Day 30-32: Poodle Dog Ballet, Snow Plants, and an Eclipse

Day 30: Cleghorn Picnic Area/family vacation (Mile 328.5)- Swarthout Canyon Road (Mile 347.5); 19 miles

We returned to the trail rested and relaxed from our time in Big Bear with family. But as it turned out, we couldn’t leave the family behind! Five of Anna’s relatives joined us for 13 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail out of Silverwood Lake. We had a great time sharing the trail with them, and trail names soon emerged: Alex was Moon, Peter was Crow, Joe was Fire Ant, Cindy was Lulu Lush, and Jim was either Twinkle Toes or Big Load, though he rejected both. We should also mention that right before taking our rest days, a fellow thru hiker, Dancing Feet, suggested Anna should be named Morning Glory. The name would fit well because Anna wakes up early, is upbeat, and likes to identify wildflowers along the trail. We both feel the name is pretty good, but not perfect, so Anna will await another trail name suggestion.

After we parted ways with the family, we continued on until we reached a water cache at Swarthout Canyon Road. This spot was amusing to us because of the furniture, which provided for some prime desert lounging.

We camped nearby, resisting the urge to sleep on a lounge chair.

Day 31: Swarthout Canyon Road (Mile 347.5)-Near Blue Ridge Campground (Mile 367.5); 20 miles

After some serious climbing in a hot, exposed burned area, we came upon the dreaded poodle dog bush. Poodle dog has been known to send unwary hikers to the hospital as its poison is much stronger than poison oak or poison ivy. Luckily the bush gives off an unpleasant odor, which we smell before we encounter it on the trail. At times poodle dog almost covered the trail, and we were forced to perform the intricate twisting and turning maneuver known as the poodle dog ballet.

Emerging from the thicket non-poodled, we were excited to find a few fiery red snow plants. This plant contains no chlorophyll and instead consumes dead organic matter to survive. It looks alien compared to all the other green leafed plants nearby.

After a 17 mile dry stretch, we arrived at a small, startlingly cold spring. There we found many birds, most notably hummingbirds, which were feasting on nearby blossoms.

Reaching a good stopping point, we reflected on a day which had included 20 miles of walking and 4800 feet of elevation gain, both new records for us. The day also ended our first month on the PCT. There was much to celebrate, and we rewarded ourselves the best way we knew how: with some serious sleep.

Day 32: Near Blue Ridge Campground (Mile 367.5)-Near climb to Mt. Baden-Powell (Mile 373); 5.5 miles, plus food resupply in Wrightwood

Our morning walk to the highway was fantastic. As the sun rose, shadows played on distant mountainsides.

When we reached the highway, we stuck out our thumbs and waited. At first we had no luck due to the low traffic volume on a Sunday morning, but eventually a kind soul ferried us to Wrightwood. On arrival, we ate all we could handle at the Grizzly Cafe, then hit the hardware store to buy a bit of rope for the tent. At the grocery store we purchased enough food to get us to Agua Dulce.

Outside we met Sunset, who’s a triple crowner — he’s completed the AT, PCT, and CDT. He proved to be a profoundly friendly South Carolinian with plenty of good stories. He was soon devouring a half gallon of chocolate ice cream.

Provisioning complete, we hitched back to the PCT from Wrightwood.

A couple miles in, we set up the tent and awaited the solar eclipse that was forecast. As the moon crossed in front of the sun, everything grew darker, as it would at sunset, but the light was cooler and more blue than it would be at sunset. The world looked a bit off kilter. We viewed the crescent sun through a pinhole on a sheet of paper. It’s safer that way.

As sunset approached, the eclipse subsided, and the sun grew brighter again, but just briefly. By then we were ready to call it a night.

