Mile: 41.5 to 61.7 Mileage: 20.2 Day: 3 It was still dark when Richard felt the hard-packed dirt below our tent under his sleeping bag. Throughout the night, his inflatable sleeping pad had been ever so slowly shrinking beneath his weight due to a small puncture. He blew some more air into the pad and […]
Miles: 22.1 to 41.5 Mileage: 19.4 Day: 2 We woke just before sunrise, but took our time getting out of our sleeping bags, discussing our dreams. The night was so quiet. I don’t remember the last time I heard less. As soon as the sun came across the valley to our ridge, it was warm. […]
Despite feeling nervous and excited, I slept well at Scout and Frodo’s. We set the alarm for 4:45 a.m. By 5:15 we were packed and sitting down to breakfast. Twelve hikers loaded into three vehicles and we all headed out to the trail head just as the sun was rising. We made it to the […]
We’ve made it to San Diego, have been welcomed, feed and bedded by the lovely and talented Scout and Frodo, and are ready to start hiking! Scout and Frodo thru hiked the PCT in 2007 and have been kind enough to host hikers at their home ever since. We are eternally grateful for their generosity. […]
As Richard and I fly out to San Diego tomorrow to start our Pacific Crest Trail hike, I have prepared for the occasion by having my gear mostly ready. Here’s what I’ve got planned. Osprey Tempest 40 2 lbs MSR 2L titanium pot/homemade cosy/homemade pop can stove 13.4 ounces Crocs for camp shoes 8.6 ounces […]
I’ve spent the last few days prepping many many mail drops of food for our PCT hike. We tried to pack our favorite snacks and meals because sometimes, when you’re really exhausted, only the most delicious foods can tempt you to eat — even though your body is calorie deficit. That said, spending hours on […]
In college, I was a member of the OSU Mountaineers Club. We organized and led trips for rock climbing, backpacking, ice climbing, sky diving or whatever people were into or wanted to try. It was the first time I really found my community at Ohio State and I met some truly wonderful people there. At […]
Almost a year ago, Richard and I, and our friend Dan, hiked from the south rim of the Grand Canyon to the north rim and back. The hike was awesome. And very painful. We left camp at 5 a.m. and walked 3 miles to the trailhead. The trail we went down is called South Kaibab […]
As the weather in the front range of Colorado continued to warm, I planned more training hikes for the Pacific Crest Trail. I figure the more time I spend strapped into my backpack slogging up hills, the better prepared I’ll be for putting in some serious miles right off the bat. What I discovered while […]
When I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2009, I carried an Osprey Talon 44 the whole way. I love that pack! I still use it, regularly. I have taken it around the world as my preferred bag on flights. It is durable, generally comfortable — as long as I don’t over-pack it — and has […]