Posts
Before and After the Thru Hike
I thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail last summer, from Mexico to Canada. The happiest months of my life were the six months prior.
Giving up on a continuous footpath
Dealing with wildfires felt like a crisis for my thru-hike. Given that they are a regular part of the PCT, alongside other itinerary shifting factors like snow, heat, and injury, I could have anticipated this.
Alone in the Burn Scar
I give up on sleep just before 5 AM, peering out at the silhouettes of live trees next to me, and burnt ones for miles beyond
Finding My Own Way in the Sierras
It feels like walking away from the southern terminus all over again, but now I’m staring down mountain passes, stream crossings, and the threat of bears. Why did I decide now was the time to start solo hiking?
7 Lessons from 700 Miles
While I’ve joked that I don’t think the trail will change me, I’ve learned and re-learned a lot. So, in no particular order, here are 7 lessons from the desert
I finally feel like a thru hiker
I wake to the muffled sound of a train horn blaring behind the park hedge and roll to the center of my tent, where the walls won’t hit my face in the wind.
Golden Hour Hiking
The past few towns I’ve been feeling a pull to strike out on my own, to make my own decisions, to read the map before the itinerary is set.
PCT Section One: One day at a Time
A week before I started the PCT, I got the stomach flu. I desperately wanted the misery to mean something.
When Your Shakedown Hike Shakes Your Confidence
“I’m going to put in my music to push through these last miles. I need a morale boost.” I announced, queuing up Taylor Swift and shuffling through
The Joy of New Challenges: Why I’m Hiking the PCT
For me, the PCT is about full-sending from a place of joy & exploration--what could happen? What am I capable of? What kind of world can be built with that sense of determination and possibility? What does it mean to love something that has the power to transform me, the world, and to utterly break me?