Author Archives: travel
Snow Creek
In the morning, Merkel, Horizon and I had just 8 miles to our destination, our shortest day yet. But we had a lot of switchbacks to do to get down the hillside. As we descended, the temperature started to soar and when we got to Snow Creek by midmorning it was already in the 80s. … Continue reading
Mt. San Jacinto
We left Idyllwild (and Infrared) in the mid-afternoon, after having ice cream for lunch. The four of us, Horizon, Merkel, Captain Dead weight, and myself, walked through town and eventually reached a trail that would connect us back to the PCT. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and there were a lot of people out … Continue reading
Painful feet
After leaving our lovely campsite by the creek, we quickly started gaining elevation and soon entered a region of true desert. The lush trees gave way to scrub oaks and then just cactus and dried grasses. Hiking early in the morning is the best. Not only is the sun light soft and golden, there are … Continue reading
Resupply
I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of rain hitting my tarp. We had seen on the weather report that there was a 90% chance of rain, we everyone set up their tents/tarps before going to bed and we were all glad we did. It rained quite hard for a … Continue reading
Mile 100
After getting a ride from Julian back to the trail, Eric and I hung out in the shade for a while, waiting for Dead weight, Merkel, and Pre-meta to catch up (they were in town, eating pie). A guy we had seen the previous night came up, looking beat. He said his buddy had to … Continue reading
Trail names
I awoke in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and noticed that the moon, which was near full when we set up camp, was obscured in a strange way. In the morning I thought I was imagining it until we saw a hiker who asked if we saw the lunar eclipse that … Continue reading
Day 1!
With the anticipation of starting the PCT, I didn’t get much sleep on April 2 so it was good that we decided not to get up too early. By the time Jacob and I picked up Eric and drove the hour to the start of the trail, it was 9 am. There was a group … Continue reading
Ready!
Jacob and I spent this morning in San Diego getting ready for tomorrow, when I hit the trail. Here is all of the gear that I’m taking with me, including the clothes I’ll wear, my food, and water. And here’s my food for the first 5 days. Now its time to relax, eat fish tacos, … Continue reading
Ready for adventures
With just hours to go before starting, emotions are running high here. I’m excited, nervous, a bit anxious, and ready for it to be here. With my bag completely packed, including five days of food and four liters of water, my backpack weighs 28.5 pounds. That is just under my personal limit of 30 pounds … Continue reading
Heading off!
This is my last post before I head off for my next adventure! In just a few hours, I’ll be headed to San Diego. Jacob is coming to see me off and we’re staying with some friends from grad school whom we haven’t seen in far too long. It will be great to catch up … Continue reading
Training
To further prepare for the PCT, I have also been doing as much physical training as possible. In September 2014 I started going to a 45-minute outdoor cross training class every weekday morning. All of the squats, lunges and kettle bell swings I have been doing have made a huge difference, for both my strength … Continue reading
Gear
Every ultralight backpacker is constantly trying to cut ounces from the weight they have to carry and I am no exception. I knew that the gear that I typically use while backpacking would be too heavy for a long distance hike, so I did a lot of research and spent a good amount of money … Continue reading
backpacking food
A lot of people have asked me what I’m going to eat while hiking the PCT. Since food has been the biggest part of my preparations, I wanted to include an entry devoted to it alone. Hiking 15-30 miles per day requires a lot of calories, but the heavier the food, the more you have … Continue reading
PCT 101
I’m reviving my blog (with a new look and design) in preparation of my next adventure: hiking the Pacific Crest Trail! The Pacific Crest Trail, or PCT, is a 2,650 mile long trail that stretches from the border of Mexico into Canada, going through the mountains of California, Oregon, and Washington. Here’s a nice picture … Continue reading
Maputo
On the last day of the trip, we got up super early! Breakfast was at 5:30 and we were all on the truck and heading off at 6. We had a long way to go again and a complicated itinerary. We briefly stopped twice along the way, but for the most part tried to make … Continue reading