Category: Pacific Crest Trail

Date: April 21, 2017
Miles: 127.3 – 144

“I’m a leader. Not a follower.  Unless it’s a dark place, then you’re going first.” ~ Unknown

This may not come as a surprise to you at this point, but after we said goodbye to Mike’s Place we walked through more desert. I entertained myself by taking pictures of some of the flowers and listening to Lord Huron. The right kind of music can really make the miles go by quickly.  Along the way I met Alan From Ohio and Outro (Matthew), who chatted for a while then kept going at about a 4 mph speed uphill. I tried to keep pace with them for a while just to see if I could, but then I felt like I might die so I quit that. Slow and steady is still my speed.  Continue reading “Day 12: Are There Mountain Lions In The Desert??”

Date: April 20, 2017
Miles: 109.5 – 127.3

“The desert surrounds your every step and you walk forever a thirsty man.” ~ Christopher Pike

We left Warner Springs in the morning and hiked alongside the Agua Caliente Creek for about six miles, passing through a private campground dotted with tall poles with hooks on them and a shed filled with the remnants of food packages that all looked like it belonged on a post-apocalypse PCT.  We were trying to guess what the hooks were for…food bags?  Lamps?  Bodies?

Continue reading “Day 11: From The Real To The Surreal”

Date: April 18, 2017
Miles: 101.1 – 109.5

“I feel like our lives have been reduced to a bunch of small bags that all fit in one big bag.” ~ Strongback

We had a short walk from Barrel Springs in to Warner Springs today, and it was one of my favorite days so far.  The trail wandered through stands of giant trees and meadows of purple grasses that undulated in the wind like waves.  Continue reading “Days 9 & 10: A Nearo and a Zero”

Date: April 17, 2017
Miles: 86.6 – 101.1

“This is the dirtiest trail I’ve ever been on.” ~ Salty Dog

I had a really vivid dream last night that I was wandering around a big-city downtown office building wearing coveralls with my trail name sewed on them, insisting that I worked at the business there, because why else would I have coveralls with my name on them??  I was escorted out by security and then I woke up. I hear that lots of people have intense dreams out here.  I haven’t given it much thought, but I’m curious to know if there’s a reason.

Continue reading “Day 8: 100 Miles!”

Date: April 16, 2017
Miles: 71 – 86.6

“You thought you were in the desert?  You’re in the real desert now.” ~ Girl Scout

This morning Strongback found out the hard way that spiders spent the night in the toeboxes of both of his shoes. (Since then i’ve been hanging my shoes from upright trekking poles at night and shaking them vigorously in the morning…I’m not taking any chances!)

Continue reading “Day 7: The Real Desert”

Date: April 15, 2017
Miles: 56 – 71

“When I think about that sunrise that I woke up to that morning, I just feel like I got as close to nowhere as I could get, and found out that it was more of a place than anywhere I’ve been in a long time.” ~ Hank Green

I got up a little early today to watch the sun come up. I can’t remember the last time I did that.

Continue reading “Day 6: Trail Magic”

Date: April 14, 2017
Miles: 41.5 – 56

Today was a lot of walking through the Cleveland National Forest, which seems like a misnomer given that most everything we walked through was the height of shrubbery.  I guess when you’re from Washington State you come to expect a lot from forests. It was pretty shrubbery, though.  Continue reading “Day 5: 50 Miles!”

Date: April 13, 2017
Miles: 32 – 41.5

“The AT is the love of my life, but the PCT is my mistress.” ~ Young Gun

We woke up in Fred Canyon, thankfully frost-free, but still cold.  It’s been cold every night I’ve been out here so far.  I sleep in wool baselayers, socks and a beanie in a zero degree quilt and it is just right. Toasty even. It makes it very difficult to get up and put stinky, cold clothes on in the morning.

Continue reading “Day 4: Mt. Laguna”

Date: April 12, 2017
Miles: 20 – 32

“The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” ~ Alexander Supertramp (Chris McCandless)

There was a surprising amount of frost on my tent when I woke up this morning at Lake Morena campground!  It made me glad that I brought a light pair of liner gloves, although I didn’t remember that I had them until after I froze my fingers putting away my tent stakes…next time, I suppose.

Continue reading “Day 3: Canadians Are Awesome”

Date: April 11, 2017
Miles: 11.4 – 20

Trail Name ~ A nickname adopted by or given to a hiker, usually by other hikers. 

After a fairly decent night of sleep, under a really bright full moon and the headlamps of a few night hikers, we all woke up early hoping to hit the upcoming climb out of Hauser Canyon before the day got really warm.

Continue reading “Day 2: What’s In A Trail Name?”