Erin/Wired's PCT Thru Hike Journal

Some Rockin' Trail Relationships

2012-02-04T08:54:00.000-08:00

A shotgun, shovel, and machete...Would yo have taken this hitch!?

I recently did a guest post for Rockin'. A fellow blogger and hiker who...well, ROCKS! I did a review of some of my favorite non-hiker relationships along the trail. Including my first double zero at Rockin's and my most unique hitch pictured here. Check it out the link here at ladyonarock.wordress.com.

Sharing the Journey

2012-01-26T23:19:00.000-08:00

Opening slide on the big screen.

I wanted to give everyone an update on how the much anticipated presentation went. I was blown away by the crowd that was there and how supportive everyone was. It was the largest attendance the Mazamas ever had for a presentation and they stopped counting after 250 people arrived! All seats were taken, many people sat on the floor in front and lined the walls in back. There were even people I saw standing in the hallway to the entrance who stayed. It was just amazing to get such a turnout!

Picture of the crowd as people gathered.

This was my first time presenting anything of this caliber, so I learned a lot about timing and organization that will definitely improve with practice. The presentation was longer than I had hoped (1hr 40mins), but I wanted to go for quality and I wanted everyone to really feel what it was like on all aspects of the trail, not just scenically. I wanted them to understand the community the hikers have together and the support we have from amazing trail angels. I feel like I accomplished that. It was great to hear the crowd's reactions of gasps, laughs, oohs, and aahs. I felt like they were really taking the journey with me again. One of the highlights was showing everyone this montage I put together of the footage I had (mostly from Thumper) from when I was with the group that tackled the high fords and snow after Tuolumne Meadows. I love this video! Feel free to share it if you like.

A video of the high fords and snow I experienced with Thumper, Bottle Rocket, Balls, Sunshine, Scouts Honor, and Snowblind.

I have gotten amazing feedback and it feels so great to share this trail experience with others. I was most humbled to hear the affect my journal seems to have had on those who followed daily this summer as I hiked. To hear that people have decided to hike the PCT after reading my journal really means a lot to me because I was also inspired by others who journaled the year before me. I had many people approach me to let me know how much the journal meant to them this year. Some experienced such unimaginable loss and hardships. They told me that waking up to read my adventures gave them something to look forward to each day and it could take them away from their struggles for awhile. I am humbled, and oh so grateful, to be such a positive element in people's lives. It was inspirational emails from people like that, that really helped me when I was having rough time on the trail. Thank you for sharing your lives with me and allowing me to be part of yours.

I had a great time:)

Hmm...

So strange to see myself on the big screen!

My biggest regret is that, due to the length, I wasn't able to open up for questions at the end...which was kinda intentional because that felt more self centered to me than presenting the trail and I didn't feel comfortable making it about me. I'm not a professional, and don't feel comfortable advising so much as just sharing my experience (if that makes sense). I noticed that the majority of the crowd was not planning to hike the whole PCT, so I geared my presentation more toward the experience rather than preparation or gear talk. I did talk to many people personally afterward, but I know there were many others with questions who couldn't stay.

I do want people to know that they are welcome to contact me through this journal if they have questions. You can respond to this post below or email me at erinspctjournal@gmail.com.

Being Wired On The Trail

2012-01-18T22:45:00.000-08:00

Journaling at a camp in N. California.

Here is the second and final part of my guest post on pctnews.com. This is a follow up to the first post, Getting Wired on the Trail.

It is titled, Being Wired on the Trail.

Again, thanks to Halfmile for inviting me to write on his blog, and for everything he does for the Pacific Crest Trail!

My Pacific Crest Trail Soundtrack

2012-01-15T00:23:00.000-08:00

I have to say that this was one of my favorite posts to put together. The music I listened to on the trail was a huge part of my journey. I spent many times in my own head in thought (or no thought at all), but the most magical and memorable moments for me often came when I heard a song that just sent me soaring as I was hiking along what has to be, the most amazing trail in the world. Still today, I will hear some of these songs and it will take me right back to an amazing place and time. I have listed some of my most played and motivating songs, along with some new hiking favorites. Some are obvious and some are way out of left field and may seem solemn...but hearing them at moments on the trail alone and surround by nature, they have so much more significance. Being "Wired" I need some of the slower ones, so I had to include them.
I've put an asterik(*) next to ones that I personally would often loop on repeat as I hiked. I've linked them all to youtube for easy hearing/viewing. Some have some great videos too! If I left any good ones out that you've enjoyed while hiking, please let me know. Enjoy!

If you're planning a hike and questioning bringing an MP3 player, definitely bring it! You will have plenty of time to be alone with your thoughts and the music will be a great break and motivation. Trust me and load these songs!

Good Life-One Republic*
Closer to the Edge-30 Seconds to Mars
Defying Gravity-Wicked Soundtrack*
Awake My Soul-Mumford and Sons*
Roll Away Your Stone-Mumford and Sons*
Little Lion Man-Mumford and Sons
The Cave-Mumford and Sons
Timshel-Mumford and Sons
These Are The Days-Sugarland*
Stand Up-Sugarland
Fly Away-Sugarland
Something More-Sugarland
We Run-Sugarland
Come On Get Higher-Sugarland live version*
Life In A Northern Town-Live version from Sugarland, Jake Owen, and Little Big Town
Colder Weather-Zac Brown Band
Fly-Nicki Minaj ft. Rhianna
Not Afraid-Eminem
Good Feeling-Flo Rida
Say What You Need to Say-John Mayer
Wide Open Spaces-Dixie Chicks
Cowboy Take Me Away-Dixie Chicks
The Long Way Around-Dixie Chicks
Home-Dierks Bently
Mars-Lori McKenna
Rain-Patty Griffin
Walking On Broken Glass-Annie Lennox
Ants Marching-Dave Matthews Band
Closer To Me-Dar Williams
Fields of Gold-Eva Cassidy
Good Things-Bodeans
Hillbilly Shoes-Montgomery Gentry
I Run For Life-Melissa Etheridge
Kill The Messenger-Shawn Colvin
Steady On-Shawn Colvin
Love Today-Mika
Numb/Encore-Jay-Z and Linkin Park
Ordinary Day-Vanessa Carlton*
A Thousand Miles-Vanessa Carlton
Twilight-Vanessa Carlton
Stronger-Kanye West
Praan-Garry Schyman
Raise Your Glass-Pink
Steer-Missy Higgins
Warm Whispers-Missy Higgins
Big Strong Girl-Deb Talen*
More Time-Needtobreathe
Winter Song-Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson*
One Song Glory-Rent Soundtrack
Dog Days Are Over-Florence and the Machine*
Shake It Out-Florence and the Machine
Hometown Glory-Adele
Rolling In The Deep-Adele
Little Victories-Matt Nathanson**
Have You Ever-Brandi Carlile**
Happy-Brandi Carlile
Fighter-Christina Aguilera
Baba O'Riley(Teenage Wasteland)-Blue Man Group live version
Waiting For My Real Life To Begin-Colin Hay
I Feel It All-Feist
Standing Outside The Fire-Garth Brooks(live version)
Galileo-Indigo Girls*
Since You've Been Around-Rosie Thomas
Seeing Stars-Meg Hutchinson
This Is Why We Fight-The Decemberists
Use Somebody-Kings of Leon
Walking In Memphis-Cher or Marc Cohn
Wave on Wave-Pat Green
I Run To You-Lady Antebellum
Run This Town-Jay-Z ft. Rhianna and Kanye West
Fireflies-Owl City
Airplanes-B.o.B feat Hayley Williams
Burning Bridges-Chris Pureka
Breakaway-Kelly Clarkson
True Colors-Cyndi Lauper
I Got It Honest-Aaron Tippin

Getting Wired on the Trail

2012-01-11T23:02:00.000-08:00

I was recently given the honor of doing two guest posts for the pctnews.com. I want to give a big shout out to Halfmile for inviting me. Thank you for all that you do for the Pacific Crest Trail community. If it wasn't for your maps and waypoints, I'd still be wandering aimlessly through the high Sierra!
Click here to read the first of two posts, Getting Wired on the Trail.

Advice to Future PCTers

2012-01-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

I can remember this time last year when my Pacific Crest Trail planning kicked into panic mode. It was my first thru hike, I was unfamiliar with the west coast, and had no idea where to start. As a planner, this was very anxiety producing. Here are some of my suggestions for those of you planning to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in the near future. I will try to be as quick and to the point as possible. The words in GREEN have links if you click on them to help you more efficiently. I will not be discussing gear in detail here. If you are interested in that, please visit my Gear Review or Gear List.

Yogi's PCT Handbook

GET YOGI'S PCT HANDBOOK!!! Order it today! I mean it! Stop reading this, click on the link, and order NOW! When you order, you will get two books. One is a great planning guide to use before the hike that includes anything and everything you would ever want to know about the PCT and how to plan for it. The other is a guide to the trail towns and trail tips (from trusted hikers who hiked the trail) that you will carry in sections as you hike. I cannot say enough about this resource. It was slightly outdated when I used it and Yogi has just revamped it with a new edition that came out in October. Why are you still reading this and not ordering it already!?

Craig's PCT Planner

I loved using Craig's PCT Planner. Those of you who saw my elevation charts and maps for each section, they came from Craig's site. It made the planning so much easier for me. It is especially helpful if you plan to prepacked food drops and send them to yourself. The program allows you to adjust for pace changes in varying conditions or elevations. It also automatically adjusts your whole hike if you enter that you've taken and extra day in town or move faster than expected. I always had the chart with me of my whole schedule with the dates I expected to hit trail towns. It was fun to see and easy to adjust if I got off schedule. Definitely check it out.

PCT-L

The PCT-L is is the PCT mailing list through pcta.org. There are pros and cons to being on this this list. The pro is that it can be very helpful in networking and getting the most recent trail news/gossip. You can passively view all the conversations to get information or you can post your own inquiries and get pretty immediate answers or advice. The problem is that you have to weed through what is valuable information and what is just crap...a lot of it is crap. List membership is open to the public, so people who haven't hiked the trail try to give advice when they really shouldn't. You can figure it out pretty easily. All the hikers called them "fear mongers" this year because they all told us the Sierra was impassable and that we were hiking to our death in the high Sierra snow. It is nice to have it as a resource for trail updates and gossip. I suggest you go into the settings once you are on the list and select "digest mailing" so that you get one email/day will all the happenings instead of 50 throughout the day. Plus, I suggest that in Feb/Mar you post an invite for all prospective hikers in your area to meet at a local pub. It was great for us Portlanders to already know a whole crew of hikers before even setting foot on the trail.

PCTA Membership
While you're at it, become a PCTA Member by donating $35. Pay it forward to a trail that will change your life forever! This trail is all about the generosity of complete strangers and trail magic. I would never think of a thru hike without first donating to the Pacific Crest Trail. This amazing experience is made possible through the PCTA organization. They maintain over 2,600mi of trail which is affected by snow, floods, forest fires, and more every year. If you plan on doing a thru hike without donating, you should be ashamed, and the trail gods will hunt you down! Believe me, I've seen it happen.

Start Date & Kick-Off
Choosing a start date depends on many factors. Most hikers start Kick-Off weekend. This year, it is April 27-29. You can go to the website at http://adzpctko.org/. It stands for Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off. I definitely recommend attending kick-off. Great atmosphere to meet other thru hikers and attend workshops. I hiked in the Friday of my kick off weekend from Campo, spent Saturday there, and left with most hikers on Sunday. Some hiked in on Thursday and really enjoyed spending all day Fri and Sat at kick-off. All the action is on Fri and Sat, so no need to go earlier.