Day 26-29: Rest and Relaxation

May17

Big Bear Lake viewed from the Pacific Crest Trail

On the morning of Day 26 we walked 8.5 miles to the Silverwood Lake picnic area. There Anna’s brother Jim and his wife Cindy gave us big welcoming hugs despite the grime and stink we’d acquired on the trail. Jim and Cindy then drove us to a nice rental house in Big Bear where Anna’s family had planned their annual family vacation. We had a great time relaxing and catching up with everyone.

Canoeing with Jim and Cindy

Jim and Cindy are being wonderfully helpful by shipping us food boxes during our PCT hike. We’d like to give back a bit by sharing a project Jim has been working on for the past year: the Get In Front dance performance in San Francisco. Jim is a dancer with the San Francisco Ballet and the June 6 show will feature dancers from 11 top Bay Area dance companies including San Francisco Ballet, LINES Ballet, and ODC/Dance. The evening will be a major fundraiser for the Cancer Prevention Institute of California, whose mission is to Get in Front of cancer. You can learn more about this amazing night and buy tickets at getinfront.org.

The timing of our Big Bear break worked out well because Shutterbug’s (Chris’s) feet have grown larger from all the walking we’ve been doing, and his toes were starting to rub. Luckily he found the same model, just half a size larger than his old shoes, and his feet are happy again.

At the vacation house we’ve been eating constantly. Sometimes we will eat two breakfasts or two lunches, and we snack whenever we can. It took us a couple days to finally feel full.

Chris devours pasta

We’ve gone through a physical and mental change during our rest days off the Pacific Crest Trail. Initially we were excited to eat big meals, share our stories, and clean up. But now, on our third zero day, we’re getting antsy to explore, and we miss the calm quiet of the wilderness. It felt good to rest our bodies, though, which are now ache-free and strong. The hot tub didn’t hurt either!

Tomorrow we hit the trail again. We’ll walk the first 13 miles with Joe, Peter, Jim, Cindy, and Alex. Sharing the trail with family should be great fun!

Blue Dick flowers

A final note: we’ve improved our Tracking page. To view the page, click the “Tracking” link at the top of the site. Terrain view is now the default, which gives you a better sense of the landscape we are experiencing.

Day 21-25: Leave No Trace

May13

Leave No Trace (LNT) is a set of principles aimed at leaving the world in the same condition as you found it. Whether you’re day hiking, backpacking, or living in the city, you can apply these principles to limit your impact on our environment. Every day on the Pacific Crest Trail, the Leave No Trace ethic guides our behavior:
- In the morning after packing up our belongings, we check the campsite to make sure it’s pristine, especially looking for small items like tent stakes and trash.

- As our tummies start to grumble, we eat granola bars for breakfast. The wrappers go into our trash bag. We pack out all of our trash.
- We always follow the trail, especially in steep switchbacked sections, where short cuts cause serious erosion and destabilization problems for future hikers.

- When we come across something cool such as a flower, animal skeleton, or colorful rocks, we take only photos, leaving the good stuff for others to enjoy.

- Around noon we like to cook a meal. We make sure to cook only what we need, wasting nothing. To clean up our pot and utensils, we use a mini scraper (pictured below) to remove as much food as possible. Then if needed we rinse the pot with water and drink the rinse water. We never wash dishes in a stream or lake because this adds unnatural soap and food to the water.

- When we encounter wildlife, we respect it by not harassing it or trying to feed it. We simply watch with excitement.

- When nature calls, we dig a hole about 6 inches deep and at least 200 feet from water, make a deposit, wipe with smooth sticks or leaves, then fill the hole back in. If you prefer to use toilet paper, please make sure to pack it out with the rest of your trash. If you just need to water the bushes, make sure you are at least 200 feet from water.
- Prior to heading into the wilderness, as well as constantly during the trip, we are planning ahead and preparing for what is to come. This minimizes our impact on the environment by curtailing emergency situations.

- As evening approaches, we select a campsite located on a durable surface such as pine needles, dead leaves, or sand. Our goal is to avoid damaging plants and fragile soils. Established campsites are best because they do not create additional disturbance to the area.

