Pacific Crest Trail 2022

Miles : 0 Photo : Cottonwood Pass I took a zero in Lone Pine today to rest my Achilles enough for the next stretch. The following 65 miles of hiking include summiting Mt. Whitney, Forester Pass, and Kearsarge Pass. All amazing milestones that looked extremely daunting to me a few days ago, but by tomorrow I should be ready! In the middle of all my lounging around, I had a telehealth call with @blazephysio so I could learn more about the pain in my Achilles tendon. Apparently the Achilles tendon is much thicker than the post-tib meaning that I’m unlikely to run into any trail ending issues. That was pretty relieving to hear. Now I’m well equipped with knowledge on how to strengthen my feet, and reduce the load on the tendon so that I will be able to keep trekking on!

Non-PCT Miles : 3.7 Photo : Descending into Lone Pine Made it to Lone Pine! It’s a small accomplishment for most, but for me, it's a large one. A few days ago I was feeling quite nervous about hiking again after being away for so long so I’m pretty happy that I made it 45 miles up the trail. Just taking it one town at a time!  Last night we all camped at a junction where the PCT splits from Cottonwood Pass. I took the pass down to a camper’s parking lot to try and get a hitch into Lone Pine while the rest of the crew stayed on the PCT. It was sad to leave the new friends I made behind, but I needed the rest and a few more days of resupply. We said our goodbyes and hoped we’d all cross paths again down the trail. The comments I read on FarOut made it seem like getting a ride into town was a little tricky. Some people mentioned they had to wait up to 4 hours to get a hitch. Luckily for me, the first person I threw my thumb out to gave me a ride! He was camping up in the mountains to

Miles : 730.8 - 745.3 Photo : Breaktime Views Today was essentially the same as yesterday. Same elevation gain/loss, distance, and difficulty. Pretty brutal honesty. I had a particularly hard day since the Achilles tendon on my right foot was causing me a lot of pain. Hoping it goes away after a day or two of rest in town. The main highlights were the amazing views, good company, and gathering water in the middle of the beautiful unnamed meadow. Each time we had to get water, there was a considerable walk down and up to the source. We’re all looking forward to being able to easily get water right off trail starting in the next couple of days.

Miles : 716.5 - 730.8 Photo : Serendipity after the climb Much harder day than yesterday. The first 9 miles were a long and steep climb up to Olancha Peak.  During the climb, we took many breaks just like yesterday. The change in altitude is no joke as we’re all still getting acclimatized.  We eventually made it to the top though and were excited for a nice view on top of the mountain. The trail at the peak didn’t have a view as we were still in a forest, so feral_mike and dabenor went scouting for a good viewpoint and luckily found one! Such an amazing reward for the difficult day of hiking.  After that, we slogged it down to the campsite to have a fairly late dinner, all while sharing hilarious stories. The second day in the Sierras was a success!

Miles : 702.2 - 716.5 Photo : Excited for the Sierras Today was easily one of my favorite days on trail! The day started with sleeping in at Kennedy Meadows and getting a very filling breakfast of pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns, and bacon at the general store. I met mleseitz and  feral_mike who were also planning to hike today. They also had the same goal of going slow and steady so we grouped together and went back to the PCT around 10 AM.! Shortly into the hike, we ran into up dabenor who had just gotten back on trail. He had the same mindset as us so he joined the crew!  It was the first day on trail where I hiked with a group the entire day and it was amazing! Usually, when I hike with other people, we tend to split up during the day because of different paces and then meet at various spots down the trail. We all bonded over working in tech before heading out here, our love for electronic music and concerts, strange stories, and our favorite video games, board games, books, podcasts, a

Miles : 0 Photos : Dad dropping me off at Kennedy Meadows + Optimism in Kennedy Meadows Finally back on the PCT! During my last update, I thought I would only be out a week, but one turned into two, then three, and finally…four. I skipped ahead to the Sierra Nevadas, shaving off 330 miles of the desert section. If the rest of the hike goes well, I plan to do those miles southbound sometime in October. During my time away I was able to get an appointment with a podiatrist. One of the best near my Dad’s home! The diagnosis was post-tib tendonitis. The fix was to rest, ramp up my mileage slowly once I get back on trail, and get a pair of custom insoles. They gave the analogy of my tendons being like a rubber band. You can only stretch a rubber band so far before it loses its elasticity, or worse it breaks! When I did my two ambitious 27-mile days I definitely overworked my feet, stretching the rubber band too far. I’m making sure that this time I don’t do anything like that again.  My fir