PCT Days 117 to 126: Recovery In A Foodie Paradise With The Nielsens

Miles hiked: 0 Miles left to finish: 1151.9 On my first morning at the Nielsens’, I wake up at 4am, and I’m unable to get back to sleep because it feels like someone has replaced my actual foot with a foot-shaped-balloon that’s about to burst. The swelling continues to get worse, and the skin is […]

PCT Day 116: My Last Day On Trail?

Miles hiked today: 19.3 Miles left to finish: 1151.9 When I wake up, I am filled with immediate concern for my foot. Without even moving it, I can feel the pain from the swelling, which seems to have worsened over night. My fear is that it’s a stress fracture, which will require some time off […]

PCT Day 115: 16 Miles By Midday

Miles hiked today: 26.8 Miles left to finish: 1171.2 Every day on this section, we have said we will start hiking at 6am, and every day we have failed. Today we are the closest we’ve ever been though, and I end up leaving at 6:15, with MVP leaving just shortly after me. There is a […]

PCT Day 114: To All The Meals I’ve Skipped Before

Miles hiked today: 26.4 Miles left to finish: 1198 In the morning, everything is soaked. It didn’t actually rain during the night, but all the moisture from the rainfall during the day seems to have been released directly onto all my belongings overnight, via the magic of condensation. Oh well. We pack away and start […]

PCT Day 113: Burney Falls, Blisters, And Disappointment

Miles hiked today: 24.7 (+some on side trails) Miles left to finish: 1224.4 During the night I wake up to the sound of thunder in the distance. When I open my eyes I can see the lightning flashes, coming from three different spots all fairly far away. It’s a pretty cool moment, feeling a little […]

PCT Day 112: Cache 22, Iced Coffee And Sourdough Bread

Miles hiked today: 26.5 (+ some on side trails) Miles left to finish: 1249.1 We delay waking up in the morning. Sometimes I find it easy, and then sometimes it feels like the most difficult thing in the world. We walk together, and we talk about the idea of quitting the PCT. Neither of us […]

PCT Day 111: Flat Does Not Necessarily Mean Easy

Miles hiked today: 27.2 (+ some on side trails) Miles left to finish: 1275.6 It’s a cold morning, and I stay tired for a long time, even after we start hiking. My eyes feel like they are glazed over as we walk, and my hands are numb from the cold. We’re climbing first thing though, […]

PCT Day 110: Lots Of Geothermal Activity!

Miles hiked: 19 (plus some short side trails) Miles left to finish: 1302.8 I wake up early at the church, while everyone else is still sleeping. The store opens at 7, so I head there first. The only thing I need to get is cheese for my lunches, and salami for MVP (to save him […]

PCT Days 107, 108 and 109: Hitchhiking, Hot Springs and Generous Strangers

Miles hiked: 0 PCT miles Miles left to finish: 1321.8 The fire seems to have fizzled out over night – we can just see a tiny amount of smoke in the distance. We pack up and hike the 2.2 miles down the Trail Pass side trail, marvelling at the difference a few weeks can make. […]

PCT Day 106: Back At Trail Pass Again

Miles hiked today: 21.7 PCT miles, +0.8 on side trail Miles hiked total NOBO: 745.3 Miles hiked total SOBO: 544.8 As if the mosquitoes know we were leaving the Sierra, they give us one last morning full of annoyance. They are ever present while I pack away, and MVP and I leave as soon as […]