- We almost always cook using our stove and are too tired for an evening campfire. If we fancied a campfire one night, we would only create one in an established fire ring, in an area where campfires were allowed and forest fire risk was low.

Those are some of the ways we practice Leave No Trace each day. To learn more about LNT, please visit the Leave No Trace website.

We encourage you to minimize your impact on our planet in everything you do. Through actions like recycling, buying local organic produce, walking or biking instead of driving, and refraining from watering your lawn, you can help preserve the limited resources we all share.

Here are a few highlights from our past five days on the Pacific Crest Trail:
- Chris received his trail name! On the morning of Day 23 we met Big Wuss and continued to leapfrog with him the rest of the day. Our pace was slightly faster and we would catch him, but soon Chris would pause for a few minutes to compose a photograph, and Big Wuss would pass us back. We lost track of Big Wuss late in the afternoon, but on the morning of Day 24, he caught up with us again because surprise, surprise, Chris was taking a photo of a creek. And that’s how Chris earned his trail name: Shutterbug.

- On Day 23 we viewed Big Bear Lake from a ridge high above, with snow-capped peaks rising behind the town. Beautiful!
- We are feeling strong and continue to increase our daily mileage. Here’s a summary of the ground we’ve trod in the last five days:
Day 21: Creek side Camp (235.5)-North of Onyx Summit (252.5); 17 miles
Day 22: North of Onyx Summit (Mile 252.5)-Near Doble Trail Camp (Mile 268.5); 16 miles
Day 23: Near Doble Trail Camp (Mile 268.5)-Holcomb Creek (Mile 286.5); 18 miles
Day 24: Holcomb Creek (Mile 286.5)-Deep Creek (Mile 303.5); 17 miles
Day 25: Deep Creek (Mile 303.5)-Uphill from Grass Valley Creek (Mile 320); 16.5 miles

Day 17-20: Chutes and Ladders

May9

The Pacific Crest Trail, as the name implies, follows crests of mountain ranges, so we have come to expect ups and downs. But when we looked at the elevation graphs for the upcoming section of trail, we knew we were in for a doozy.

Day 17: Saddle Junction (Mile 179.5)-Fuller Ridge (189.5) + 2.5 leaving Idyllwild; 12.5 miles

From Idyllwild we walked up the Devils Slide trail to Saddle Junction. The trail snakes up the mountainside, climbing 1700 feet in two and a half miles. After reaching Saddle Junction, we walked a few miles then stopped to heat up ramen at a nice spot with a view.

We climbed further to Fuller Ridge at
8800 feet. We encountered significant snow there which slowed our progress. While the trail was passable, the snow was icy and slippery and we each fell. We wished we had our Microspikes. We were carrying 9 days of food, and the extra weight caused our packs to work against us when we shifted our weight on snowy slopes. This was a rough day mentally for Anna.

Finally, losing sunlight and tired, we found a small meadow (half snow covered) suitable for camping. We ate cheese and dried cherries and camped there.

Day 18: Fuller Ridge (Mile 189.5)-Snow Canyon Road (206); 16.5 miles

We woke to frost on the tent and found the water we’d stored inside the tent partially frozen. We walked to a tiny ice-cold creek where we filled most of our water containers, as we were about to begin a 15-mile stretch without water.

It was quite cold at 8000 feet where we began our daylong descent. At first we hiked in our puffy jackets. As we descended we shed those, as well as our thin nylon jackets, hats, and zip-off pant legs. Soon we found the pine forest transitioning to desert, complete with snakes and yucca.

In the next ten miles we saw two rattlesnakes and (likely) a tarantula, and Anna got stung by a bee on her nose!

We also found two really cool frogs that had perfect rock-like camouflage.

In addition, we saw several other snakes, a dozen horny toads, and probably a hundred lizards.

