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...
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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. ...
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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...
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Summer adds a new layer of complication for section hikers in Southern California. Wildfires and triple-digit temperatures are common, so extra care and planning are absolutely necessary. The Sand Fire in the Santa Clarita area, which burned 41,000 acres in late July and required 42 firefighting...
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Detours and trail closures are nothing new for hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail, but disaster hit especially hard this June. California wildfires swept through two separate areas around the famous Mexico-to-Canada trail, closing stretches of it for more than a week near the Mexican...
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There is no formal Wikipedia entry for trail angels. Before I started hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, I thought they were kind people who lived near the trail and offered water and indoor plumbing to the dirty, tired hikers who passed by every spring. But there’s...
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Imagine having to organize and pack everything you need to survive living out of your backpack for the next few months. Sounds a little daunting, right? I hit the Pacific Crest Trail last week to begin my thru-hike from Mount Whitney to the Canadian border, as I revised...
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