Posts, notes, and longer-form writing.
Mileage: Too many. 37 + a short nap + 3 more to start hitching at 6am.
I had hiked a lot of miles yesterday, most of them uphill, but luckily I woke up feeling pretty good. I could definitely feel the 29 miles, but I wasn’t hurting anywhere specific. Today was going to be more of the same, so I needed an early start to rea...
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Mileage: 29 miles with 7700′ up.
For some reason my life on trail is just surviving until I can eat a real meal again. In between those I live snack to snack. McDonald’s is my reason for hiking today. See it? See it!? I had hiked pretty close to Cajon Pass so that I could get some McDo...
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Mileage: 25 (mile 335)
When I woke up this morning, something was different. It was 6:30 am and I was… warm? I wasn’t using my sleeping bag at all and was completely fine with just my liner. That should have been a red flag, but I ate some breakfast, packed up my stuff, and t...
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Mileage: 25 miles. Currently camped across the bridge at mile 310.
Lately, I haven’t really been looking at my maps or elevation plots to see what’s coming up. I know the general tend is down and I check the water report to make sure there are sources nearby, but I think it’s easier on morale if I don’t know what’s goi...
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Mileage: 19
Today was a good day. The sun was shining, the scenery was beautiful, and my body felt rejuvenated after a day and a half off from hiking. I got a slightly later start than I would have liked (11 am), but it wasn’t too hot and the terrain was pretty mel...
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The Dick Smith Challenge… Oh, how I wish I didn’t know what this was. If only my curiosity in the Idyllwild campground hadn’t drawn me towards that comi...
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Mileage: 0
So far on this trip, I’ve been hesitant to take a whole day off. I did 14 into Idyllwild and stopped, 9 out of Idyllwild up San Jacinto, and 10 into Big Bear city yesterday, but never a full day of zero hiking. That changed today and it was wonderful. I...
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Mileage: 10 miles to Highway 18 to hitch into Big Bear (mile 266)
As usual on the day I expect to get to town, I woke up early, giddy with excitement for the cheeseburger(s?) to come. It was absolutely freezing (~40°, so yeah, Mr. Scientist, not really freezing) when I woke up, so I REAAAALLY didn’t want to get out of...
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Mileage: My first 30 mile day! With 7,400′ of ascent and 3,000′ of descent. Ouch.
Today’s my birthday! That means basically nothing out on the trail, but it meant that I got to eat all of my good food today. Like a Snickers for breakfast! Oh man was it delicious. The first half of my day can only be described as hell. It was awful. I...
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Mileage: 25 to begin the climb to Big Bear Lake
The PCT is a beautiful trail, but it can be frustrating sometimes. There are many times that you know which direction you should be going but the trail planners had a different idea in mind. Oftentimes, that idea is “Hey, instead of going around this, l...
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