Amidst this bevy of wildlife, we passed the 200 mile mark! And as a fitting way to celebrate, Anna noticed that she had worn two holes in one of her socks!

After even more descending, we arrived at the Snow Canyon Road water faucet. We had walked our longest mileage yet (16.5 miles), and completed our greatest descent (6000 feet). We ate a bit, set up the tent and watched bats swoop and dive after insects.

Day 19: Snow Canyon Road (Mile 206)-Uphill from Whitewater River (221.5); 15.5 miles

The day began with a flat desert walk which led us under the I-10 freeway and near the town of Whitewater. There were massive wind turbines all around us. Due to our fast pace, Chris almost stepped on a gopher snake, which was large but not perturbed. We stopped at the Mesa Wind Farm office and bought five ice cream bars!

Today Chris also treated his first blister. Our feet and bodies are doing remarkably well, especially compared to many other hikers we chat with. We should also note that Anna’s shin splints grow less each day and have almost disappeared.

The hike just after the wind farm was steep and very hot. We didn’t see a single shady spot for miles so we took a break in full sun and ate a melted snickers bar. After a few more miles of walking, we confirmed a total lack of shady spots. However we did find butterflies.

Finally, feeling well done, or at least medium rare, we reached the Whitewater River and dipped our feet in. It felt wonderful.

About a mile past the river we found a flat camping spot. After 3000 feet of climbing in heavy heat, sleep came quickly.

Day 20: Uphill from Whitewater River (Mile 221.5)- Creek side Camp (235.5); 14 miles

All the wonderful downhill walking during Day 17 took its revenge today. On the PCT, what goes down must certainly come back up. The guidebook we are using describes the climb accurately: “long, slow, hot uphill slog. Bring your big boy/girl pants.”

We woke at 5 and made great progress on the uphill in the morning.

By noon we were wavering in the relentless heat.

The heat was taking its toll on Chris so we decided to call it an early night and camp after 14 miles of walking. We knew we’d need the extra energy to tackle the remainder of the mountain the next day.

At our shady, cool campsite, other hikers began to join us as evening approached. We chatted for a couple hours with Rick, who told us funny stories. Eventually Jaunty and Caveman showed up, and they were both quite friendly as well. As the sun set, we all slept.

Day 12-16: Changes

May4

Day 12: Mile 126.5-140, plus 0.5 miles off trail for water; 14 miles
Day 13: Mile 140-156; 16 miles
Day 14: Mile 156-167.5; 11.5 miles
Day 15: Mile 167.5-179.5 + 2.5 mile side trail into Idyllwild; 14.5 miles
Day 16: Zero day in Idyllwild

In the last few days we experienced many changes in our surroundings and our bodies.

In 53 miles we walked from desert to pine forest, and from 3500 feet of elevation to 8600 feet. Cacti and scrub brush dominated the low lying desert landscape of the Anza Borrego Desert State Park.

By contrast, in the high peaks of the San Jacinto Wilderness, pine trees hugged the mountainsides.

In the desert we rose early, before 6, to walk a few miles before the sun’s heat grew intense. Around noon we found a shady spot to cook dinner and rest. Conversely, high in the San Jacinto range, the temperature was much cooler so we could walk comfortably mid-day.

Due to the temperature difference, water availability also differed dramatically between these two sections of the PCT. In the desert, water was scarce and we were ever mindful of our distance to the next spring, cistern, or water cache. Water’s scarcity made it precious, and we were especially grateful for it.

At 8000 feet, water was all around us in the form of snow!

It was exciting to observe all of these changes in such a short period.

After living outdoors and hiking long distances for over two weeks, our bodies are beginning to adapt. Most notably, we have experienced greater hunger, and tend to snack all day long. As our bodies adjust to our walking pace, they are also demanding more sleep, typically 10 hours each night.

At first glance, our dirtiness was the most visible change. We took our first showers of the trip today, and did our first laundry. We look strangely clean now and are ready to get dirty again!