For those of you looking to ease into the trail and hike slowly the first week or so, I recommend that you leave about a week earlier and leisurely hike to Warner Springs. From there, many trail angels will be giving rides to and from kick-off. It is very common and you won't have a problem getting a hitch from there or any other main intersection along the trail in S California.

Maps

I've gone over this topic in more detail in my Gear Review, but I want to give my two cents briefly here. I used Erik the Black's PCT Atlas Books and DO NOT recommend them. Go with Halfmile's Maps. I know it looks intimidating at first, but they are simple, and most importantly, reliable. They can be printed and loaded onto smartphones and GPS units. Many people have asked me which app I used on my iPhone. I used the Topo Maps App. It will plot the waypoints, but not the tracks. I found that the waypoints were sufficient. In my recent communication with Halfmile, he said that the Topo Maps App is his favorite at the moment. I hiked with someone who used the Android App, BackCountry Navigator PRO GPS and it was great! Plotted tracks and had icons for water and campsites. Recently, Halfmile said they had some changes that may affect their maps, so Android users might want to look into it.

First Aid Kit

I've had a lot of inquiries about my first aid kit. I was a minimalist in this and it's all a matter of personal preference. I carried my blister care (sports tape, gauze, sewing needle), Ibuprofen, and various sizes of band aids. I just carried it in a Ziploc in my toiletry bag. Other than that, I felt okay knowing I was never more than a couple days from a town if I needed some kind of medication.

Food Drop Boxes & Bounce Boxes
Everyone has their own way of resupplying along the trail. I really liked that I had my food boxes (23 boxes) prepared before the hike, and my step mom sent them to me as I hiked. This strategy doesn't fit everyone, but I know I'm a pretty routine eater and I had faith that I'd make it pretty far on the trail. It was stressful and tantrum inducing to get them all put together, but I was relieved to have one less thing to worry about on the trail. I didn't have to do those stressful grocery store trips on tired feet and it was nice to have the bulk of my food expenses out of the way before the hike. As for food, I can't say I had the best diet, but here's my PCT menu if you're interested. I ended up ditching my homemade marinara and eating more Mountain House for dinner, but other than that, I ate pretty much what is on that list.
I also Bounced a box to myself eight times along the trail every couple of weeks when I knew I was taking a zero in a town. I mostly did this because I was bouncing my laptop to myself to upload my photos and videos as I hiked. I also bounced some fresh cotton clothes to wear in town and larger containers of toiletries or first aid to resupply those things. Detailed information on trail towns, addresses, and postal services can be found in Yogi's PCT Handbook.

Journaling

If you don't journal online, I suggest that you at least journal personally each night if you can. It takes commitment, but you will be so thankful you did it after the hike is over. I suggest numbering the days and mentioning who you meet each day. It is amazing who will cross your path multiple times along the trail and you may end up bonding with hikers in Oregon that you never imagined ever seeing again after you left S Cali. It is really great to look back in the journal and remember those chance encounters. Being Wired, I could do many entries solely on journaling and how to do it from the trail. For details on online journaling, I have two lengthy articles coming out this month on pctnews.com that detail how I journaled so consistently online and how I kept myself "wired" on the trail. I will be posting a notice as soon as those articles are posted. My advice for now is to start now with your online journal and work out the kinks by practicing on the device you plan to use. It takes a lot of practice, but it's worth it!

PCTHYOH App

There is a new app for the PCT that I am very excited about. It is the PCTHYOH App. It is also available for Android users if you Google it. HYOH is a popular saying on the trail, "Hike Your Own Hike." This app centralizes links to almost every PCT resource you'll need on the trail. Everything including maps, water reports in S Cali, trail journal links, PCTNews, trail closures, weather forecasts, snow reports, etc. I had each of these bookmarked in my iPhone and it's great to have them all in one central location on this app.

Solo Women Hikers

When I first planned on doing the PCT, I had a hiking partner. When that fell through, I never imagined I would ever hike solo. With encouragement from other solo female hikers, I decided to give it a shot...and it was the best thing that could have ever happened to me! For those of you worried about being alone, don't worry. You won't be alone unless you want to be. If you leave from kick-off, you'll have about 300 other hikers around you and plenty of choices. There was a great deal of pride in knowing I was self sufficient and I found it to be incredibly freeing to make my own schedule and decisions on the trail. So awesome!

Training

I just have to mention this briefly. There were many people early on in the trail who struggled physically and emotionally early on. It was heartbreaking to watch people who put in all the time and energy into planning a five month hike only to have it end in the first two weeks. In order to have a successful hike, you have to be physically ready. The trail is NOT easy. Not even the first day! The PCT is no joke! My advice to anyone planning to hike is that you train consistently and start now. The key is that you train your body to carry pack weight. Walk or hike as much as possible with pack weight on. Start with 10-15lbs and work up to 30-40lbs. Use sand, water, weights, dictionaries, etc. I even wore my pack to the grocery store. You should easily be able to hike at least 14mi with your pack weight and I would even suggest 20+ miles. Even more important is that you should be able to do it back to back days. If you can't do over 14 miles each day back to back on a Saturday and Sunday from home, then how will it be possible to magically hike the PCT? You have to put in the effort to get results. The main problem that took many hikers off the trail was shin splints. I trained specifically with exercises to prevent shin splints. Also, if you are not used to long distance backpacking, you should do at least a three day trip to test out gear and work out kinks.

Sierra Footwear

One of my pet peeves are the constant questions about footwear in the Sierra snow. Take it from me, I hiked in highest snow year on record, and low top trail runners were just fine. I didn't even wear waterproof shoes. What people don't realize is that, although you will be in snow, it will be very hot outside. Your shoes will dry quickly and you will be in so much snow and water that water proof shoes won't stay dry anyway. Also, DO NOT use crampons! Microspikes are just the right thing. You will be hiking through conditions that change from rock, to snow, to trail and you do not want to be wearing huge crampons that you have to keep taking on an off. Also, good luck with Yaktrax if you're trying to cut corners and save ounces. You will slip and slide and take some painful (and possibly hike ending) falls. So, in summary, non-waterproof trail runners and microspikes.

Don't Miss Sites

The whole trail is just magical, but there are a few things that some hikers tend to miss out on and I want to mention them so you know. At about mile 300, you will reach the Deep Creek Detour. That detour is there because there is a washout that was completely passable. Most hikers did not take the detour and the ones that did, regretted it. You will experience much more harrowing traverses in the Sierra, so just consider this practice. It really was one of my favorite sections. Around mile 760, you'll come to the side trail to do Mt. Whitney. When will you get the chance again to summit the highest mountain in the contiguous US? Go for it! Yosemite and Half Dome are right around mile 940. You can choose to hike into Yosemite on the JMT or you can hitch. Either way, I recommend doing Half Dome if you can. I knew I might not ever get the chance again, so I took it and loved it! Don't worry about all the warnings for permits. As a thru hiker, you won't have a problem if you get to the ranger station early before the daily ones run out and show them your thru hiker permit. Finally, there is Eagle Creek. This is the alternate route into Cascade Locks and the Oregon/Washington border. I was a purist and still did Eagle Creek even though I live in Portland and hike it all the time. It is that good. It is assumed that this is the PCT route to take even though it isn't the official route. It's photographed on both the PCT calendar and official pcta.org map. Definitely do it.

General Trail Advice

-HYOH(Hike Your Own Hike). This is your hike, so go with your gut. If you need to take an extra day off, don't feel pressure to move on. If you want to move on and not camp where the group is, people will understand. Everyone's hiking style is different and everyone respects it along the trail. You are working your butt off and deserve to do it the way your body and mind needs to do it.

My best motivator was envisioning this!

-Stay Motivated! Find ways to keep things fresh and motivating. Five months is a long time and after hikers leave the excitement of the Sierra, there are many who decide to leave the trail. Bodies are tired and hurt, stomachs are hungry, and thoughts of home creep into minds. I had many motivators. I loved my MP3 player, which also played the radio and had audiobooks that kept me entertained. I had rewards of friends and family to see in Oregon and that was a great motivator! S Oregon is a great spot to have a friend jump in if you don't mind slowing down and they don't mind mosquitoes. Treat yourself to good meals or treats (like movies) in town. I thought about the Harry Potter movie for a solid week as I hiked into Tahoe! Milkshakes at the end of a trail can do wonders! Tell family that the second half will be the most important for care packages! Looking forward to those are really motivating. My biggest motivator and quick fix...envisioning Monument 78 in Canada. Just the thought of it would send adrenaline like no other through me and I was recharged and ready to hike!
-Networking-Get phone numbers and contact info from hikers you enjoy and trust. It was great to text at night with other hikers when I was solo. Also, it was great to share trail information and advice with hikers ahead/behind you. I recommend that you get on your PCT Class of 2012 Facebook Page. It's a great way to meet hikers in your area and keep in touch during and after the trail.
-Make your own decisions and find out for yourself. As I mentioned earlier, there will be tons of "talk" as you hike the trail from people who have sometimes never even set foot on the trail. We all called them fear mongers and some of the hikers this year took their bait of an impassible Sierra and left the trail. Other hikers got so psyched out, that they chose to skip or flip flop. Many ended up not finishing the trail. This will happen with detours, possible snow in Washington, and countless other things. Don't let others dictate your hike. If you aren't sure, just find out for yourself. That is what I chose to do in the Sierra and I knew I could always turn around if things were too challenging. Before I knew it, we had tackled each impassible pass and high water ford. Just find out for yourself or make sure your sources are reliable before making any major hike-altering decisions.
-Take photos and try to upload them as you hike. It takes hikers months to get through them if they wait until after the trail. Most of us only hike the trail once and you will want those photos to relive it the rest of your life! I suggest making a Shutterfly Book after the trail. I love mine!
-Just enjoy it! Take it in while you can. As soon as it's over, you'll daydream about it constantly.

A Photo Book Is Worth A Thousand Words!

2011-12-16T08:08:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody! I'm excited to share with everyone the Shutterfly photo book I made for myself from the trip. I have to give a big shout out to my friend Hannah for giving me this idea. Thank you Hannah! I now have my photos in an awesome book and visual memories that will last a lifetime. It was really amazing to go through the trip again, mile by mile, and remember the breathtaking scenery that surrounded me daily. Every time I even glance at the photos in the book, I get an overwhelming wave of happiness and feel like I'm right back on the trail again.
I totally recommend Shutterfly books as a keepsake for all types of photos and occasions. There is even a customize option that gives you endless possibilities...both a blessing and a curse for someone like me! I've focused mostly on the scenery of the Pacific Crest Trail in the photo book. My plan is to also bind my written journal for myself so I have both to complete the full experience. I know that these photos resonate much more with me and my personal journey, but I knew many of you would enjoy seeing it too.

***It looks best when viewed in the FULL SCREEN option that is given at the top of the book.***

Click here to view this photo book larger

Start your own Shutterfly Photo Book today.

Bonus Material From PCT 2011

2011-12-10T23:21:00.001-08:00

One of the best parts of post-trail life is all the bonus footage and pictures that hikers send each other. I posted all my pictures and videos from the trail as I hiked, but many hikers wait until they get home to sort through all of it. I've enjoyed reliving the trail through their eyes and I have some bonus material to share. I wanted to wait until everyone had posted their material, but there may still be more to come in the future (ahem, Liz & Blister!). Hope you all enjoy...

The AWESOME finishers medal provided free through the PCTA from a donation from 1970 thru hiker, Eric Rybak.


Plus, they are engraved and include trail names. So cool!

The one pic I have of "Wired" in action journaling. Thanks to Liz for this one of me and Meow Meow in N Cali!

Balls, Sunshine, Snowblind, and me. My least favorite kind of stream crossing. Swift and COLD with unstable rocks.

Below are a few videos from the Sierra.

