounts of weight, returning from the trip, skin and bones.)
A trip of this magnitude may have been a long held dream for Rowsby but it doesn’t come without adversities. Rowsby’s training has been a harsh realization of what is to come, “I have massive blisters on my feet but that is part of the process to prepare and toughen up my feet for the long journey.” The time alone in the beautiful serenity will certainly give Rowsby a lot of time for soul searching but six months of solitude can also wear heavily on a person, “It’ll be a struggle at times I’m sure, but it’s stunning out there and I will have a lot of reading material as well [he laughs].”
The Bird-B-Gone family will be tracking Rowsby along his journey via GPS. “It’s inspiring to witness a friend and colleague follow through on a long held dream and begin a new chapter of life,” says a colleague of Rowsby’s.
