• Day 8-10: 100 miles

    April 12-14; Mile 77-109 Day 8 We left Julian around 10 to begin a long, dry climb. The next reliable water source was Barrel Springs 24 miles ahead. There was a water cache after ‘only’ 14 miles, but PCT wisdom dictates that you should never rely on a water cache, so we each lugged 5-7 liters of water up the mountain. Thankfully it was cold and sunny, with just enough of a breeze to keep us cool on the climb. The trail had finally begun to feel like the PCT to

  • Day 5-7: Julian

    April 9-11; Mile 59-77 Day 5 As luck would have it we had camped 0.2 miles from a viewpoint turnout on the highway leading to Julian. I figured that someone was bound to stop that could give me a ride. I tried sticking my thumb out: first with my dorky sun hat on to look non-threatening, and when that didn’t work I tried no hat + hair down so people would see I was a woman because, well, it helps in the hitching world. The cars just zoomed past. Someone going

  • Day 3-4: Laguna Mountains

    April 7-8; Mile 23-48 Day 3 When people say the desert is windy, they mean the serious, knock-you-over type of wind that halts a grown adult in their tracks. Sleeping on a ridge line in a thin single-walled tent amidst the wind was awe-inspiring. And incredibly loud. At 6:30 I started walking through verdant slopes with sweeping views of Lake Morena behind and the Laguna Mountains looming in the distance. We passed through a sea of grass under the Highway 94 bridge, walking headfirst into near-constant gusts.

  • Day 1-2: Campo to Lake Morena

    I left San Diego with my stomach full of butterflies. As we approached the border wall, hikers passed us on the road, 20 minutes into their own thru attempts. The monument sat atop a small hill, while behind it the slats of the border wall continued in either direction. Besides the PCTA volunteer, we were the only people there. It was only 8:40 am, but the sun beat down relentlessly from a cloudless, azure sky. After a few photos I started to walk north. The nervous excitement from the past few weeks melted away amidst the steady

  • San Diego Preparation

    In my hostel room in Ocean Beach, I lifted my fully-loaded pack for the first time since leaving home. “I don’t think this is the heaviest pack I’ve ever carried, but it’s close.” After checking the water report, I knew I was facing almost 2 full days of hiking between water sources at the start of the trail. On top of my 16lbs of gear, I had about 5lbs of food and 12lbs of water. With just a few days to go before the start of my hike, food and water were at the forefront of my

  • Pacific Crest Trail Gear List

    With only two weeks remaining before the start of my hike, I wanted to share the gear that I will be bringing with me from the very beginning. Here’s the complete list of items – including the ones I only realized I’d forgotten after putting everything away: https://lighterpack.com/r/rxyrot The trail is long and its challenges varied. From the beginning the concern at the front of everyone’s mind is water. Twenty-mile stretches between water sources, persistent winds that snatch the moisture from cracked lips, paltry shade to escape the scorching sunlight; all this awaits those who hike

  • Backpacking: Then and Now

    March 20th, 2016 en route to Wolf Bar Camp Six years ago I went backpacking for the first time on the Olympic Peninsula. We were greeted with sunshine and blue skies at Cape Alava – an unexpected luxury for visiting the coast in mid-March. Timid deer crept past our tent, and sea stacks crouched like silent giants in the distance. The pools left by the low tide caught the reflections of the clouds as the sun slipped beneath the horizon. The beauty and awe was almost enough to chase out the fear of sleeping outside. Two days