This first one is a video from Thumper of, yet another, ice cold, deep ford we had north of Tuolumne Meadows. You can see Balls & Sunshine crossing while I pathetically attempt to cross on my own in a current that was just too much for me to stay balanced. I got caught up and went back to the bank. Then Bottle Rocket and Balls came across to help carry my pack. So glad they were there to help in that section!

This video is another one from Thumper when we had an extended steep downhill section just north of Tuolumne Meadows that was covered in snow. You'll see all the tactics including Sunshine's glissading, my ungraceful falling, and Bottle Rocket's advanced boot skiing. Also in the videos are Balls, Snow Blind, and Scout's Honor(Little Jimmy).

This final one is an example of the creek crossing that I disliked the most. It was swift, COLD, and had unstable rocks underneath. This is early on and Balls is instructing Sunshine on how to cross safely using her poles for balance. Blister is narrating.

Complete PCT Thru Hike Gear Review

2011-11-28T20:11:00.001-08:00

Okay, here is the long awaited gear review I’ve gotten so many requests for. Sorry it took so long! For prices and weights, you can look at my gear list tab. I just want to say that gear preferences are a very personal thing and that everyone needs to find what fits them the best. When I did my preparation, I compared gear reviews on various journals and websites and then tested them out for myself. Everyone has their own weight-to-comfort ratio and I tend to accept the extra weight for added comfort. Keeping all that in mind…here we go.

Granite Gear Vapor Ki Backpack
Pros: Was the only pack I found that fit my body without hurting or chafing my back, hips, or shoulders. Many hikers had to replace packs, and this pack easily withstood the abuse of 5mo on the trail. Has an exterior pocket to put my water bladder in without having to get into my pack every time to refill it.

Cons: Not the lightest of packs. Has a built in back support that adds weight and can soak up sweat/water. The few pockets were not practical. (I ended up using my crocs hanging on my pack for easy-to-reach snacks and gear. I regularly needed to retighten the straps to keep it adjusted. I had the top loading bag, so I had to remove everything to get to my gear on the bottom.

Bottom Line: It was an acquired taste, but I really grew to trust it. I envied hikers with ULA packs, and would like to give one of those a try, if I decide to get a new pack.

Tarptent Contrail Tent
Pros: Light and spacious. It kept me dry and safe from the elements. It dried out quickly after rain or a night with high condensation. I liked the door with a lot of mesh for fresh air and a great view. I really like it! Great individual customer service from the maker Henry Shrines.

Cons: Some hikers found this tent frustrating and switched to one that was easier to set up. Once I learned how to set it up properly, I became a big fan. It is not free standing, so it needs to be staked securely and that can require some creativity on certain terrain. I never had a problem and always found heavy rocks if I couldn’t stake it into the ground. Comes with four stakes, but I recommend using 6-7 for the best set-up. Long design whipped around a lot in high winds, but all tents did. Like many other tents, towards the end of the trail, the zipper would split due to built up dirt and grime. It is apparently an easy fix and I’m getting new zippers from Tarptent soon.

Marmot Helium Sleeping Bag
Pros: Awesome bag! Light, warm, soft, and water resistant. I struggled to get out of it each morning and dreamt of getting back in its cushy, heavenly, warmth all day.

Cons: Sometimes too warm and it is pricey…but totally worth it! Marmot has come out with a new one that’s even warmer, lighter, and more expensive.

Grand Trunk Silk Sleep Sack Sleeping Bag Liner

Pros: Added that extra warmth on cold nights and used as a light blanket on warm nights. Some say it also extends the life of the sleeping bag by keeping skin oils away.

Cons: Took some getting used to so I didn’t get tangled in it. Could be considered a luxury item, but I don’t think I would have slept well without it.

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Sleeping Pad
Pros: Quite possibly my favorite piece of gear! Allowed me sleep in the comfort of a bed every night. I even volunteered to take the floor and use it in hotels. Light and compact.

Cons: Took time and energy to inflate/deflate. Did get one hole that was easily repaired with tenacious tape (carry a small patch of it just in case!).

Caldera Cone Stove Set
Pros: Light, efficient, simple, and sturdy.

Cons: Took some practice to use properly. It doesn’t have a simmer setting, so care is needed for doing more than boiling water. Hard plastic container can take up space, but I used the top as a cup. The base of the container gets way too dirty/sooty to use as a bowl as advertised.

Evernew Titanium Pot

Pros: Wonderful! Small, light, gets the job done.

Cons: Careful not to burn things to the thin bottom.

AntiGravityGear Pot Cozy

Pros: Kept food warmer longer and allowed me to easily hold my hot pot when I ate out of it.

Cons: It got torn up and mold/mildew grew on it. I found that it wasn’t really needed and ditched it halfway through the trip.

Platypus 3L Big Zip Water Bladder
Pros: Carried a lot of water. Had a big opening for accessing water and cleaning.

Cons: Don’t use it as your sole container for water! I had to replace mine twice on the trail. Once because the dirt in the desert got in the connector ring and it was leaking. The second time, when I got a hole in it. I always carried a Gatorade bottle that was sometimes needed to fill it at awkward sources. Also, the zip top would leak if not pressed and sealed properly. I often wondered if it was worth carrying…

Katadyn Hiker Water Filter

Pros: Reliable, durable, and trusted for water filtering. Nice to have for the questionable desert water sources.

Cons: Added a lot of unnecessary weight to my pack. I found that in this high water year, I didn’t need it and ditched it in Tehachapi.

Aquamira Water Treatment
Pros: Reliable, small, and light.

Cons: Need to wait 5mins for it to mix before putting it in water and another 20-30mins before drinking.

Bottom Line: I ended up using just one Aquamira container to hold Clorox bleach (two drops/liter and wait 30mins).

Cannon PowerShot SD 1100 IS Camera
Pros: My favorite camera that I’ve used for years. Simple, fairly tough, and takes great pics.

Cons: The black one can chip its’ paint off easily and look worn. It isn’t waterproof and I ruined two of them after unintentionally soaking both in water. They can withstand some moisture, but I soaked them.

SanDisk Sansa Clip
Pros: One of my favorite pieces of gear! Held all my songs and audiobooks easily. Also, small and clips to clothes or pack for easy use. Plus, it tapes radio!
Cons: Doesn't hold as many songs as more expensive players. Small and easy to lose if you're like me.

StickPic
I had a lot of people ask how I shot my videos while I was walking. I used the awesome StickPic. It allows you to attach your camera to the end of your hiking pole for both pictures and video. Love it! You can buy it at kick-off or order it online. Careful, they are easy to lose, so I recommend putting it on a carabeener. Also, if you lose the nut that tightens it to your camera, you can use medical tape on the screw and it tightens just fine.

Sea to Summit Ultra Sil Dry Sacks
Pros: Come in various sizes and colors for organizing small things. Light, resilient, and water resistant. Those who used Cuban fiber sacks had difficulty with them shredding apart.

Cons: Not waterproof…even if they say they are. The black one I had drove me nuts at night and in the early morning because I always had trouble finding it in my tent or pack.

Sea to Summit eVent Compression Sack
Pros: Compressed my sleeping bag and kept it dry.

Cons: For some hikers, it could be considered a luxury item that adds weight.

iPhone 4
Pros: Amazing! It was my own personal computer, phone, camera, alarm clock, and GPS all in one. I really liked how vivid some of the scenic pictures were too. It was really cool to be able to Skype friends and family from the top of scenic views. Love it!

Cons: Be aware of battery life. I didn’t use it as an MP3 player for that reason. I heard the iPhone 4S has longer battery life. It can drain quickly using the GPS. Just keep it in airplane mode whenever possible. The pictures in HD can sometimes have hues around edges if the camera is not held very still.

Otter Box Phone Case

Awesome! Kept my iPhone protected from dirt, water(but not fully waterproof), and many scratches. I dropped my phone many times and it was always protected. Totally worth carrying!

Black Diamond Spot LED Headlamp

Pros: Did great! Had various light settings and guided me through a lot of dark hiking.

Cons: Probably not the lightest one out there, but it’s what I’ve always had.

MSR Packtowel Nano

Nice to have for washing off in streams. Dried very quickly.

SPOT-Personal Locator Device

Pros: Reassure your family that you are okay on a regular basis. I know of hikers who had to use theirs to get emergency help from Search and Rescue, and it works. The customer service is very attentive and helpful.

Cons: I had difficulty with my SPOT devices. My first one randomly broke after 600mi, and I had to order a new one. There were many times when I later found out from my family that they never got my nightly signal. Most nights, I had my cell phone and could make sure the signal sent out the email, but the point is to know it works when you don’t have cell service! Apparently, the button needs to stay lit for a lot longer than I originally thought. Once I figured that out, it worked much better.

Bottom Line: Worth having, but I can’t say it’s 100%.

Sea to Summit Insect Shield Head Net

Pros: The mosquitoes are relentless and this saved me!

Cons: Don’t accidentally rub your eyes with the head net…trust me! Using a fully brimmed hat is the most effective. My neck and ears were covered in bites until I started using my buff to cover them.

Bottom Line: I would definitely have one starting in the Sierra and through S Oregon.

Leatherman Style CS Multitool
Pros: Small, light, has multiple tools (including scissors!), and has a carabeener to clip it to my bag for easy access.

Cons: Could be considered by some to be a luxury item that just adds extra weight.

Erik the Black’s PCT Atlas Books
Pros: Gives a lot of information in a compact format.

Cons: Many cons. The books cost more than they should, and I don’t feel great about where the money is going. At times, many hikers found the information to be wrong, incomplete, or misleading. This can get really frustrating if it’s your only resource and you need something that can be consistently trusted. For example, some campsites or water sources no longer existed and that’s important! Most frustrating for many hikers were the elevation charts, which were either incorrect or too general. Also, some of the trail town information is outdated and no longer relevant. Trust Yogi for trail town information!

Bottom Line: It’s difficult for me to fully recommend this resource when there are Halfmile’s maps, which are free(accepts donations), from a respected trail angel, and much more reliable. I rarely used my ETB maps, except for checking where campsites and water sources might be. The PCT is pretty easy to follow, so you’ll be okay with ETB. My moral compass doesn’t feel great about using them, but they’ll get the job done. I wouldn’t want to rely on it as my sole resource.

Halfmile’s Maps
Pros: These maps are free(donations accepted) and can be printed out. They can also be uploaded onto GPS units and phones, which is awesome! The maps have good detail that I was able to use when looking for stealth campsites. The elevation charts were great and summarized all the needed information.

Cons: If you print the maps out, they can take up many sheets of paper. Halfmile has yet to hike the Washington section of the PCT, so he does not list many campsites and water sources through there. I know this is improving, but at that point, I was secure enough in my skills to find water and campsites just fine. Halfmile will usually list water that is guaranteed(with some seasonal options). With this year being a high water year, I was easily able to get water from the seasonal sources in ETB’s book too.

Bottom Line: I would definitely recommend Halfmile maps as your sole resource if you are looking to save money. If you don’t mind spending the money, I recommend that you use Halfmile maps on a device with GPS capabilities and only print out the elevation charts and trail notes. The elevation charts include the points of interest, campsites, and water sources. Then I recommend carrying ETB to have paper maps if you need them. Plus, then you have additional campsites and water sources that Halfmile may not have included. It’s nice to have both to have the most information.

Yogi’s PCT Handbook
Pros: I really liked having this reliable resource. The details in trail towns change often and Yogi does a good job of keeping things as up to date as possible. What I didn’t realize until later on the trail, was how helpful Yogi’s notes about the trail are. I recommend glancing through it every night/morning. There are great suggestions for water sources, campsites, stream crossings, hidden huts, etc. Every year, there are a ton of questions asked on the PCT-L about preparation, mail drops, trail towns, etc. GET YOGI’S HANDBOOK!!!

