PCT Day 97: The Hiker Box Of Dreams

Miles hiked today: 16.3 Miles hiked total NOBO: 745.3 Miles hiked total SOBO: 444.1 We all wake up around 6, as we had planned to hike at 6:30. But then we all agree to a 15-minute lie in. I think I was up half the night scratching my mosquito bites, and parts of my skin […]

PCT Day 96: Bamboozled By A Log Crossing

Miles hiked today: 16.4 Miles hiked total NOBO: 745.3 Miles hiked total SOBO: 427.8 First up on the agenda today – a 4 mile climb. We do it all in one go, not stopping for any breaks, partly because even this early in the morning the mosquito swarm is already on the prowl. The trail […]

PCT Day 95: Moody Skies, Downpours And A Reunion!

Miles hiked today: 13.1 Miles hiked total NOBO: 745.3 Miles hiked total SOBO: 411.4 I sleep well, but in the morning the mosquitoes are still terrible. I get so flustered by the swarm surrounding me that I mess up while tying my laces and have to start again. Mere minutes after we start hiking, we […]

PCT Day 94: Milk And Cereal, A Hot Climb, And A Dinner Spoiled By Mosquitoes

Miles hiked today: 14.9 (+ 1 extra mile because I missed a turning) Miles hiked total NOBO: 745.3 Miles hiked total SOBO: 398.3 We wake up at the campground and start packing away our things. We head to the welcome centre to get in a final charge of our electronics, and to sit at the […]

PCT Days 92 and 93: A Zero In Mammoth Lakes, And Almost A Bear Sighting

Miles hiked: 9.2 Miles hiked total NOBO: 745.3 Miles hiked total SOBO: 383.4 We wake up early, because we are only 9.2 miles from the exit point for Mammoth Lakes, our next resupply point. We want to get there with enough time to do chores and get back on trail in the evening. Odin also […]

PCT Day 91: Let Marmots Lead The Way!

Miles hiked today: 15.8 Miles hiked total NOBO: 745.3 Miles hiked total SOBO: 374.2 Our morning starts with a climb, where we soon have to cross a freezing cold creek. We are climbing Donohue Pass today, although we did about half the climb yesterday. Even though it is just 2 miles to the top, it […]

PCT Day 90: Three Hitches And A Busy Afternoon Hike

Miles hiked today: 10.8 Miles hiked total NOBO: 745.3 Miles hiked total SOBO: 358.4 For breakfast I have some pastries I got at the store, then I start packing away my things. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a crow land on the picnic table, then watch as it takes one of […]

PCT Days 88 and 89: Climbing Half Dome – A Side Trip Into Yosemite Valley

Miles hiked: 4.4 PCT miles, plus 14.8 non-PCT miles in Yosemite Miles hiked total NOBO: 745.3 Miles hiked total SOBO: 347.6 We allow ourselves to sleep in, and wake up at 6am. We only have 4.4 miles before we get to Tuolumne Meadows, and we don’t want to get there too early as we need […]

PCT Day 87: The Awesome Tuolumne Falls

Miles hiked today: 18.9 Miles hiked total NOBO: 745.3 Miles hiked total SOBO: 343.2 Putting on shoes that are still soaking wet from the day before is about as horrible as it sounds. We place bets on when our ‘first contact’ with water will be this morning – how soon will we be getting our […]

PCT Day 86: These Yosemite Climbs Are Brutal

Miles hiked today: 16.4 Miles hiked total NOBO: 745.3 Miles hiked total SOBO: 324.3 Our day starts with a huge climb. I’m realising that something about my psyche changes almost immediately whenever we start hiking uphill. I am fitter now than I ever have been in my life, thanks to the 1000+ miles of hiking […]