"Zeros and Neros Welcome" A few years ago, before I started hiking the PCT, I would have guessed this sign was inviting losers and fiddlers to stop by. It's actually part of a whole new language you learn on the trail. Situated near Mile 127, this sign...
Read More
Weather curveballs, wildfire detours, and other challenges are nothing new for Pacific Crest Trail hikers. But this year brought an unprecedented amount of difficulties for thru-hikers tackling the legendary 2,650-mile route from Mexico to Canada. Record snowpack. Swollen rivers. Raging wildfires in the Pacific Northwest...
Read More
Few people aspire to hike the PCT in Southern California in summer. Thru-hikers are long gone, focused on snow-melt in the Sierras and reaching Canada by September. Wildfire season is settling in, causing trails—and the roads leading to them—to close at a moment’s notice. And it’s...
Read More
Before there was Cheryl Strayed, there was Catherine Montgomery. In 1926, almost a century before Strayed’s best-selling memoir about her Pacific Crest Trail experience was published, Montgomery came up with the idea of creating a ridgeline track from Canada to Mexico. It seems fitting to pay tribute...
Read More
This summer’s Netflix revival of Gilmore Girls held a plot twist that many didn’t see coming. In the third of four episodes, Lorelei, the hip, pop-culture-loving mom of the popular WB series, announces she’s heading to California to “do Wild” and hike the Pacific Crest...
Read More
Most hikers look forward to unplugging on the trail. But there are times, especially on a thru-hike or long backpacking trip, that seeing a bar or two pop up in a remote area is a welcome surprise. It means we can call home and let...
Read More
The first 100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail are often a heady mix of desert views, strong winds, rattlesnakes, long stretches without water, and free apple pie. As you start to plan your 2017 PCT hike, here are a few things to anticipate along Section...
Read More
Pacific Crest Trail hikers see plenty of stunning mountain and desert views from the trail. But every so often we come upon something so remarkable it cries out for pausing and tipping one's hat in admiration. I call it PCT Art, and here's my work-in-progress collection. ...
Read More
I was ready for the long stretches without water sources, the midday heat, and trail closures due to wildfires and endangered frogs. I knew exactly where to find the big elevation gains, confusing trail splits, and major road crossings. But, as I section-hiked the PCT...
Read More
The timing of my backpacking trip through the Sierras had more to do with permit availability than with peak fall colors or precipitation levels. But I lucked out in both areas: There was no rain and plenty of beautiful foliage during a four-day trip along...
Read More