Leaving the summit of Mt. Whitney and arriving back at our camp at Crabtree Meadows, I decided to eat, rest a while, and then press on. We would be climbing Forester Pass tomorrow, and I wanted to get as close as possible so that we could get there first thing Read more…
The air was cold and damp as we stepped out of the van at the trailhead – very different from what we were used to after 700 miles of desert. Still, it felt good be back on the trail. Our time at Grumpy’s and Kennedy Meadows had been enjoyable, but Read more…
Climbing up out of Tehachapi Pass, the wind swept over the ridge like an ocean current. At times, I could barely make forward progress as the strong gusts screamed over the barren landscape. Other times, I could barely stay on the trail as the current buffeted me to one side Read more…
It’s been brought to my attention that I often refer to “we” as I describe my adventures on the trail. Yes, I set out to hike the trail on my own, but I never had any intention of hiking alone. The trail is a social place, and it’s often the Read more…
Cold. Brutal Cold. Bone-chilling cold. The type of cold that you just can’t keep out, no matter how many layers you put on. All we could think about as we headed back towards the trail was why we were voluntarily leaving the comforts of town on such a day as Read more…
Leaving town is always hard. Even though we had technically already left town, we were still barely two miles from the sweet accommodations of civilization. Plus, the campsite had running water from a spigot and a privy. Why would anyone ever leave? Finally, however, we remembered that Canada probably wasn’t Read more…
I thought that we were past the worst of the snow. I thought that we would be heading downhill. I thought it would be relatively warm. And then the clouds rolled in. I stood outside of my motel room as thick layers of clouds billowed into the valley. If you’re Read more…
Easter Sunday isn’t the greatest day of the year to get a hitch as a thru-hiker. The group of four of us stood out on the main road in front of the campground for some substantial amount of time. Sometimes a car would actually come down the road and we Read more…
As I walked down the sidewalk in Julian, California, I heard a voice behind me, “What’s up, man?”I spun around, slightly startled, “Hey! How’s it going?”“Living the dream, man. What’s your backpack for?”“I’m thru hiking the PCT.” I had a sense of what would come next.“What?”“I’m hiking the Pacific Crest Read more…
“Hi, welcome to McDonald’s. What can I get for you?”I replied with my standard breakfast order, “I’ll have two sausage egg biscuits.”“So you want, uh, two sausages and two biscuits, uh, separately?”I was suddenly surprised, so I attempted to clarify, “No, I want two sausage egg biscuits, the sandwiches.”“Oh, ok, Read more…