“… all of it offered a palette in time and space where beauty was anchored to change.” – Gail Caldwell

Day 8-11: Rainbows, Eagles, and Cowboy Camping

Apr29

Day 8: Mile 87-101; 14 miles

We were battered by a fierce storm last night, but stayed dry. Rain continued into the morning, and we emerged from our tent to a sweet rainbow.

We began hiking and found a crazy mix of wind, rain, sun, clouds, and blue sky — sometimes all at once! Looking across the valley, we saw billowing clouds resting on the top of the far ridge with deep blue sky above.

We walked to the water cache at mile 91 where we found many water jugs. Several trail angels puts in a ton of effort to bring water up here. We were grateful as without the cache, this could have been a 33 mile dry stretch.

A strong wind buffeted us the whole day. At the close of the day we crossed the 100 mile mark!

Day 9: Mile 101-109; 8 miles + 2.4 off trail to Warner Springs post office

Since we were nearing a town we had not expected the morning’s walking to be anything special, but we enjoyed a lovely trek through a pasture with grassy hills. We saw our first cows of the hike, and they looked quite content, as they should given the scenery.

Plus, we rode an eagle, which rocked.

After several miles we reached Warner Springs, where we retrieved our first food boxes and bounce box from the small post office. Outside we chatted with Keala, washed clothes in the faucet, backed up photos, charged batteries, cut our nails, and wrote thank you postcards to people who have donated to the Nature Conservancy.

In the late afternoon we walked back to the PCT and set up the tent in a sandy area near a creek. Frogs serenaded us to sleep after sunset.

Day 10: Mile 109-117; 8 miles

Since we hadn’t taken a zero day (a rest day walking zero miles) yet, we decided to at least make this a more relaxing day. To start, we slept in until 8! Then we stopped at the Warner Springs Community Center, which is right next to the trail, for a pancake and egg breakfast. Around 11am we hit the trail for a couple miles. It wasn’t too long before we stopped and enjoyed the shade and cool waters of Agua Caliente Creek. Soaking our feet in the cold water was like icing them. It felt perfect. We saw critters living underwater on the rocks which indicated good water quality.

Our relaxing day was going great until Anna started getting pain in her right shin. The pain was increasing the farther we walked so we decided to camp early. Our hypothesis was that the shin pain was caused by the trail which was tilted to one side for many miles.

In the evening, we cowboy camped (just sleeping bags, no tent) in a small area surrounded by scrub brush. Above us, the half moon hung in a pristine blue sky as night slowly descended.

Day 11: Mile 117- 126.5; 9.5 + 0.4 miles off trail for water

Cowboy camping did us well last night! We both slept quite well, about 10 hours. Anna’s shin was better after resting but still irritable so we decided to play it safe with another shorter mileage day. We walked three miles, then stopped for water at Lost Valley Spring, which was 0.2 miles off trail. The sun hadn’t crested the ridge yet so the morning air was comfortably cool.

Around noon, we passed through a huge bowl strewn with massive rocks. Tiny springs seeped through the rocks occasionally.

We’re hoping Anna’s shin is back to 100% tomorrow because we want to start increasing our mileage. Fortunately, the rest of our bodies are adapting well to the stresses of the trail.

Day 5-7: Life in the Desert

Apr25

Day 5: Mile 45.5-59.5; 14 miles
Day 6: Mile 59.5-72; 12.5 miles
Day 7: Mile 72- 87; 15 miles

The past three days have continued to be beautiful and filled with fun experiences. In order to give folks a sense of our new lifestyle we decided to focus this post on the details of one day, day 6.

6 AM: Woke up after a very windy and foggy night. Both of us were awakened several times during the night by the wind pummeling the fabric of our tent. We changed into hiking clothing and packed up sleeping bags, tent, and other gear. Then we ate granola with powdered milk for breakfast.