Cons: Some of the suggestions are from many years ago and could use some updating. I’m sure she is working on this, but overall, the information is helpful.

Bottom Line: GET YOGI’S HANDBOOK!!! There are some hikers who pride themselves on saying that they don’t use it…but then those are the same people who end up asking me if they can borrow my pages or if they can copy some information out of the handbook. I agree that it isn’t essential to have the handbook to successfully hike the trail, but it will make the experience much more enjoyable.

Powermonkey eXplorer Solar Charger
Pros: Has an external battery that stays charged and can be used when needed. The battery can be charged using the solar panel or more quickly with a wall outlet. It comes with many adapters, so I could use it to charge my phone and MP3 player.

Cons: Not as resilient as I would like it to be. I give it credit because I made it about 1,000mi before I needed to replace the solar panel. I had been too rough with the connecting cord and it detached from the solar panel. The company was great and sent me a replacement for free. The adapter for the iPhone had to be ordered separately when I bought it, and it is also VERY fragile. Be gentle with it and I suggest keeping it in its’ protective case when not in use. It definitely doesn’t hold as much charge as it claims, but it got the job done for me. It takes longer than I’d hoped for it to charge both by wall socket and solar panel. I had to be more conservative on the northern part of the trail because of overcast and forested areas.

Bottom Line: I used my gadgets A LOT and it kept me connected. It isn’t perfect, but it seemed to be the best option for what I needed. I know solar chargers are still being developed and newer ones may prove to be better, but I’d recommend this one.

Diva Cup-Feminine Hygiene

Okay ladies, just like you, I worried about how I’d handle my monthly period on the trail. If you have to deal with it, then I suggest the Diva Cup. Look it up. I would definitely practice using it before going on the trail if you’ve never used it before. I like it because it’s minimal, I don’t have to worry about accumulating trash, and depending on the day, I could go the whole day without having to worry about it. I love that it is environmentally better AND saves me money. I have converted to using it in everyday life and I really recommend it.

OR Helium Rain Jacket
Pros: Very light and compact.

Cons: If you sweat a lot, it may not be the jacket for you because it has no vents. Also, to save weight, there are no side pockets. After using it the whole trip as my main jacket, I found out the hard way that my pack had rubbed out the waterproofing and it was no longer fully waterproof in a full day of cold WA rain.

Bottom Line: Great jacket! If you use it the whole trip and find yourself finishing close to October, I recommend sending yourself a warmer jacket in WA or waterproof it again before you hit the northern rain.

Sierra Design Hurricane Rain Pants

Pros: Kept me warm on cold nights and mornings.

Cons: Worked great most of the trip. Had a rough time in the cold, mud, brush, and rain of WA. Wear tights under them to stay warm. The zippers at the ankle got stuck with mud in them. With all the brush, one of my pant legs ripped to shreds. They made it through the trip, but they were the one thing I had to throw away at the end of the trip.

Bottom Line: Light rain gear will get you through most of the way, but have something sturdy for WA if you are expecting to be there late in the season in rain. Everyone I hiked with in WA had tears in their rain pants, so don’t skimp.

Insulating Jacket-Patagonia Nano Puff
Pros: Small, light, compact, warm, resilient, awesome!

Cons: Expensive.

Bottom Line: Loved it! I used the one with the hood because I get cold easily, but many hikers saved the weight, and had the zip or the pull over.

Balega Socks
I loved these socks. My feet had bad reactions to wool and these were great. I only needed eight pairs the whole trip.

Icebreaker BodyFit 200 long sleeve top(sleep top)
I really like this top, but I found that I was plenty warm and didn’t need it, so I sent it home. I mostly ended up sleeping in my hiking clothes after awhile. I just wore my Nano Puff Jacket to sleep if I needed something warmer.

Adidas Wind Pant w/mesh liner (pajama bottom)

These pants weren’t essential, but they were nice to have at camp for warmth, when my pants were wet, or just to have something clean to put on at the end of the day.

Seirus Hyperlite All-Weather Gloves

I really liked these gloves! No gloves are truly waterproof, so I suggest getting a pack of latex gloves to wear over the gloves in the rain or in the mornings when taking down a wet tent. The latex ones lasted a long time, but I threw a new set in each resupply just in case. A simple thing that made my days so much more enjoyable!

ExOfficio Underwear

Loved it! I only needed two pairs that I rotated on the trip and I had a third for sleeping.

Nike Pro Core Sports Bra

I rotated two the whole trip and they were great! Also, it doubles as a great swim top.

SmartWool Heavy Cushion (Sleep Socks)

Heaven:)

Crocs Classic-Camp Shoes

Some consider camp shoes a luxury. I can’t imagine enjoying backpacking if I didn’t have dry clean shoes to put on at the end of the day and middle of the night for bathroom runs. I was also able to use the Crocs as extra pockets to hold my daily snacks on the side of my bag.

Montrail AT Plus Hiking Shoes

Some hikers chose to use less sturdy running shoes, but this is what I needed. A wide shoe, enough mesh to be airy without letting in a ton of water/debris, good grip on the sole, and durable. I do suggest inserts to make them more cushioned. I only needed four pairs the whole hike. I also suggest that if you think you’ll be in WA near fall, think about getting the waterproof ones for that section. I needed much more warmth in the cold rain.

Lynco L405 Sports Orthotic Insoles
I knew I'd need some type of added support to hike the trail and another hiker told me about the Lynco Insoles. I am a neutral walker and tend to need something for the ball of my foot. These are very unique and I recommend using them for a good month before the trail if your feet are new to them. They have a lump under the upper part of the arch of your foot. There are other styles for different needs. The unique form takes some getting used to, but I found them to feel great and also relieve a lot of the pressure on the ball of my foot. Totally worth the price for me. I bought a new pair with each pair of shoes. Many people bought insoles more often than that though.

Black Diamond Trail Back Trekking Poles

I chose to go cheaper and heavier with my hiking poles, but they worked out great. They were durable most of the hike. Anything that can last that many miles gets a thumbs up from me. I did have to replace the tips in Shasta after the lava rocks of Hat Creek Rim. Boo! Then, I randomly slipped and bent one of my poles on a snow patch in OR. The company was easy to work with and I was able to easily order my replacement part to be delivered to the next town.

Mizuno & Adidas Dri Fit running tops

I randomly chose to use these tops that I had and I love these short and long sleeves. They made it the whole hike and I still wear them!

White Sierra Teton Trail Convertible Pants

Awesome pants! They hung on with a few minor repairs and made it through the whole trail. It was nice to have the option of shorts or pants. They have lots of pockets for my gadgets and snacks. The only pants I could find that weren’t form fitting and tight in the thighs. I wish they came in XS because they ran a bit big and I had to get them taken in.

Andiamo skins (unpadded) biker shorts(black)

Great for added warmth and those who experience chafing. I bought two pairs and only needed one the whole trail. They were also great to wear for swimming. A suggestion from the maker is that if they are being used for hiking, cut off the tight elastic band on the thighs. Worked great for me!

Dirty Girl Gaiters

Love em! I was able to use the same pair the whole hike, but I recommend buying two pairs and switching in N Cal. I once tried to go a week without them and I couldn’t stand all the debris that got in my shoes. Also, without them, my socks were quick to get holes in them.

OR Women’s Verglas Gaiters

With all the snow we had this year, I found these to be very useful in deep snow. Especially in the cold Sierra mornings. I might recommend using them if you are headed into WA late in the season. I saved the weight and didn’t use them, but they would probably save your rain pants from shredding with all the brush.

Pine with the BearVault and me with the Bearikade.

Bearikade Weekender Bear Canister

Pros: The lightest and smallest option out there. They have a rental program if you don’t want to buy a bear canister because these are expensive. Others who used the other popular bear canister (BearVault) sometimes had problems screwing the lid off in freezing temps. Not a problem with the Bearikade.

Cons: Probably won’t fit all your food. The hard metal edge at the top wore a hole in my pack. You need to have a coin (or something) to undo the screws at the top. It isn’t clear, so you cannot see all that is in it.

Bottom Line: It gets the job done, but won’t hold all your food if you are planning on doing more than 5 days. Most hikers used BearVault, which are slightly bigger, and seemed to be okay with them.

Katoola MICROspikes

Awesome! With all the snow and ice this year, I got to know my microspikes real well. They were perfect for the conditions we were in. We would hit varied patches of snow, ice, mud, rocks, water, etc. Those who had crampons, found them to be aggravating and useless when they had to stop often to take them on and off. Those with Yaktrax didn’t have enough grip and they broke easily. Definitely go with the microspikes.

Black Diamond Raven Ice Axe

I really liked my Ice Axe and a lot of other hikers had it too. Some hikers used the C.A.M.P Corsa or Whippet to save weight, but it’s all up to personal preference and how much security you feel you’re comfortable with. As for length, longer is better. You want something long enough that you can comfortably hold onto like a cane on steep snowy traverses. If it is too short, you will be bending over and off balance. There is no point in saving on weight if it negates the point of having an ice axe to begin with.

Whew! I’m glad I got this done before Christmas since I know many of you are making your wish lists. I hope this helped some of you with your research. Good luck!

PCT, by the Numbers

2011-11-06T09:47:00.000-08:00

I had fun figuring out some random stats from the hike and I thought I'd share them. Did I leave anything fun out? Let me know and maybe I'll add it to the list...

Mexico to Canada
Miles: 2654.2mi(according to Halfmile's maps)

Days to hike the trail: 148 days
Zero days(no hiking on PCT): 22 days
Number of those zeros spent hiking: 3 days(Mt. Whitney, Half Dome, JMT)
Average daily mileage(including zeros): 17.9mi/day
Average daily mileage(excluding zeros): 21.1mi/day
Miles hiked off the PCT (including side trails/hikes): 97.1mi

California
Miles: 1,699mi
Days: 107 days
Zero Days: 18 days
Average daily mileage(including zeros): 15.9mi/day
Average daily mileage(excluding zeros): 19.1mi/day
Days with significant precipitation: 4 days

Oregon
Miles: 456mi
Days: 21 days
Zero Days: 3
Ave daily mileage(including zeros): 21.7mi/day
Ave daily mileage(excluding zeros): 25.3mi/day
Days with significant precipitation: 2 days

Mile 1,000

Washington
Miles: 499.2mi
Days: 20 days
Zero Days: 0
Average daily mileage: 25mi/day
Days with significant precipitation: 4 days

Trail Town Stats
Places visited along the way: 36
Nights spent in a hotel or hostel: 15
Nights hosted by a trail angel/family: 21
On trail zeros: 2(Kick-off and waiting out a Sierra storm in my tent)
Double zeros: 3
Resupply boxes sent to myself: 23
Times I sent my laptop to myself: 8
Hitches(not from trail angels): 26
Hot Springs: 4
Movies I saw in a theater: 2

Random Trail Stuff
Nights I slept in my tent: 113
Most days away from the trail: 4 days(Exploring Yosemite National Park)
Most miles hiked in one day: 35.5mi
Days I hiked over 30mi: 11 days
Days I hiked 25-30mi: 36 days
Days I hiked 20-25mi: 32 days
Days I hiked 15-20mi: 25 days
Days I hiked 10-15mi: 14 days
Days I hiked less than 10mi: 8 days
Days sick on the trail: 1 day
Most days between showering: 10 days
Most days between laundering clothes: 26 days
Longest gap between resupplies: 7 days
Most miles/days between zeros: 529mi/24 days
Est. days hiked in significant snow: 31 days
Days hiked solo: 19 days
Nights camped solo: 7 nights
Most consecutive days spent with another hiker: 53 days(Top Shelf)
Est. amount spent on the trail: $4,934(including health insurance, car insurance back home, shipping resupplies, and phone bill)

Gear Stats
Base Pack Weight: 16lbs 2.5oz
Weight of Pack going into the Sierra: 41lbs
Spent on gear before the hike: ~$3,000
Days before I got rid of my water filter: 44 days
Holes in my NeoAir: 1
Platypus Bladders broken: 2
Pole tips replaced-2
Pairs of Shoes: 4
Pairs of Socks: 8
Gear lost and then found: 6 things
Gear I lost on the trail: 4 headphones, 1 toothbrush, 2 sunglasses, 1 chapstick, and 1 handkerchief

Cameras broken due to water: 2

A Reunion Hike with Balls & Sunshine

2011-10-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

I got to go on a great hike in the Gorge with Balls and Sunshine today. Since they had hiked the official PCT, we took Sunshine to see Eagle Creek (a popular alternate route) for the first time. It was an awesome day for a hike and it was great to catch up with Balls and Sunshine.


