- Welcome!I’ll be using this website to blog my hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. If you’d like an update when I write my first post from trail, you can sign up for email updates below. In the meantime, check out this map from the Pacific Crest Trail Association. I’ll be …
- Day 0 – The bare necessitiesI remember getting to school for the first day after summer break, anxious thoughts racing through my brain. Today was no different. After being dropped off by Khalyd, reality set in. I was nervous at first but soon relaxed as more hikers showed up at Legend and Mark’s camp for …
- Day 1 – Have midlife crises early and oftenI think I almost broke my tarp with how fast I jumped out of bed this morning at 5 o’clock. Anxiousness had turned to excitement and I had 20 miles to walk. However, I quickly learned another PCT lesson: don’t make too many plans, you never know what the trail …
Continue reading Day 1 – Have midlife crises early and often
- Day 2 – The way to a man’s heart is through his stomachI wish every day on trail started the way today did: a breakfast burrito. Since I camped at Lake Morena, which is a lake, a town and a park with camping, I was able to walk half a mile to get a burrito before hitting the trail. I was only …
Continue reading Day 2 – The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach
- Day 3 – ShnatzI spent almost an hour this morning listening to the birds before getting out of my quilt. Jackson, Din and Frish weren’t up yet. Good thing I waited for them because they made tea and biscuits. It being a Saturday meant a lot of day hikers. It also meant our …
- Day 4 – Never depend on a water cacheI slept in between some bushes and a low hanging tree last night. It was almost like being in a tree house. Camping without a tent or tarp above me allows me to sleep in small spaces. I heard the wind howling throughout the night but never even felt a …
- Day 5 – Bang bangThe morning was beautiful. Little wind, no rain and lots of tea. I expected the opposite. Learn to have low standards and expectations so you can always be impressed and surprised. It was an easy jaunt 8.9 miles to the road to Julian. Yesterday and today we had talked about …
- Day 6 – Trail magic, by hikers, for hikersToday was a special day for a lot of reasons. It was a “Zero Day” so we planned to do 0 miles. I woke up in a bed for the first time in a week. However, I think my body prefers sleeping outside already. It was the worst night of …
- Day 7 – Stretching is better as a dance partyI woke up under a bridge. The line between hiker and homeless is pretty blurry sometimes. At least I showered yesterday. It was super windy last night but I still slept better than in the hotel. We packed up around 6 and started our only major climb for the day, …
Continue reading Day 7 – Stretching is better as a dance party
- Day 8 – Enjoy the little thingsThe birds were cheering us along as we raced to the east side of the mountain before sunrise. I did my best impression of a grandma power walking the neighborhood, topping out at almost 4 mph. After sunrise and tea was over, we walked another 4 miles downhill to a …
- Day 9 – A glimpse into the futureWe woke up early so we could climb a few miles to see the sunset with our morning tea. It was worth it. 5 of us perched on top of a hill at 6 in the morning watching the sun come over the hills is always a great way to …