Pacific Crest Trail 2022

Miles : 109.0 - 109.4   Photo : @blazephysio and the gang     I woke up this morning, slipped my shoes on to walk around, and felt a sharp pain in my step every time I walked on my left foot. I immediately realized that I was NOT going to be able to hike and that I NEEDED to get off trail for a few days. I slowly packed up camp, mentally accepting that the hike will now be slightly harder due to continuing a few days later in the season, that I will need to ramp up my miles slowly next time, and the saddest was that nearly all the people I had hiked with the last week or so will forever be ahead of me. I’m sure the trail will provide in the end. With my injured foot, I hobbled my way up to the Warner Springs post office where my resupply package was. I was planning to just go into town to see a podiatrist, but out of curiosity, I asked another hiker I met the day before about the pain I was having. He told me to contact @blazephysio since she was doing rounds around the exact area I

Miles : 91.2 - 109.0   Photo : The Yeti + Eagle Rock   Another milestone achieved!! Mile 100 was TODAY! I sadly missed the 100-mile marker since I was distracted listening to my audiobook, but there will be many more markers to look forward to in the future!   The day wasn’t really hot temperature-wise, it was just stagnant. The sun beat down on everyone today with no breeze except a few gusts over 20 minutes or so. This is what I envisioned the desert section was gonna be like before I started. I took the last week of high winds for granted…   Since I didn’t want to hike mid-day, and the post office where my resupply package is located was closed (Sunday), I decided to hitchhike into the little town of Ranchita to visit the small Montezuma Market. The thing that stands out about this place is the large fiberglass Yeti standing outside of it. I was able to rest my feet, charge my phone, and eat a makeshift lunch of sandwiches, candy, and a can of Coke.    This was my first time throwin

Miles : 77.3 - 91.2 Photo : Eating pizza in the backcountry Today marks 7 days on the trail! The days are flying by so fast!  I got excellent news in the middle of the night via text. Becky (the trail angel whose house I camped at on Day 5) had found my missing retainer in the back seat of her truck! Absolute lifesaver! That was the main thing I was stressing out about yesterday so I was soo relived to find out that she found it. I’m taking EXTRA special care to not lose a single thing again on the trail ever again.   I was still in Julian this morning so I was able to sleep in, take a shower, get real food before heading back into the trail, and bring real food onto the trail. I got a hitch from Rangel (one of the more well-known trail angels in the community) back to where I was two days ago and started hiking again. The first half-hour or so was tough, mentally. Being in civilization for a day and a half made me immediately want to turn around and go back. I knew after a few more mi

Miles : 0 Photo : Pie and Pizza  My first zero day! I slept in, charged up my batteries (literally), and then went into Julian to run errands. I got free pie at Mom’s by showing my permit, went to 2 Foot Adventures for some extra gear, got the PCT special discount sandwich at Jack’s,  resupplied for the next 60 miles, got a room with a bed, and ate even more town food! My feet are still messed up and covered in half-formed blisters, but I think by tomorrow I should be okay(ish) to go hiking again.   I also feel a new trail name coming my way. Today I lost three things. My tripod (again), my top retainer, and for a few minutes, my wallet. Thankfully I got the tripod back, and my wallet was really just in my pocket. That top retainer is just lost in the void now. Someone I knew came up to me later in the night and told me I was very lucky I already had a trail name. I imagine I’ll be losing more junk down the line so I think it would be fitting to lose my current trail name too. We’ll se

Miles : 56.2 - 77.3 Photo : The trail into Julian   This day was unbelievable! Just wow! After what happened today, I’m now a firm believer in the phrase “the trail provides”.   I started with one single goal in mind, get to Scissors Crossing, hitchhike into Julian to avoid the rain tomorrow, and figure things out from there. It’s what drove me the entire way through the last 20 miles and it certainly delivered.   The hike today had a lot of downhill scrambling, loosely packed dirt over cliffs, and tons of rocks to slip and trip on. My feet are absolutely dead now, and I’m not sure what my legs are gonna feel like tomorrow. Despite that, there were amazing views of the desert, a fair amount of wind, and lots of hikers to keep pace and catch up with. Those are what make the sucky parts not as bad.   Midway through the day, I lost my little tripod! Thankfully, another hiker found it and eventually met up with me at a water source and handed it to me personally. Before I left, I told him

Miles : 41.5 - 56.2 Photo : My first tramily meal + reaching mile 50 I took it a bit easier today. I went pretty hard for the last two days and needed to ease up just a tiny bit. I don’t have my “trail legs” just yet. I also realized that I got a little sick from the altitude. I was above 6000 ft. Nothing some food, water, aspirin, and sleep couldn’t fix. Since I was feeling 100% confident to crank out another 20-mile day, I slept in, got real food with my first tramily (trail family), ran some errands, and then EVENTUALLY started to hike. The trail today was mostly downhill, but extremely windy. I’d call that good hiking. I also got to see more familiar faces of people who are in my hiking bubble. Everyone is slowly getting their trail names, becoming friendlier and friendlier, and just absolutely happy to be out here. I also hit my first milestone by getting to mile 50! Pretty stoked for the next 2600 miles!

Miles : 20.3 - 41.5 Photo : Me lounging near Long Canyon Creek after a 8 mile section. I was given my trail name right after this. Today was soo much better than yesterday. The entire day was basically uphill, but since it was a low grade it didn’t feel absolutely miserable. I was properly hydrated during the full 12-hour day, well-fed throughout, and had just enough breaks…right until the end. I was a bit zonked out once I reached Mt. Laguna. Had a hard time setting up my tent and getting oriented 😓 On the trail, you’re given a new name, a trail name! Today I was bestowed my trail name, “Captain Leisure ''. My hiker friend for the day “Shakespeare", blurted it out right after taking some photos of me lounging (quite comfortably) against a rock. It made me laugh, I thought it was perfect for that situation, it's strange, and I kinda loved it. I don’t know if I’m REALLY the captain of leisure after just 3 days on the trail, but I’m gonna own it for now!

Miles : 2.7 - 20.3 Photo : Frame from a vlog after eating a burger, milkshake, and drinking half a gallon of water.    16-mile water carry. Carried 4 liters. Got totally destroyed by some elevation gain in the latter part of the day. Had less than 0.25 liters on a 4-mile downhill into Lake Morena. Realized after the fact I was dehydrated. Whoops! My legs are absolutely toasted from the sun. Got rattled by 2 rattlesnakes that were hiding in bushes (never actually saw them - before or after). Tl;dr my first full day of hiking was rough! Luckily tomorrow has water at regular intervals. Lake Morena also has a malt shop where I got real food. What an excellent end to the day!   I also thought a lot about why I’m even out here. There are so many many reasons why - nearly all of them personal. I was given the advice to just keep setting small goals throughout the day instead of thinking or the big picture. That really helped a lot. I’ll thank that person sometime in the future.  

Miles : 0.0 - 3.1 Photos : The Southern Terminus Started my northbound thru hike of the Pacific Crest trail today! I’ve been thinking of this moment for years!  The instant I learned about the existence of the national scenic trails I knew that I wanted to take up the challenge. Finally being here, at the Mexican border, with nothing but time and freedom is unreal. I feel grateful that I have the opportunity to take on this adventure, anxious about what’s ahead, but excited to figure it all out! Nothing to do now but walk 2,650 miles, one step at a time, all the way to Canada. Wish me luck!