Tunnel Falls along the Eagle Creek Trail

We ended up doing a 17mi loop trail that took us up on to Benson Plateau and we hiked on the PCT for a bit.

Ahh, home on the PCT:)

It was my first big hike since being off the trail and it was a perfect day in the Gorge. I can never get tired of scenes like these.


The sun's rays along Benson Plateau

At the end of our hike, I was able to do a brief interview with Sunshine and Balls that I thought everyone would enjoy. Here is the video below...

Fellow Finishers!

2011-10-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

Since coming off the trail, I’ve had a lot of fun getting in touch with many of the hikers I met on the trail. The bonds created on the trail are unique and when you come off, it’s a great support system for transitioning back to the real world. Having a network and support system of fellow hikers has been invaluable to my post hike experience. Surprisingly, some of my strongest bonds have been with hikers I rarely hiked with or even just briefly overlapped with. There’s a camaraderie among hikers and we all know we have bonds that will last a lifetime. Almost all of the PCT Class of 2011 are on facebook and we’ve all friended each other. Each year, there is a class page created on facebook and I recommend joining it. It can be difficult to find, but it’s there. Seeing their photos and hearing their stories have added a whole new chapter to my PCT experience and I thought I’d share some from those I hiked with along the way.

I hiked with Top Shelf for 53 days. He was the person I probably spent the most time with on the trail. We separated after Vermillion Valley Ranch, and he ended up finishing two days before me on Sept 21^st with a large group of young guys. As you can see in the picture below, he finally got that true mountain man’s beard!

I overlapped with Free Range quite a bit through California. She has a brief section to someday complete from Etna to Ashland, and did an amazing job, finishing on Oct 3rd. I was on the phone with her the other day while she was unpacking random boxes at home. We were discussing my temptation to do the CDT, along with many of the Class of 2011, who are planning the CDT in 2013. At that exact moment, Free Range unfolded a bandanna from a box and it was a random CDT bandanna! It includes the CDT slogan, "Embrace the Brutality." If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what would be! She immediately took my address and the bandanna will be in my possession very soon…it might be just the motivator I need…Even though it's fuzzy, I love her finishing photo!

I made an attempt to finish with Balls and Sunshine, but our schedules were just off from one another. They ended up doing a 36mi day to make it to the monument the day after me on Sept 24^th. On their way home, they stopped in Oregon to complete the short section they had missed due to a fire detour to make it official that Sunshine is officially the youngest (11yrs old) to do a complete thru hike of the PCT. Next year, they plan to do the AT and then the CDT in 2013(another reason for me to aim for that year). Since they live so close to me, we already have plans to go hiking in the gorge later this month.

As many of you know, I struggled with the decision to move on rather than wait a day or two to possibly hike and/or finish with my friends just behind me. It turns out that just two days after I finished, the snow hit Washington! My friends Liz, Funyan, and Meow Meow(who I was really bummed not to finish with), were right in the thick of it. I’ve talked with Liz, and like many hikers, they had some harrowing days toward the end. She joked that she was glad I didn’t wait for them because they were in a snowstorm for two days and never would have heard the end of it from me.

Is this really the same trail I hiked on!?

I was slightly perplexed because we were only one day away from each other entering Washington and they just kept falling further and further behind. We all really wanted to finish together and I couldn’t figure out why they weren’t doing more miles. They ended up finishing five days after me on Sept 28^th and I couldn’t imagine how that was possible. Well, there is quite a story there…I can think of no other way to explain it than to show you the picture Liz sent me with the title, “Why we were delayed…”

Funyan & Meow Meow with "the little bean."

Meow Meow and Funyan are going to have a little PCT baby! Without going into detail, I can say that this was a HUGE surprise! This little one overcame more obstacles to be conceived than we had on our whole trip. This is going to be quite a determined little kid, and they better name it Liz if it’s a girl! They didn’t find out until a third of the way through Washington, so needless to say, some delays were necessary and mileage was suddenly reduced. By the time they finished, Meow Meow was already two months pregnant. So awesome!

Aww! Meow Meow with soon-to-be "honorary auntie," Liz.

Hearing Liz describe their final weeks was really great. They got to meet and hike with many of the hikers that we had been just ahead of the whole time. Even though the weather was grueling, they had some amazing experiences and stories of human kindness. At quite possibly their lowest point, they were welcomed into a guard station for hours after the guard had already packed to go home for the season. I’ve heard stories just like this from many other hikers who were in the roughest weather at the end and it was great to know there were people there to take care of them.

Last, but not least, I was very excited to hear that Wandering Dot was able to complete her thru hike. I had last talked with her when I was halfway through Washington. She was at Mt Hood where smoke from forest fires were causing detours and challenging conditions. I was so happy to hear from her this week when she got done. She had some rain and snow experiences, but had other hikers around her and they managed to get through to the monument on Oct 10th. I so admire her persistence and endurance. You did it Dot!

Way to go Dot!

I hope you all enjoyed seeing these photos as much as I did. I've heard from many hikers and every story is so unique. I love how everyone's finishing photo fits their personality.

A Bit of Post-Hike Advice...

2011-10-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

So my first bit of post hike advice is...DON'T sign up to run a marathon right after the hike! I know that advice might seem obvious, but I wasn't the only thru hiker in Portland to make this naive mistake. I had assumed that after hiking 2600mi, running 26mi without wearing a pack would be no problem...well...let the humility begin!


Seeing Topsy Turvy at the finish.

I went into the marathon not knowing if I'd even finish. I had tried a practice run the weekend before, and let's just say that my legs and pavement were not a good match. I've ran many marathons before, and have been wanting to retire from long distance running for awhile. I figured this would be a good way to run my hometown of Portland for the first time while avoiding the training that I have come to loathe. I really do love the spirit and magic of the marathon and I thought you all would enjoy how this one tied into my trail life. It really is more than just a run!

It started with a perfect marathon morning. I LOVED the first half of the marathon (13mi). I felt the adrenaline of running with thousands of other runners who each had inspiring stories. My music was great and I was on a great pace. I wasn't sure how far I'd make it, so I told my friends and family not to worry about coming out to cheer. At mile 4, I was surprised to see my dad standing on a corner cheering! That was a great surprise and motivation! Around mile 6, the course does a u-turn and runners are able to see those running ahead or behind them. I saw Alex(Stag), who was running ahead of me and yelled over to him as he ran toward me. After I yelled, a person in the crowd on the other side of the street yelled, "Hey! It's Wired!" That was so surreal to me. I was off the trail, seeing people I hiked with, and being noticed as Wired. Just crazy!

When I got to the halfway point, I suddenly felt my leg muscles seizing up. Hiking the trail did build my muscles, but not in the way a runner needs. This point on the course is where it heads away from the city and I'd have to decide to either commit or go home. Just as I was contemplating this, I saw my neighbor, Megan (running her first half marathon), walking towards me on the sidewalk. I had just babysat for her the day before while she attended a funeral. The funeral was for her friend who had died of cancer. For months, Megan had raised money to fight cancer in her friend's honor, and her friend died the week before the marathon. It's stories like these that make a marathon special. Well, Megan had made a wrong turn onto the marathon course and was headed home after reaching the marathon's halfway point by accident. I talked to her about my legs and was tempted to go home with her, but chose to move on. Seeing her was inspiring and it was fate that we both needed to see each other at that moment.

I told myself I had to run to mile 20 before I could consider walking. I had a good pace going and chose to walk the final 6mi because I was having pain in my legs and feet and I didn't want to cause a real injury. When I got to mile 24, I saw my friend Shelli, who was running her first marathon and I was so proud of her! We ended up finishing right near each other and sharing that time with her made it all worth it. She was amazing, and I found out the next day that she had foot pain and the doctor told her that she had broken her foot. She ran on a broken foot! Now that's hard core! Way to go Shelli!!!

Me, with first time marathoner, Shelli.

Also, in the last mile, I heard someone call my name from the crowd and it was another PCT hiker, Turbo! I got to catch up with him a bit after I finished. Such a small world!

Me with Turbo.

As if that wasn't enough, I also was reunited with Topsy Turvy and Data Muffin after the finish. They are a PCT couple from Portland who I knew before the trail. We overlapped just a bit in the beginning, but they were always a few days behind me. So great to see them, and Topsy Turvy even ended up getting a personal record for the marathon. She is usually a walker, and ended up jogging and doing great!

Way to go Topsy Turvy!

To top it all off, I was also able to see Free Fall after the finish. Free Fall was a southbound hiker (and presentation coordinator of PCT kick off) doing a section that I ran into in Washington. We have since become friends and he was volunteering at the finish. It was great to see him there. So, after all that, I finished with a 5:12. Over and hour slower than my usual pace, but I'm glad I didn't quit. My mantra of the day was, you did the PCT, you can do this! In the end, you can see it wasn't the time that I'll remember, but all the stories within the race. My advice is, I don't recommend doing a marathon after a thru hike...but it was SO worth it!

Returning Home & Settling In

2011-10-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

It has been a week and a half since I've finished the hike. I have been busy adjusting to life back in Portland and didn't have time to post about my return home, so I thought I'd do it now. The day after we got to Manning Park, I took a bus to Vancouver where my friend Brian hosted me, Yankee, and Bookworm. Brian had two amazing, homemade, chocolate chip cookie cakes waiting for us. So wonderful!

The next morning, the three of us rode the Cascadia Amtrak to Seattle (Bookworm & Yankee) and Portland(me!). If you ever get a chance to ride that train after the hike, go for it! It was the perfect, relaxing and scenic way to return home. Here is a photo I took as the train rode along the coast.

When I got to Portland, my dad and step mom were at an afternoon play, so I decided to walk the 3.5mi home. I loved every moment of it and was so happy to be back home and in Portland. It was a perfect day for walking too!

Just as I turned the corner to the house, my dad and step mom were returning home. They jumped out of the car and had a welcome home sign for me! So great!

Then, to top it all off, my sister had sent me a PCT hoodie! Baggy hoodies are my favorite thing to wear and I've worn this almost everyday since I've been home.

Many people are interested to hear about my adjustment back into regular life. I was warned that it would be rough. I've heard that many hikers experience a post hike withdrawal or depression. I was told that I'd ache to be back on the trail. I'd be overwhelmed by the stimuli of people and sounds in a city. I'd be unable to sleep inside. Driving would be stressful. Work would be unbearable and countless other things...Well, I have to say that, for me, it hasn't been too bad.

