All Jokes About the Desert are Dry Humor

Coming out of Idyllwild, I had expected snowy conditions, but the extent to which that section challenged me both physically and emotionally took me by surprise. There were many points (the majority of which involved postholing through waist-deep snow) when I wanted to be done for the day and just curl up in my warm quilt with hot chocolate. However, the beauty (and challenge) of thru-hiking is that you have to keep going forward in order to make it through. I’m grateful for the challenges around that section for teaching me to tap into strength I didn’t know I had.

While the trail technically goes through the desert up until Kennedy Meadows, I remained unconvinced that I was actually hiking through a desert until hitting mile 300. After celebrating the 300 mark with lunch at the Deep Creek Hot Springs it still took enjoying an ice cream sundae at the Cajon Pass McDonalds (and seeing a snake) before I finally internalized that. Making it to the McDonalds at Cajon Pass felt like another huge milestone, and an ice cream sundae made for a great afternoon snack.

Beam me up, Scotty!

Hiking through Vasquez rocks, the film site of Star Trek, was an incredible experience (one might even say it was out of this world).

? I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more ?

Hitting the 500-mile mark had seemed unfathomable before starting, so reaching that milestone is when the “oh my goodness I’m actually thru-hiking the PCT” feeling hit me. After listening to the Proclaimers I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) on repeat for about an hour straight, I finally processed that I had in fact walked 500 miles

Aqueduct Adventures

I honestly really enjoyed the Aqueduct. Although I wasn’t thrilled by my 4 am alarm, getting to watch the sunrise emerge over the enormity of the desert was breathtaking.

Arriving in Kennedy Meadows had seemed so unattainable at the start that actually getting to Grumpy Bears and Triple Crown Outfitters seemed unreal. Although I’m nervous about going through the Sierras, I’m equally excited to experience the beauty of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

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