A Sense of Direction: a 1,200 Mile Walk on the Pacific Northwest Trail: After graduating college with a dream of becoming an outdoor filmmaker but no job prospects Alex Maier set out to hike 1,200 miles from the Continental Divide to the Pacific Ocean on the Pacific Northwest Trail. He chose one of the toughest and most remote long-distance hikes in America to put his skills and perseverance to the test, what he found were life-lessons that went way deeper than affirming a career choice.