My body was pretty tired when I finished and my friends behind me finished in rain and up to 4in of SNOW, so I can't say that I wished I was on the trail. I felt like the timing was perfect and I was ready to move on and back to regular life. Plus, I was very happy to be warm and dry at home. I also started working on Tuesday after getting home on Sunday. I figured that, for me, it would be a good distraction. I've had plenty to do to settle in after being gone for 5mo (mainly finding a place to live and catching up on shows!), so I don't think I've had enough time to stop and let it sink in yet. The main adjustment problem I've had is that I need fresh air to sleep. I've been sleeping with the window open and that has helped a lot. Another thing I can say is that I've been home for a week and a half and I haven't seen anyone yet. I've just felt like not talking much and just being alone. I don't think that's really a result of the trail though. Social engagements can wear me out more than physical stuff, so I know that's the best way for me to conserve my energy in this transition phase. I am slowly starting to see people this week. Many of us on the trail have facebooked each other and it's been fun to reconnect through there, see their photos, and have some support from others going through the same transition. I'm sure there are many who I will keep in touch with for years to come.

Speaking of conserving energy, before the hike, I signed up to run the Portland Marathon, which is this weekend. I naively thought that it would be an easy way to avoid a summer of marathon training(which I hate) and also run my new hometown's marathon...that was a horrible idea! I ran a few days ago and my body hated me for it. My muscles are not accustomed to running and my body definitely let me know it. Unfortunately for my body, my mind is telling me I still might give it a shot, so I'll let you all know how that train wreck goes if I actually go through with it on Sunday. I know I can walk it, but being a marathoner, I have too much pride and want to at least jog it out if it's possible.

One thing that I do miss about the trail, is the adventure and challenge each day brought. I had never been on most of the PCT, so I was discovering something new all day everyday. That was exciting and I miss that feeling of adventure. The trail has been in the forefront of my mind a lot over the past week. It seems that almost everything I see or hear makes me think about the trail. Right now, I'm too tired to miss it too much. Usually, the thought or memory goes through my mind and just I feel really happy. I've never had such an extended period in my life when everything aligned and I was doing exactly what I hoped to do at exactly the right moment. It felt great! Once I'm rested, I'm sure I'll miss it more and I'll be more motivated to take mini trips to fill that hole. I'm glad I live in Portland where it will be easy to get an outdoor fix when I need it. I've gotten many emails from people who are going through "PCT journal withdrawal." I know it well and went through it last year when I got hooked on journals. I'll do my best to keep you all entertained with more posts coming over the next couple months. Hopefully, this lengthy one helped a bit!

Cascade Locks-Manning Park, BC(2155-2663.5)

2011-09-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

***This elevation chart has to be my favorite. It shows the crazy steepness of Washington and also looks just like the rugged scenery we were lucky to see!

Here is the slideshow of Washington. Slideshows may not come up on smartphones.

**These last few videos were taken with either my iPhone or Yankee's camera. I lost my camera to the Washington rain...You'll notice a change in quality or sound, but I'm just happy to still have been able to document with video the last few days!

Day 148: Whoa, Canada!

2011-09-24T23:48:00.000-07:00

Sept 23rd
Holman Pass(2637.5)-Canadian Border/Monument 78(2654.2)
Today's Mileage: 16.7mi(plus 7.9 off trail)=24.6mi

Today was the big day we've all been waiting for. CANADA BABY!!! Bookworm and I got up and started hiking at 5:45am. I was very excited to be doing everything for the last time. Taking down my tent, waterproofing my backpack, doing my morning cat hole routine, etc. It was a pretty ideal morning. For some reason, it was so warm that we only needed jackets for the first 30mins of our hiking. Yankee has a swollen ankle, so he hiked on last night while he was feeling up to it. We knew we'd meet him this morning at the next water source and when we got there, we found out that other hikers were there too! Viper and Skinny D had stayed there yesterday to wait out the rain. I was SO excited to hear I had caught Skinny D! The last time I saw her was when we did Mt. Baden Powell together on Day 23. She is good friends with Liz and I've always known where she is through Liz. Both Skinny D and Viper have sections to go back and complete in the Sierra, but they were headed to the border today. We had just missed Skinny D in the morning and caught up to her at the high point of Washington at 7120ft. It was an awesome day and the views were great up there!

We also did Woody Pass with lots of long exposed switchbacks and great scenery.

The clouds were still lingering and I was able to get this great one of Yankee hiking up with a cloud behind him. Headin' to the border!

Having Skinny D there was so perfect for me! It was a great distraction for both of us. We had so much to catch up on, that before we knew it, we we could see the Canadian Border. It's pretty cool! You can see the trees cut to make a clear line of where the border is.

We knew we were close and we all got pretty excited. Within a few minutes, we were at Monument 78. We finished at about 12:40pm and the weather was perfect. YAY! We all took tons of pictures and filled out the register. I managed not to cry and just felt this great sense of peace and calm. The sun was shining at Monument 78 and all was right with the world.! I took a ton of pictures and a video of the day will be posted soon. As you can see, I even had my chocolate milk and Chips Ahoy cookies! It was so great!

This year, the PCT was exceptionally challenging and few people will complete a true thru hike. Both Yankee and I are very proud to have been part of the lucky few to make it straight through this year. Just to put it in perspective, here are some numbers for ya. I hope they produce official counts about this year once it is complete, but this is what I know so far. We seem to be just within the top 50 of finishers so far. At the age of 56, Yankee is the second oldest (behind Buffalo Jump Sly, age 57, a few days behind us) to complete a true thru. We are not aware of anyone older. I was the 5th female to finish so far this year and the second solo female. I was just behind the first solo female hiker, Sniper,the whole way. I never got to meet her because she started a week before me and she finished the day before me. Yankee and Bookworm were were relieved that I didn't know she was a day away because we would have been hiking a lot more to catch up to her! I don't say this to brag, but more to show how difficult this year is! By this time any other year, most hikers have completed their hike and there are probably triple the number of complete thru hikers. This was quite a grueling year!

After a couple hours, we left the monument and started our nine mile hike to Manning Park Lodge in Canada. Skinny D was not exiting through Canada and hiked back south to Harts Pass. Yankee hiked ahead and when we reached the road one mile from the lodge, I hoped to get a hitch. I heard a car coming and ran for the road with my thumb out and they pulled over. How perfect! Ending the hike with one last hitch!

When we got to the lodge, Two Hats was there. He had finished yesterday and that was really cool because we started together in the same group. The last time I saw him at Crater Lake, he showed me a picture he had of the group at the border and I was in it! Such a crazy world, this hike! We all had dinner together and I got to celebrate with an awesome chocolate lava cake for dessert. A great end to an amazing journey!

Many people want to know how it feels to complete such an epic and long journey...It actually feels pretty perfect! I just feel really light and surprisingly calm. I know I've lost too much weight, but when I say light, I mean that I feel no tension, stress, worries...which is HUGE for me! I tend to be a little "wound up" if you know what I mean. It's like the stars have aligned and everything is just flowing smoothly. I'm floatin' on one of those awesome Oregon clouds! I am present, in the moment, and appreciative. It feels oh so great! I am headed home to Portland and looking forward to it just as much as the trail. I think it helps that I love my life there, and this hike was just a bonus for me. An amazing bonus that has changed me forever and I hope to never forget what it has taught me.

Once I get home and settled, I have many post-hike entries on the way in the coming weeks. I know people would like to hear how the trail has changed me, what it has taught me, my advice for the trail next year, gear reviews, the adjustment to being off the trail and returning to civilization, etc. I'm not gone yet, but as for this journey, it has come to a close. It was a privilege to be able to share it with so many over the world and this journal is my chocolate icing on the most beautiful cake! I know that for many of you, this may be the last of my entries that you will read. I want to take this opportunity to share my final video that I took after leaving Monument 78(there is another video of my complete final day coming in my section summary). I want to say thank you to everyone who took this epic journey with me and it is with this video that I say farewell.

Day 147: Taking It In

2011-09-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

Sept 22nd
Just N of Mill Creek Trail(2610.5)-Holman Pass(2637.5)
Today's Mileage: 27mi

Today was the next to last day of hiking and I wanted to really take it in today. I think that tomorrow I'll be too excited and emotional to slow down and absorb it all, so I intentionally did that today. Unfortunately, it rained most of the day. It was mostly drizzle, so it was more of an annoyance than a discomfort. There were times when the clouds tried to clear and we got some good views.

We had a lot of ridge walking that was fairly level or gradual, so that was nice. It was perfect for hiking at a relaxed pace. Plus, the scenery was still great with clouds moving in and out. All three of us were really appreciating today. Even the wet plants that soak our legs were looking amazing!

Before lunch, we came to a sign that really got us excited. It's so close!

We got to eat lunch at Harts Pass where there was a picnic table and bathrooms. That was great! We hadn't noticed that we were ten miles from our next water source. All three of us were low on water and having to conserve. A family drove up to use the restrooms and Yankee asked them if they had extra water. Amazingly, they had an extra gallon that they gave us! It was probably our last trail magic and it was great! Later in the afternoon, I was behind Yankee and caught up to him to see that he was talking to another hiker. When I walked up, I realized it was Pine! He had just finished yesterday and got to Canada with Top Shelf and a group of other guys. That means I will finish two days after Top Shelf. So close! Pine was hiking southbound 32mi to get to Harts Pass where he had a ride waiting for him. This is not uncommon for hikers to do when they don't want to deal with transportation getting across the border or if they have an arrest on their recent record. Canada will not let people in who have been arrested in the last ten years or something like that. Anyway, it was great to see Pine and get a picture together.

As evening came, we had a choice of two campsites. The second one was an hour more of uphill trail. We were pushing to get there tonight. As we got closer, I started to realize the timing and my energy level. Bookworm and I had done a bit more mileage than Yankee today because we had camped earlier last night. I decided I wanted to make my last night on the trail a happy one, so I chose not to push to the second campsite. Bookworm felt the same and is with me. Yankee wanted to go further and agreed to see us in the morning for OUR LAST DAY!

I was so happy to be relaxed and at camp a little early tonight. While hiking today, I really tried to reflect on what the trail has taught me and how I've grown or changed. I think the most important thing I'll take from the trail is learning not to push so hard. I tend to push a lot in life and try to jam as much into a day as possible. This trail has really taught me to slow down and relax more so that I can take life in more. I could have pushed to the second camp tonight and I was really proud of my decision not to. That is a lot of growth for me and I hope to continue that mentality when I get back to everyday life. What a great way to end this hike! I saved my favorite trail dinner of Kraft Mac & Cheese with tuna and it was oh so wonderful!

Bookworm and I were just really happy to have a relaxing camp night.

We are currently 17mi from the monument and 26mi from Manning Park. At this time tomorrow night, I will have completed the PCT and had a celebratory dinner at the Manning Park Lodge. So excited!

Day 146: Epic Ending

2011-09-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

Sept 21st
N Fork Camp(2581.9)-Just N of Mill Creek Trail(2610.5)
Today's Mileage: 28.6mi

The first half of the day today was a steady climb out of a canyon. It was good trail and gradual, so we made better time than we expected. It's definitely feeling like fall up here and the colors are changing a bit. Here is our view as we hiked out of the canyon this morning.

We made it to Rainy Pass just after 10am and that was exiting because it is the official start of the last section. I was hiking with Bookworm and we thought Yankee was right behind us. We all had a snack together 3.5mi earlier and when we waited at the road, Yankee was nowhere to be found. We sat at a picnic table and ate an early lunch while we waited. Then Bugs and Bunny, who I met in Southern Oregon, walked up. We asked if they saw Yankee and they said no. That was really strange. They ate some food while we waited even longer. When they left, they had trouble finding the trailhead so I looked at the map more closely. We were at the wrong trailhead! The trail had split on the other side of the road and we had chosen the wrong one! It had been an hour and twenty minutes and now Yankee was probably well ahead of us wondering where we were. I hiked faster hoping to eventually catch him. A hiker named Free Fall was hiking southbound and let us know that Yankee was asking if we were up trail and when he said no, Yankee wondered if he had somehow gotten ahead of us. After a couple hours of practically running uphill, I finally caught up to Yankee. Whew!

