That’s the plan!

Whenever I pass a day hiker they ask “are you hiking all the way to Canada?” I always respond “that’s the plan!” The trail requires flexibility. By saying “that’s the plan” I try to embrace the unknown. Sometimes, plans don’t go accordingly. A water source is unexpectedly dry, I have extra energy and hike further than I had planned, I get trail magic at a road crossing and sit there longer than I had anticipated. I can plan resupply boxes down to the last tuna packet, and make a spreadsheet of daily mileage in order to get to Canada before school starts in the fall. But ultimately, the trail will throw obstacles along the way, and without flexibility I will not make it.

The tramily at 500 miles

On day 39, I arrived at where the tramily had agreed to eat lunch. Disco suggested that at the next road crossing we go into town to a smokehouse and get dinner. Everyone happily agreed, our hiker hunger overpowering any budget we had made pre-trail. After a hot 20 miles, we arrived at the road crossing and hitched into town. The smokehouse was amazing, I got a pulled pork bowl. The owner was so kind and gave us a ride back to trail where we camped for the evening.

Two days later I arrived in Hikertown, an iconic stop on the PCT. The plan was to hang out there all day and then head out at 5pm for the infamous LA aqueduct night hike. After laying around all day, we finally headed out. We had decided to create our own 24 hour challenge: hiking 41 miles from Hikertown to Tehachapi in less than 24 hours. With glow sticks in hand (the night hike was rave themed), we started walking along the flat aqueduct.

The LA aqueduct

At midnight I stopped for a yummy lunch of couscous before continuing on through the wind farm. 23 miles in, we decided to camp in order to get some sleep while it was still dark out. At 6am after three hours of sleep I woke up tired but ready to complete the challenge. I pushed uphill, eating a nice lunch of couscous (obviously my favorite trail meal right now) at the top. I entered another wind farm, and took a 15 minute power nap in order to arrive at the road into Tehachapi at 3pm. 22 hours, 41 miles, and 3 hours of sleep. My biggest take away from this challenge is that after trail I want to get into ultra marathons.

Enjoying the flowers

After a quick resupply in Tehachapi, I headed back to trail through more wind farms and into the Mojave desert. In the morning, the sound of rain woke me up. I headed up the mountain with Poppins, where the rain quickly turned into snow and the breeze from the night before became 60 mph winds. Holding onto each other out of fear of being blown off the ridge, we side stepped our way going a mile an hour before finally cresting the summit and finding wind protection on the other side. Although I had only gone 7 miles, I was exhausted from pushing through the wind. After an unseasonably wet and cold desert section, Poppins and I have been joking that we are getting all of our bad weather out of the way so that the sierras will be sunny and warm. I really hope it’s true.

At Walkers Pass

Along with the hiker hunger, my thru hiker legs have finally started to appear. The following days I hiked 6 20+ miles days with few aches or pains. I feel strong and capable although I can’t seem to eat enough mashed potatoes, protein bars, or fruit snacks to keep my hunger at bay. Over those 6 days, the trail meandered in and out of pine forests and desert landscapes. On day 47 in the desert, I finally got my first view of the snow capped Sierras. With a pep in my step, the idea of two zeros at Kennedy meadows kept me moving, my first zero days in 550 miles since day 15 in Idyllwild.

I woke up to my final day in the desert section of the PCT. It was warm and sunny, although the promise of our first afternoon thunderstorm loomed over my head as I headed off. The clouds started to roll in, and I stopped to eat a ramen bomb before the rain came, knowing that once it started raining the likelihood I would want to stop to eat lunch was extremely low (a lesson I learned multiple times on the AT).

Climbing over endless blowdowns

I hiked over an exposed ridge line with Two Speed and Roadrunner as the first clap of thunder boomed through the humid air. Soon it was hailing, and I pulled on my rain pants over my muddy and wet hiking boots. We ran down the mountain, the holes in my hiking boots letting in all of the precipitation, hail stinging my face as flashes of lightening lit up the darkened sky.

I reached the water source as the rain slowed down, and found Poppins, Paws, and Chrome about to push on, declaring that they were going to hike nine more miles into Kennedy Meadows, making it a 30 mile day and completing the desert section. I continued on with them, but soon decided that I wasn’t done with the desert quite yet. As they pushed on, I found a nice campsite and the sun began to peak back out from behind the clouds as if telling me to enjoy the fleeting moments of warm SoCal sun before embarking into the snowy sierras.

Hiking through the storm

My last night in the desert section on the PCT and my first night camping alone after 700 miles. While reflecting in my tent that night, I couldn’t help but think about all the people I had met along the way so far. The ones still on trail and the ones who have decided trail life isn’t for them. The trail angels who hosted me in their houses and cooked meals for me at road crossings. The strangers who picked me up on the side of the road and drove me into town, and the 6 thru hikers who I met week one in Julian and have now hiked 700 miles together. And for all of them, I am so grateful. With their help, I can continue on this crazy plan of hiking from Mexico to Canada. After 51 days, it is time to leave the desert and embark on a new challenge of the snowy Sierra Nevada mountain range.