A Little About Me & I’m Hiking the PCT!

A Little About Me

Hey, I’m Kiley, and I’m hiking the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail)! I’m a lover of landscapes and little moments and try to spend as much time outside as possible, hiking, backpacking, swimming, relaxing, reading, and capturing beauty with my camera when I can! I’m a nature lover/self-proclaimed bird nerd/ mountain freak who feels happiest in the alpine surrounded by whitebark pines and Clark’s nutcrackers (a bird), a crisp lake in sight, with snow dotting the surrounding peaks.

My husband (who is hiking with me!) and I have lived in Montana for the last three years, and we love the big sky, wide open spaces, sagebrush and mountains and all the hiking/backpacking/skiing that comes with it!

A Few Fun Facts:

I’ve worked as a seasonal National Park Ranger for the last six years, in Glacier, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, and North Cascades in the summer, and I fall in love a little bit with every natural place I work. I work odd jobs (farmer, wildlife tech, ski resort, pizza shop, pet store) during the winter. 

Paintbrush wildflowers, alpine lakes, whitebark pine trees and snowcapped mountains are my happy place.

If you go on a hike with me I will try and identify every tree and bird.

Bears are cool and I’ve worked a lot with bear education and bear safety.

My husband and I adopted a puppy two years ago, and we named her Juniper. Juniper trees after it rains is one of my favorite smells.

I’m a national park lover and have visited 28 of 63! But national monuments, Forest Service lands, and state parks hold some of my favorite trails and places 🙂 

Some of my favorite books are Braiding Sweetgrass, Journeys North, and A Sun is a Compass.

The craziest travel I’ve done is traveling to Chile (and parts of Patagonia) for two weeks! I also lived in Costa Rica for a semester studying abroad in college.

I started a photography page/mini business a few years ago, and I currently make cards, and handmade photo earrings, and sell prints at a farmers market in our town. I’ll be sharing photos of our trek on my photography Instagram page – here!

I’m super interested in combining science communication and art and still trying to figure that out. 

I  love taking photographs, and you can find my website and a few of my photographs at this link here

Our Hiking Background

I got into hiking while I was going to college in Central New York for conservation biology. My first backpacking trip was actually a kayaking overnight trip in the Adirondack Mountains when I was 19! Growing up in New York, I had never been west of the Mississippi but loved the idea of mountains and wide spaces.

Jacob’s first backpacking trip was in the Beartooth Mountains in Montana in his early 20’s; since then, he’s hiked the Colorado Trail in 2021 and his own self-proclaimed Rendezvous Trail that connects Red Lodge, Montana to Jackson Hole, WY (about a two week trip). 

I really gained my hiking experience working in our national parks. 

The National Parks

When I went to college for Conservation Biology, all I knew is that I wanted to work outside. Every career test in high school placed me as a marine biologist or vet tech, and I knew there was more than that out there. An internship as a junior in college at Theodore Roosevelt National Park (shout out to the Student Conservation Association), showed me a path I never knew was possible to work outside, and connect people with our natural world.

Fast forward, and I’ve made a career of being a seasonal Park Ranger with the National Park Service (NPS) and Forest Service (FS). For the past six years, I’ve worked as a naturalist, educator, wilderness ranger, and wildlife technician in Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, Glacier, and North Cascades National Parks, and one season with the Custer Gallatin National Forest. 

What I Do

All of these jobs have allowed me to be outside for work – from leading guided hikes, to giving wildlife encounter presentations, to patrolling the backcountry and checking wilderness permits, to performing trail maintenance and putting out still hot campfires (a lot). Everything from helping collar a moose to darting a bison for genetic sampling, to helping search for a missing hiker and evacuating from a wildfire. I’ve rode in helicopters for goat surveys and scrambled the craziest areas to set up wildlife cameras. One time, I even chased a bear (or two). If you want more ranger stories – stick around.

As an interpretive Park Ranger, I staffed the visitor centers, led guided hikes, and gave evening programs in the campgrounds about the natural and cultural importance of the park – helping visitors establish their own sense of place and belonging. From being an educator and naturalist, I also found my sense of place of each park, learning about the history, the types of trees and phenology, the behaviors of the wildlife and migration routes of the birds.