That was our morning entertainment, but the real star of the day was the North Cascades National Forest. There were a ton of day hikers out and it was a perfect day. I was so excited. I couldn't stop taking pictures. It was just all so grand and epic. Just how I'd want this hike to end. It really is rewarding to end in such impressive scenery!

Even with our minor hiccup today, we made such good time, that we ended up doing more miles to the next camp. Colin caught up to us and hiked well over 30mi today. He is at a camp two miles back and will probably go by us tomorrow morning.

Our problem tonight was that the campsite shown in Erik the Black did not exist, or we couldn't find it. So frustrating at the end of a long day. There were some cairns leading through a lot of brush and I yelled to Yankee that it was showing the trail there on the GPS. Yankee was tired and frustrated and flailed his arms without looking back and kept walking. Yankee gets that way when he's tired, and frustrated that the GPS isn't matching the other types of maps we all had. I put my pole down for Bookworm to see since he was a bit behind, and investigated the cairns through the brush. No camp and no Yankee. Bookworm and I walked up trail to where Yankee had marched, but he was too far to catch. The two of us ended up camping on the trail because it was getting dark and there was a lot of brush. We are assuming we'll see Yankee in the morning.

Since we did more miles today, we hope we can keep the momentum going and get all the way to Manning Park, which is the first place in Canada where we can reach civilization after the monument. That is great! It was going to be anti-climactic the other way we had it planned. There is over an 8mi walk after the monument to get to civilization, and initially, we didn't think we could do it all in one day. Now it looks possible! That means there is only two days of hiking left and one night! How exciting!!! Tomorrow could be the last night camping along the trail. Just unbelievable!

Day 145: Now I'm Psyched!

2011-09-24T21:10:00.000-07:00

Sept 20th
Stehekin(2574.2)-N Fork Camp(2581.9)
Today's Mileage: 7.7mi

I stayed up way too late (1am again!) getting things done and journaling. Then I woke up much earlier than I would have liked this morning because Colin woke up around 6:30am and I'm a light sleeper. I am shocked at how well my body has been functioning off so little sleep, but I think it's the adrenaline of being so close to the border and I'll probably crash as soon as I get home. The excitement has really been building for me ever since the beginning of the last leg. It palpable here. Many tourists are here and know this is our last stop. To talk about it out loud was surprisingly emotional and I had to keep it together. I bought my celebratory chocolate milk and almost cried right at the counter. It's really hitting me. Jeez!

We got our resupplies, did laundry, and figured out our plan for the rest of the hike and the days following. The weather looks ideal except for a slight chance of rain tomorrow night so we decided to slow down and do this leg in four nights. Yankee, Bookworm, and I were able to catch the afternoon bus out of Stehekin. Along the way, the bus stopped at the bakery we've been hearing about all trail. Yankee got me a brownie(my favorite!) and I also got ice cream.

We knocked off some uphill mileage with the time we had left. The woods lately have had some amazingly large trees.

We hiked into a canyon area and had some slight views of what we're headed up. Tomorrow is all uphill.

All three of us were happy to camp before dark and have a relaxing hike in for a change. It was such a great way to start this final leg and we are all feeling great. We are happy that we are taking it easy and it feels great to already have the whole leg planned and know where we'll aim to camp each night. I am excited to possibly sleep a bit more. Bookworm is happy to read more and tonight he read some of a John Muir book on his Kindle. I could see it was great inspiration for him. Especially because he still has a section of the Sierra to do right after this that he skipped earlier in the hike.

We got to eat dinner just before darkness for a change and that was great. I've mentioned how Yankee carries my favorite meal of pasta with Prego sauce. He likes taking care of me and has been making extra for me at night. He even got me a chocolate milk for the border that I got to drink tonight because I had already bought one. So perfect! Tomorrow will be our longest day at about 27mi of gradual uphill. Bring it on!

Oh yeah, one totally non-related note. The Emmys were on tv this week and I have taped them (along with the MTV Music Awards!) and can't wait to watch them when I get home. My friends have told me that the show I've watched a lot on the trail, Friday Night Lights, won for best writing in a drama and best actor for Kyle Chandler. Whoo-hoo!

A Quick Note...

2011-09-20T13:47:00.001-07:00

I'm leavin' Stehekin and weather looks ideal. Just bought my chocolate milk to celebrate at the border and it hit me! My eyes welled up with tears already! I'm gonna be a mess!

The wifi here was horrible and I probably won't have reception to post until the night of the 24th. Here's the schedule...
-Get to the border the afternoon of the 23rd and drink my chocolate milk.
-Camp somewhere along the 8mi between the monument and Manning Park the night of the 23rd.
-Go in early to Manning for a celebratory breakfast and hopefully shower before a bus ride to Vancouver.
-Stay with my friend Brian in Vancouver on the 24th and hopefully get my posts up.
-Take the awesome Cascade Amtrak home to Portland on the 25th and get remaining videos and posts loaded in a day or two. Yay!

Again, I did see all the well wishes and messages I was sent, but was unable to reply to all of them on this short stop. Thank you all for the motivation!

Day 144: Bookin' To Stehekin

2011-09-20T02:42:00.000-07:00

Sept 19th
Gamma Creek(2546.2)-Stehekin(2574.2)
Today's Mileage: 28mi

The alarm went off at 4:30pm and we woke to wet tents and slight mist. We had no time to waste because we had a 6pm bus to catch to Stehekin. The problem was that our mistakes yesterday left us with a 28mi hike and a major log crossing. We hiked in complete darkness and the trail was not maintained, so there were a lot of fallen trees to get over, under, or around in the dark. We made it to the Suiattle River crossing just as daylight broke. There was a washout here years ago and other detours and bridges have been constructed to get around it. Unfortunately for me, most true thru hikers still take the original route, which requires a walk(or in my case, butt scoot) over a log. We made it across and I just tried to do it quickly before I had a full meltdown. Have I mentioned I don't like logs? I was so glad when this was over! Here's Yankee crossing.

When we got across, there was a sign where that detour from yesterday reunites with the trail. It was a much better sign and we were pissed the same sign wasn't on the other side where we needed it!

We had to push the rest of the day to make it in time. We had a big climb in the morning and were up in a cloud. When we got to the top, I took this picture. I'm relieved that the iPhone cleared up overnight and that it is no longer fogged over.

Right after I took this picture, I took a minute to do something with my gear and when I looked up, the clouds had cleared and we got an amazing view. We couldn't believe how perfect our timing was to see it change. So amazing!

We ended up jogging most of the downhills to make sure we got to the bus on time. The views and forest were great!

We ran into Bookworm at lunch as he was finishing and it was good to see he made it on time too. He had enjoyed the detour yesterday. I agree that it's really pretty, but they need to officially make it the PCT, or hikers won't take it.
We made it to the bus stop at 5:30pm and met a mother daughter pair, Katie and Shannon, who had just completed a ten day hike where we were. It was practice for them because they hope to hike the PCT in 2013. It was great to talk to them and we invited them to join us for dinner at the lodge.

I immediately liked Stehekin when we got there. The only way in is by bus or ferry and the view there is great!

Colin was there and so was Eggman who I hiked with a bit in the Sierra. We all had dinner together and are tempted to do a full zero tomorrow.

As a side note, we found out that both Colin and Eggman also took that ridiculous side trail yesterday and lost at least two hours of hiking. Eggman ended up going all the way over the bride and took the detour. It was also funny to hear that Colin also threw a pretty good tantrum like Yankee did yesterday after he too lost two hours of hiking.

I am roomed with Yankee, Bookworm, and Colin. The only connection here is a very weak wifi. It takes forever to even load an email. I've found that I'm only able to load my journals after 11pm when no one else is on the system. Tomorrow, we will work out the details of the final leg, but we will finish on the 24th or 25th. We are all worn out and wanting to enjoy the last leg with hopefully shorter days. I'm so tired, I'm wanting to zero tomorrow, but I probably won't. I'm so tired, it hasn't hit me yet that this is my last trail town and that I am only 89mi from being done! So crazy!

**I may not get reception again until the day after I finish, so I will post ASAP and will do a SPOT check-in on my map when I get to the monument. I have gotten a ton of supportive emails in this last leg and I'm sorry if I haven't replied. This connection is so slow that I wasn't able to do as much as I wanted, but I did get to read the well wishes and I thank you all for your kind words and support! They are really motivating. Canada, here I come!

Day 143: When It Rains, It Pours

2011-09-20T02:41:00.000-07:00

Sept 18th
Glacier Creek(2525.4)-Gamma Creek(2546.2)
Today's Mileage: 20.8mi(plus ~6mi off trail)=26.8mi

I have a long entry for today, but I need to vent, so enjoy! So far, in Washington, we have been very fortunate with the lack of rain. Even the mist yesterday was enjoyable and the hard rain has been coming overnight. It rained through the night last night and we woke to really wet tents and a steady rain. Thankfully, the temperature was not as cold as it has been. Waiting it out was not an option, so we started out into the dark morning in the rain. The trail this morning was horrible. Lots of steep uphill and so much brush that we could barely see where the trail went.

To add to the brush and the rain, the trail was muddy and slippery along a steep slope. Both Bookworm and I had instances where we slid off the side of the trail and down the steep brush. With the wetness and rain gear, I was surprised at how far and fast I slid(only a couple yards). It made me think of the slides I took in the Sierra snow. Getting back up to the trail was exhausting and slippery. We had to grab the plants to pull ourselves up. I was very cautious not to let that happen again.

As the morning went on, the discomfort set in. I was somehow getting wet too. I've never had a problem with my jacket or rain pants before and somehow I was getting wet. We knew we wanted to make it to a camp 29mi away, but that was quickly becoming an unattainable goal. The rain started to let up and the clouds cleared. I was excited to be able to take pictures. I took this picture with my iPhone of what had been covered by clouds. You can see the trail winding that I came up.

I reached into my waterproof jacket pocket to get my camera and everything in the pocket was soaked. I've never had any water get in there before. There was even a little puddle at the bottom of the pocket. My camera and MP3 player were in that pocket. Shit! Why didn't I double bag them into a Ziploc!? Neither one of them worked the rest of the day. I'm so mad at myself and I'm hoping to dry them out when I get town, but there is a chance they are both ruined. I'm such an idiot!

I was frustrated and wanted to get the day done, so I pushed on ahead knowing we'd meet at lunch or the campsite. I jogged the downhill and caught up to Colin. Then we hit some killer steep switchbacks with horrible brush. The brush was really thick and soaked us. The thickness of the brush was like adding resistance on a stationary bike that was difficult to pedal in the first place. It's important in this story for me to mention that this section was about 2mi long and it was not on any of our maps or GPS. There have been many washouts in the area so the previous trail probably doesn't exist. I mention it because it added very difficult mileage to a day where we were already pushing to make it to our destination. I couldn't keep pace with Colin, so I hiked to the top of the switchbacks and stopped for lunch.

The clouds were finally breaking and I was able to lay all my stuff out in the sun to dry. I also thought Yankee and Bookworm might catch up, and they did just when I was leaving. We all agreed that we weren't going to make the miles we wanted today. The problem was that there was only camping too soon in the day and we needed to be set up to catch the evening bus to Stehekin tomorrow night. We agreed to just do what we could and that we'd camp on the trail if we got stuck between sites. The problem was that we didn't know if the trail would have more of the insane brush. I decided to hike on and said I'd try to find a spot for all of us. As soon as I left, I noticed my iPhone was fogged up on the inside of the lens. Argh! Because of that, the rest of my pictures are foggy today. Again, I probably could have kept it drier.