7 AM: Started hiking in the cooler part of the day, just after sunrise. The wind was so strong it was hard to balance at times. We chatted with a fellow thru hiker named Dazzle as we walked through rolling hills in the Anza Borrego Desert.

9:30 AM: Took a short break and ate a granola bar. Lent our solar panel to Dazzle, who attached it to the top of his pack. He returned it a few miles down trail after his phone was recharged.

9:40 AM: Continued hiking. Observed many wildflowers – nightshade, Indian paintbrush, and bush poppy were the flowers we recognized. I (Anna) am trying to learn more about desert plants. Sometimes one of us will take a picture of a flower or leaves while hiking and then try to ID the plant later during our siesta.

10:30 AM: We stopped briefly for Anna to treat the first blister of the hike.

10:40 AM: Hike on!

12:00 PM: Arrived at a water tank and refilled some of our empty water containers. It had been 15 miles since our last water source, so we had been carrying 10 pounds of water each. Here we also ate a lunch of cheese and tortillas and rested in the shade.

3:00 PM: Started hiking again. The trail hugged the mountainside and slowly decended. As we dropped to a lower elevation, we saw more cacti, including hedgehog and beavertail cacti which were flowering with lovely pink blossoms.

5:00 PM: Stopped at a dry creek bed and decided to set up camp there. No rain was expected until the following evening, so the creek bed stayed dry while we were there.

6:00 PM: Made broccoli cheddar rice on our alcohol stove. Added olive oil for extra calories and flavor. Had a Kit Kat for dessert in the desert (fortunately not desert in the dessert.)

7:00 PM: Put our food into a critter-proof bag, organized gear, laid out pads and sleeping bags. Consulted maps to plan our next day.

8:00 PM: Zzzzzz.

That’s it for day 6. Here are a few highlights from days 5 and 7:

- Watching the sun rise over the the Sawtooth Range. Awesomely beautiful! The desert has a stark and dramatic beauty that can be stunning.
- Trail angels Pinkie and Dead Animal surprised us with trail magic of pie and root beer near Scissors Crossing.
- Saw our first rattlesnake, about 10 feet from the trail. It was coiled and rattling!

Day 2-4: Easing In

Apr22

Day 2: Mile 11- past Lake Morena to mile 26; 15 miles
Day 3: Mile 26 – 36; 10 miles
Day 4: Mile 36 – 45.5; 9.5 miles plus Mt. Laguna town resupply

The first stretch of the PCT from the Mexican border to Mt. Laguna has been great. We are seeing beautiful landscapes, observing interesting wildlife, getting our legs accustomed to our pack weight and daily mileage, and meeting friendly people.

The scenery tends to be low shrubs covering rolling hills with occasional wildflowers interspersed.

However, there are plenty of exceptions. Stands of large oak trees grow near creeks, some sections have rocky outcrops, and as we gained elevation near Mt Laguna we entered a pine forest. One of our favorite spots was near a big oak tree that looked to be hundreds of years old. Old trees have a calming but powerful presence and we really enjoyed that campsite.

During the hottest part of the day, several thru hikers tend to cluster together in one of the few shady places along the trail. We’ve met many interesting people from around the world – New Zealand, Japan, Hawaii, and all over the continental US. We’ve spent the most time chatting with Aaron and Laura from Bend, OR. They already thru hiked the PCT once, and are back to do it a second time! The common theme with everyone we’ve met on the trail is that they are happy and excited to be here.

We’ve also enjoyed watching and listening to the southern California critters. Two days ago we saw a snake peeking out of a hole, and another on the trail. We’ve seen several horny toads sunning themselves on a rocks. They look ancient with their dinosaur-like armor. Yesterday we watched the lizard pictured below hunt and eat a spider. We are learning more about the birds native to this area, and recently learned the acorn woodpecker’s call.

After a few hours in the town of Mt. Laguna we are restocked with food and on our way again.