I also worked as a Wilderness Ranger in Yosemite, working at the wilderness center and teaching Leave No Trace ethics to backpackers and hikers. Working in the North Cascades, I set up wildlife cameras to estimate wildlife populations and completed vegetation surveys on aspen trees while working for the Custer Gallatin NF.  Many people ask if I have a favorite park – and I can’t say I do because each park holds a different and special meaning for me. They are all beautiful and unique, and I feel a sense of home, a topophilia, for each one.

All that to say is – I feel comfortable outside.

I’ve spent almost seven years now recreating and working in the outdoor industry, all across the western United States – but I’ve never backpacked for longer than three days at a time. That’s a little hard for me to admit, to be honest. I feel like I should have done more with all the experience I supposedly tell myself I have (imposter syndrome?).

 

2025 Hiking Plans: The PCT!

This spring and summer, Jacob and I will be hiking 2,650 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada! It should take us about 5ish months to hike the whole trail.

“The Pacific Crest Trail spans 2,650 miles (4,265 kilometers) from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon, and Washington. It is a National Scenic Trail. It reveals the beauty of the desert, unfolds the glaciated expanses of the Sierra Nevada, travels deep forests, and provides commanding vistas of volcanic peaks in the Cascade Range. The trail symbolizes everything there is to love—and protect—in the Western United States.” – the pcta.org

What We Are Looking Forward To

Some of our favorite memories are hiking. From the Beartooth Mountains, to trails near Grand Lake, CO, to Yosemite where we lived for a winter, we have our best moments hiking and being outside.

I’m looking forward to the Sierra Nevada mountains the most! Working in Yosemite, I checked PCT permits in the backcountry and hiked along the PCT for wilderness patrols. I knew it was a trail I wanted to do one day, since every time I went backpacking, I loved it so much, I wished I could just stay out there forever. 

Why are we doing this?

We love to be outside. We love to adventure. We love to wake up in a tent next to each other and climb mountains together. (we love blisters).

So, why the PCT? I first heard about the trail living and going to college in central New York, and for someone who had never been west of the Mississippi River, it sounded like the craziest adventure and life that I would never have. I’ve been reading books about the PCT, and AT and CDT for the last 10 years, and honestly the trail/real adventure genre is my favorite niche. College Kiley would be so proud/excited we are making our dreams come true.

Last Minute Thoughts

Birds!

While on trail, my goal is keep track of the bird species I see or hear and can correctly identify every day!  I see so many folks keep track of miles and elevation gain while hiking long hikes, (which I will do to) but want to add some nature highlights in my counts of the day to day. Hopefully it will keep me connected to the landscapes we are walking through, and keep me fully present in the moment! Shout out to the Insititute for Bird Populations where I worked last year, where I learned 160 bird songs to identify for point count surveys! I will also be using the (free) Merlin Bird ID app to help with new birds that I’m sure I’ll hear/see 🙂 

Hiking With(out) A Purpose

For as much as I love backpacking, I would say about 80% of all my backpacking trips have been work related. I love it. I love that I’m hiking and getting paid to do so. I feel so grateful and so lucky that I hike trails in my “backyard” that most people spend their vacations trying to get to. I’m in awe, when I put down my pack full of 5lb wildlife cameras or a shovel and 2lb radio, and stare at the pines, see a marmot, pass by a mountain goat, or get to watch a gorgeous sunset.

For this trail, I am excited to just hike to hike, no work plan in sight. To jump in a lake just because, to identify wildflowers and birds for fun, to take side quests to a lake or peak because we have all the time in the world, no deadlines (just the snow in the Cascades!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Quote That Sums Up My Hopes for the Trail:

“Sometimes I wish I could photosynthesize so that just by being, just by shimmering at the meadow’s edge or floating lazily on a pond, I could be doing the work of the world while standing silent in the sun.” ~ Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass

Follow along and check back here on the Trek website for updates from the trail! 

Happy Trails,

Kiley