Posts
Fires and Tendons and Bears
A journey of 1000 miles will probably seem longer if it begins with plantar fasciitis. A few months before starting the PCT, I woke up one morning,
Failure of Imagination
After moving to the USA, one of my first solo camping trip was to the San Francisco Peaks. I grew up in the UK, where the most dangerous thing I
Unfinished Business
In February 2008, I moved from Phoenix to San Diego to start a new job. During the weeks that followed, the economy began to experience a downturn
My Phone May not Survive 2,650 Miles
Long before my first smartphone, I owned a "personal digital assistant." I bought a PDA because I was tired of keeping a pile of post-it notes. So
Midlife Crisis? Possibly
After giving a lot of thought to hiking the PCT, I'd had plenty of time to consider the practicalities. I would be quitting my job, obviously.
I Need a Bigger Bear Canister
My shakedown hike on the John Muir Trail highlighted several gear issues, but in this post I'm going to focus on the bear canister. In particular,
Solo Hiking: An Opportunity for Self-Reflection
A few months ago, I read a post by a solo female hiker (SFH) who's had some bad experiences when interacting with men. It's possible that she's just
PCT-Inspired Playlists
A few years ago, I was passing through Death Valley in late January. While I was at the visitors center, I asked the ranger about trail conditions on
We Don’t Get Nine Lives
A little obvious, I know. But have you ever been in a situation when time seems to slow down? It happens as soon as you perceive that you're in
Three Reasons Why
Why did you decide to hike the Pacific Crest Trail? Here are my top three reasons. There's at least one more, but I'll leave that for another