Day 1: First Steps

Apr19

Mexican border (mile 0) to mile 11.25

Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way.
- Dr. Seuss

We experienced our first trail magic before we even reached the trail. Scout and Frodo, who hiked the PCT in 2007 were super helpful hosting us and arranging rides to the trailhead. They hosted many other hikers too, and had a BBQ with various of their PCT friends. It was great to chat maps and photography with Half Mile, whose maps we are using on this trip. And we met a number of other hikers like us crazy enough to try to thru hike the PCT.

This morning Tristan drove us to the trailhead at 6 AM. We touched the Mexican border fence, signed the trail register, and then we were on our way.

When you picture a desert, you might imagine a barren expanse of land, but the desert here is anything but barren. We saw lots of wildflowers and a variety of trees, grasses, and animals.
The temperature was perfect in the morning, though it got toasty later on.

At 12:45 we took a siesta. We cooked beans and couscous under a manzanita tree. The siesta is great in the desert because it allows us to walk during the cooler morning and evening hours, and rest during the heat of the day. As we ate, a hummingbird paid us a visit and we charged our phones back to a full charge with our solar panel.
We walked a few more miles, and in the evening, we found a good spot and set up our tent. Now we can rest our feet and have a nice sound sleep.

We both felt a bit disoriented from all the traveling we’ve been doing looking for a new home town, but now on the trail things seem very simple. When all you have to worry about is walking, eating, and sleeping, your mind can be at rest. Thus after the initial excitement wore off, we both felt comfortable and relaxed.

As we take these first steps on the PCT, we wanted to share that with each mile we walk we are raising funds for the Nature Conservancy. The Nature Conservancy is an excellent nonprofit organization which protects ecologically important lands and waters around the world, including areas in all 50 states. Our goal is to each raise $1 per mile. This means we are aiming for a total of $5300. Click the link below to visit out Nature Conservancy donation page.
http://support.nature.org/site/TR?pg=fund&fr_id=1030&pxfid=2880

If you are one of the first ten people who donate, we’ll send you an awesome PCT postcard. Thank you for your support!

Earlier Start, New Home City, and Permits

Apr13

We’ve decided to start hiking a bit earlier than we originally planned, for a few reasons. The early start will allow us to walk fewer miles in the beginning of the trip and more gradually increase our pace. It has been a very low snow year for California, so starting a week early shouldn’t cause any snow challenges. Also, we finished our tour of possible new cities (more thoughts on that below). Finally, as you might guess, we’re antsy to hit the trail. Our new plan is to start hiking north from the US/Mexican border on April 19th. That’s less than a week from now!

We had a great tour of potential cities to live in after we finish the hike. Each place had its own unique feel and culture, and we’re glad we took the time to explore them firsthand. The place that clicked with us best was Fort Collins, Colorado. The friendly, down to earth people, good bike lanes, lively walkable downtown, proximity to the mountains, and art scene were all major positives for us. We are very excited to call Fort Collins our new home after hiking the PCT!

Sunset in the Old Town area of Fort Collins

Although we just picked a new home city, the woods and mountains of the Pacific Crest Trail will be our home for the next five months. We received our permits from the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) allowing us to camp anywhere along the trail. We are very grateful to the PCTA for coordinating with the many National Park, State Park, and Forest Service organizations to make this permit process so simple.

One permit for 2650 miles!

Begin the thru hike countdown! Six days and counting…

Mexico to Canada

Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail

Day 30-32: Poodle Dog Ballet, Snow Plants, and an Eclipse

Day 26-29: Rest and Relaxation

Day 21-25: Leave No Trace

Day 17-20: Chutes and Ladders

Day 12-16: Changes

Day 8-11: Rainbows, Eagles, and Cowboy Camping

Day 5-7: Life in the Desert

Day 2-4: Easing In

Day 1: First Steps

Earlier Start, New Home City, and Permits

Follow “Mexico to Canada”

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