The next 5mi or so were downhill and I tried to jog some of it. After a couple hours, I took a break and really felt tired. We've had to push everyday on this leg and I was tired of pushing. Being wet and cold had really taken it out of me. I've been falling asleep journaling at night, so I sat down to wait for Yankee and Bookworm to catch up while I journaled and rested. After almost an hour, they came by and we decided to just do the major log crossing a few miles away and then make up the miles later. We came to a sign with a ribbon that said, "PCT Bridge" at our first crossing and we took it. It was taking us away from the trail and felt wrong, but since the same thing happened for a couple miles earlier in the day, we went with it. As we got further in, we started to think we had unintentionally taken a detour. Bookworm was happy because he was not looking forward to the log crossing. Yankee and I were not and couldn't decide if we should go back. We were losing time and risking not making it to Stehekin tomorrow night. Going back could lose us even more time and we didn't know if the first stream was able to be forded because no one mentioned a ford to us. We got to see Yankee's full blown New York tantrum. I was used to this and appreciate it as Yankee's passion for doing the trail as honestly as possible. He, like me, has a lot of pride in not skipping or flipping and we were on a skipping trail! He was mumbling, yelling, flailing his poles as he walked, he even said he'd seriously punch the guy in the face who put the sign there. I have to say it was quite entertaining to be in the forest, but feel like I was in New York. I would have videoed it if my camera wasn't broken!

After almost an hour going the wrong way, Yankee and I decided to go back and try to follow the original PCT. Bookworm chose to continue on to the new bridge and just meet us tomorrow at the bus stop. We walked back to the steam crossing, and on the way stopped to do something(use the bathroom). I took off my pack and my diamond necklace that I wear everyday(and my twin sister also wears everyday) got caught on my bag and snapped off. That was it! I was so pissed at this day! I don't cry much, but I had to hold back after all this and knowing there was still more to come! This day sucked! We got back to the sign, and after looking upclose, we saw the words "New PCT & Bridge." Damn! Definitely not what we wanted.

We then got to the crossing as it was getting dark and it was swift, so we went over a fallen tree.

We ended up hiking into the dark and stopping 1.5mi from the log crossing. Because of this loss of time, we now have to get up early, do the terrifying log crossing as soon as it's light enough, and push hard to do a 28mi day by 6pm for the bus to Stehekin. What a crummy day! I'm so tired!

Day 142: A Mist-ical Day

2011-09-20T02:40:00.000-07:00

Sept 17th
Pear Lake(2493.7)-Glacier Creek(2525.4)
Today's Mileage: 31.7mi

It rained on and off overnight. We were all relieved that it wasn't raining when we packed up this morning and our tents were dry enough that we wouldn't have to hang them out during the day. It did start to drizzle just as we were leaving. The clouds were looming and we had a mist on us that came and went all day. Despite the wetness, today was one of my favorite days in Washington. The scenery was unlike anything we've seen so far. Bookworm said he thought it looked like Scotland. The green hills with fog and clouds made me think of the medieval days and Knights of the Roundtable. I kept expecting to see Sean Connery and Richard Gere ride up on horses (love the movie, First Knight!). I took a ton of pictures!

The fog and clouds gave it such a mystical feel. The terrain was great with soft trail and gradual ups and downs. We even had some extended level sections, which rarely happens in Washington. The mist was better than rain and the air today was crisp and ideal for hiking. We had our rain gear on all day, even though the mist was light. We got soaked repeatedly walking through a lot of overgrowth. That was annoying.

I spent the day walking near Yankee and Bookworm. Colin went ahead because he is pushing to do a bit more miles than us. We still needed to make up miles because of our early camping yesterday. There is limited camping up here and we ended up pushing to a camp spot 31.7mi from where we started. Around 6:30pm, I had my headphones on and was pushing to get to camp. I heard someone yell and I had gone right past Colin who had found a not so great spot in the woods. He didn't know about the site we were headed to and decided to join us. We were really happy with the decision to hike further today even though it was tiring. It puts us in a better position for the rest of this leg and making the bus to Stehekin in a couple days. In the late afternoon, we went over a pass and got stuck in a cloud for awhile.

We have officially entered Glacier Peak Wilderness, but the clouds were too low today to see Glacier Peak. Bummer. The last few hours of the day were in some great old growth forest.

We, like many PCTers, chose not to take a detour that would have paralleled over 40mi of trail due to a washout years ago. Tomorrow is the big log crossing on that washout. I'm NOT looking forward to the log crossing, but it will be nice to get it done tomorrow and out of the way.

It was a long, but wonderful day of hiking and I'm having trouble staying awake while I type again. It looks like the sky may be clearing for tomorrow. All our shoes are soaked and I'm hoping my rain paints dry a bit more by the morning. It is another cold night and I'm loving my warm, cozy sleeping bag!

Day 141: The Game of Rain Roulette

2011-09-20T02:39:00.000-07:00

Sept 16th
Stevens Pass(2476)-Pear Lake(2493.7)
Today's Mileage: 17.7mi

I left the Dinsmores with Yankee and Bookworm later than we wanted. I did manage to get a picture of the Dinsmores before we left. It's amazingly difficult to get the two of them in the same place and standing still long enough fir a photo. I considered it a great accomplishment to get this photo.

The morning got away from us and we got on the trail by 11am. Our plan was to do about 20mi today, so that was okay. It rained last night more, and there is supposed to be a ton of brush on the trail, so I wore my rain gear. Luckily, we got going so late that the brush wasn't too wet, but the rain pants were still helpful.

I mentioned this morning that I was kicking myself for not having tights to wear under my rain pants. It has gotten significantly colder and the cold plastic of the rain pants on my legs is not fun. As I said that to Yankee, he held up some thermals that were in the hiker box. Whoa! It was a miracle! It turns out that Bookworm had just put them in there because his wife sent him two pairs and he only wanted to carry one. How perfect is that!? My legs were in heavenly warmth all day. Yay! By the way, many of you may like knowing that Bookworm is an avid reader. He has made a goal of reading a book every 100mi. He has a Kindle and reads at night. Bookworm has read 22 books and they are listed on his journal if you look him up at postholer.com. He has read 22 because he skipped the end of the Sierra and will be going back down to do a couple weeks after we get to Canada.

The hike today was some of my favorite kinda of hiking. The crisp autumn air, that I love, is great to hike in! We heard that today would be clear until the evening and that rain is expected for the next two days. The clouds were looming all day and the views were great.

Knowing that rain was coming, we wanted to try to do as many miles as we could today so that our days in the rain could be shorter if we needed. We had to book a room in advance in Stehekin because they tend to sell out. The only way there is by ferry or a shuttle bus, so we are kinda on a schedule to make the bus in a few days. With the late start, we found ourselves stuck between camping too early or too late today. We wanted to push ahead, but it looked risky as far as finding campable spots. We made the decision to book it and risk it so that we'd have less miles in the rain the next two days. As we hiked past our earliest camping option at Pear Lake, we heard someone yell from down by the lake. It was Colin who left much earlier than us this morning. He had also found himself in the same predicament and decided to camp early also because he has been developing a shin splint. We decided to join him cause it was a nice campsite. They even had an outdoor wooden toilet!

It was a great spot and it was getting cold fast, so we pitched our tents.

We were very aware of where and how we pitched the tents in case it rained all night. Just as we got our tents up and dinner made, the rain started! Good thing we didn't keep hiking! It rained for almost an hour and we were all so thankful to be warm and dry in our tents. So lucky! It is now well below forty degrees and the rain has stopped for now. We are all hoping it won't be raining in the morning cause it is really cold out there! We are all going to get going together tomorrow and are hoping for a somewhat dry day. I am excited to get to sleep early. It is just now 9pm, and I'm dozing off as I type this. It's in the mid 30s and raining. I'm so happy to be warm and dry! So far, we are winners at the game of Rain Roulette!

Day 140: Rainy, Gloomy... MAGICAL

2011-09-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Sept 15th Below Deception Pass(2452.5)-Stevens Pass(2476)
Today's Mileage: 23.5mi

So, my wishes last night for the rain to hold off, were not granted. I heard light rain on my tent throughout the night. When we packed up in the darkness, I could see light drizzle floating in front of my headlamp. I assumed we were in a cloud and that we'd just hike out of it as the morning continued...unfortunately, not in this case. We hiked in cold drizzle and fog for a good 5hrs this morning. After that, it was foggy and misting on and off. We were okay, as long as we kept moving, but it was very unenjoyable. I love seeing the fog, but I would love to have that without the freezing cold rain. I managed to stop long enough to take a few pics.

Both Yankee and I are still wearing our mesh trail running shoes and our feet were pretty soaked and cold. That is by far the worst part. I am now regretting not buying the "waterproof" Gortex version of my shoe for the end of my hike. I have found that if I keep moving, all the water in my shoes stays warm, so that helps. The worst for me is when we walk through the parts of the trail with a lot of overgrowth that soaks us. It's like someone is just pouring cold water on you as you brush up against the plants and then my feet feel like they are in ice cold water again. Yep, not fun at all and that isn't even the worst of what I know Washington can do. This rain was unexpected from the forecast I heard and the current outlook is that tomorrow will be okay until the evening and then rain will come in for two days and then clear up. If two days is all we get the rest of this hike, I will be so thankful! I know they won't be fun, but knowing it's temporary makes it more bearable.

As for today, we had a 23.5mi hike to Stevens Pass and, luckily, our final trail angel stop. I had a package at the post office to pick up before 3:45pm, so I had to book it and went ahead of Yankee and we agreed to just meet up later at the local Inn. We had heard that at the trail angels, the Dinsmore's, hikers camped outside, so I called Andrea Dinsmore to let her know we were thinking of staying at the local Inn because we were so cold and wet. She told me they had a full indoor dorm area for hikers and that, "there's a spot waiting for ya, if you get your ass down here!" Yep, that sealed it, I had to meet this woman! I jogged a lot of the trail (also to stay warm) and made it to the road at 2:30pm. That's awesome that I was able to do 23.5mi by then! I saw a truck with an open back bed as I walked off and immediately hoped for trail magic. The car door opened and out stepped Cow Pie! I was floored! I was not expecting trail magic, much less from someone I knew! Cow Pie is a section hiker from Seattle who I overlapped with in Southern Oregon on Days 111 and 115 . He has been following my journal ever since. He decided to do trail magic this weekend and hoped to catch me coming out. What luck! This trail really is amazing! When I looked into the back of his truck, there was a ton of food and coolers. I immediately zeroed in on the Chips Ahoys and he said he got those for me. Way to go Cow Pie! Of course, I had to photograph the occasion.

Cow Pie offered to take me to the post office and then come back to get Yankee. We left Yankee a note in the coolers and figured he'd be there when we got back. We returned and Yankee wasn't there. He had given me the wrong phone number, so I called the Inn to see if he had somehow hitched in while we were gone. He had and then we went to get him and head to the Dinsmores one town over. It is great at the Dinsmores Hiker Haven. They have a whole room for hikers with anything we'd ever need, showers, laundry, Internet, etc. It's difficult to get the two of them in one spot, so I'll probably have a picture with them tomorrow. I was excited to get a computer to be able to post the good version of my pics from this last leg. We are currently here with two hikers, Colin and Bookworm. After months of seeing his name in registers, I finally got to meet Bookworm! He is going to hike out with me and Yankee tomorrow.

By the time this entry comes out, it will be my step dad's birthday. I thought I'd wish him a happy birthday while lounging in the recliner at the Dinsmores. Happy Birthday Mark!

I am currently up way too late (almost 1am) getting my journals posted. Reception as I go north is going to be spotty, so it may take some time to post, but they are coming! I heard there is wi-fi in my last trail town of Stehekin which is four days from now. My last trail town is in four days! Can you believe it!? Just a reminder that the remainder of my posts may have fuzzy pictures since they will not be sent from a computer, but I'll fix that as soon as I get home. Movin' on!