The end of another chapter, it’s time to get off trail. For now. Yet, remember, it is a loyal companion, waiting in the shadows, ever ready for those moments when the wilderness beckons and the call of the woods becomes irresistible. Whether your spirit craves a leisurely stroll through the mountains or a more profound […]
Tag: pacific crest trail
Little Crater Lake, PCT, Oregon
The effects were subtle, yet profound, following his encounter with the fabled waters of Little Crater Lake. This spring-fed pond, chilling even in summer at a mere 34 degrees, held a reputation for bestowing a unique kind of energy. And as he continued his southbound trek along the Pacific Crest Trail, that energy seemed to […]
Timberline Lodge, PCT, Oregon
At first, he suspected the other hiker of dropping acid while they lounged at Timberline Lodge. But as the hiker unfolded their experience of the trail, their eyes wide with an almost ethereal glow, it all began to make sense. Long stretches on the trail have a way of recalibrating your perception, merging your senses […]
Ramona Falls, PCT, Oregon
Two days and 40 miles into this seemingly endless uphill hike, and the absence of his trail-hardened legs weighed heavily on him. Three weeks of languor on the Oregon coast had left his muscles feeble, their resilience usurped by layers of fat now sizzling away with every upward stride. This new level of perspiration was […]
San Jacinto Cowboy Camping
What a fantastic night! Hiked the PCT partway up San Jacinto, not as far as I’d hoped but I had a painful blister from the hole in my toe socks. I’d drained some of it yesterday morning but it came back with a vengeance. I cowboy camped 150 ft west of the water faucet off […]
Windmill Farm Stealth Camping
I managed to get to the Metrolink Station to catch the last bus towards Cabazon. From the Morongo Casino I walked back to the PCT and what I hoped would be a warmer stretch of trail. Only it was so late and I was limping from a few newly formed blisters that I didn’t exactly […]
PCT Stealth Camping Location Ruined
East of Cabazon, CA on the PCT Watching trains of double stacked cargo containers roll by, each one filling the horizon from right to left. All the way. Windmills on the hills and 4.5 miles to go before a campsite. It’s not even 9 am and I have been sitting here for a while enjoying […]
Frozen on the PCT
My first night on the Pacific Crest Trail was also one of the coldest that I had ever put my sleep system through. Because I only have a 40 liter backpack I am limited in what I can pack. That means a sleeping bag that can pack down into a small, tight bundle. Literally a […]
Freezing on the PCT
I wasn’t trying to outdo or even replicate Trauma and Pepper who had done a winter traverse of the PCT the year before. I was just early. And I had nowhere else to go. Last night was the coldest I have ever had with this sleep system. This 40 degree F summer bag. All in […]
First PCT Hike
Mile 335.64 of the PCT. I was dropped off at Cajon Pass on I-15 just after noon. Despite hating most fast food I had a burger and fries at the iconic McDonald’s there. $3.45, the only money I’d spent that day putting me well under my $10 a day hiking budget.I hiked down to the […]