PCT Day 26: Somewhere In The Desert There’s A McDonald’s

Miles hiked today: 18.6 Miles hiked total: 347.2 Nobody slept well last night. There were loud helicopters in the area when we were just going to sleep. Then at 11pm, a police car came to the parking lot and started circling around, siren blaring, and broadcasting a pre-recorded message over and over, saying “we have […]

PCT Day 25: Silverwood Lake

Miles hiked today: 15.2 Miles hiked total: 328.6 I wake up to a sleeping bag covered in condensation. I wipe it down with my bandana, then go about my morning chores. It’s Future’s birthday today so I go over and give him a hug. I set off on my own, and a mere 0.1 miles […]

PCT Day 24: The Never-Ending Ridgeline

Miles hiked today: 18.7 Miles hiked total: 313.4 I am quicker to pack up this morning, and I start hiking through a verdant area, keeping the river on my right. I see the tiniest chipmunk scampering away from me and up onto a fallen tree. At the top of a short ascent, I realise I […]

PCT Day 23: Perfect Weather, Perfect Hike

Miles hiked today: 15.5 Miles hiked total: 294.7 I don’t set an alarm, because we are not pressed for time with the miles we have to cover today. I wake up naturally at 6:30, and through the mesh of my tent I can see Clams already packing up. She is always the first one ready. […]

PCT Day 22: Racing a Thunderstorm

Miles hiked today: 13.1 Miles hiked total: 279.2 I wake having slept well, and I can hear Future in the kitchen making coffee for everyone. We all start packing our stuff up, then at 8am we leave our things and go for a final town breakfast at the Teddy Bear Diner. I order the cinnamon […]

PCT Days 20 & 21: Double Zero in Big Bear Lake

Miles hiked: 0 Miles hiked total: 266.1 Here are some things that happened on our double (!) zero in Big Bear Lake. We have breakfast at the Teddy Bear Diner, some of our group going for a double order of the hiker special breakfast. Then we share a huge strawberry and chocolate waffle sundae. At […]

PCT Day 19: Getting to Big Bear Lake

Miles hiked today: 17.9 When I wake this morning, I can’t tell if I’ve slept well or not. I woke up several times in the night, but this is pretty normal. My sleeping bag is wet with condensation, but once again I am warm and dry. I feel a little nauseous though, and I stay […]

PCT Day 18: Are You The Trail??

Miles hiked today: 22.1 While I am still in my sleeping bag, I hear Clams say there is a scorpion on her bag. I peek out from underneath my tent door. The scorpion is tiny, no bigger than a little fingernail, but it is the first we’ve seen on trail. It takes us a while […]

PCT Day 17: The San Gorgonio Wilderness Has My Heart

Miles hiked today: 20.4 I wake up at 5am next to Alexis/MVP and Clams. Clams is already awake and getting her things ready. MVP and I say “je ne veux pas” a few times, like 2-year-olds. We do not like getting up. Clams is like our mother, coaxing us out of our sleeping bags and […]

PCT Day 16: From The Snow To The Desert Again

Miles hiked today: 18.4 It’s so cold in the morning in our cramped campsite. Clams and I wake up almost at the same time. I re-braid my hair, then decide it is too cold, and snuggle back into my sleeping bag. We are ready before everyone else, and do star jumps to stay warm. I […]