When preparing for my big 2020 PCT thru hiking adventure, I often went to blogs or YouTube vlogs to learn about gear. Gear reviews from hikers who had done this trek in previous years were quite helpful to me in zeroing in on what would be the right sort of Read more…
One of the more interesting things to observe along the PCT is the variety [and variation] of trail signs as one moves through the many diverse sections of the trail. These signs provide all types of information to hikers and the style of the signs seem to reflect the area Read more…
After 158 days on my 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail hiking adventure, I have completed by returning to where I first set out on May 26th, 2020. It was certainly a strange and unique year to accomplish this thru-hike. Due to a late start because of COVID, I started in Agua Read more…
Thru hikers have a saying on the PCT – “the trail provides.” It’s the distillation of a notion that when you find yourself in need on the trail, somehow, no matter what type of situation you’re in, you’ll manage to get what you need to keep you moving forward on Read more…
The day we reached the northern terminus of the PCT was the most gratifying and satisfying day on trail – but also the scariest. It was the day I came closest to pushing the SOS button on my Garmin inReach. In a normal [non-COVID] year, PCT hikers can tag the Read more…
As most people know from the news, this has been a particularly devastating wildfire season in the West. I had been mostly keeping one step out in front of the fires since Northern California [and no, for the record, I was not the one starting those fires]. However, I couldn’t Read more…
Based on my Oregon daily mileage average, I knew that I would likely arrive at Crater Lake near my birthday. So I was really stoked when the timing actually worked out and I rambled into Mazama Village in late morning on August 26th – my 42nd birthday! I had a Read more…
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about how I’ve been doing health-wise on such a long hiking trek. How are my feet doing? Have I lost weight? How do I stay healthy along the way – especially in the middle of a pandemic. The short of it is that I’ve Read more…
Many people have asked me how I have navigated on the PCT, and when I tell them that I mainly use my phone, they wonder how I’m able to keep it charged. So this blog post is intended to educate people on how I’ve used my electronics to help me Read more…
As odd as it seems, thru hiking starts to take on the nature of work and it has a sort of daily rhythm. Being a creature of habit, and taking into account my military background, I found that this grueling process is more repeatable day after day with a daily Read more…