Day 10
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Today we had an easy 11 mile day into town. entirely downhill and mostly snow free.
Backpacking blog
I like to write about my backpacking trips. All except the most recent posts are daily blog posts from my 2025 through hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.
Day 9
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Today was short in terms of mileage but not in terms of elevation gained—we went 17 miles (camp at mile 176.5) directly up the San Jacinto massif. We’ve set ourselves up nicely to nearo (near zero, zero being through hiker parlance for a zero mileage day) into Idyllwild tomorrow. Though temperatures are the lowest we’ve seen so far, I’m continuing my streak of not setting up my tarp for at least another night, and likely many more :). How could I enjoy this sunset through some nylon?
Day 8
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Today we took things extremely easy with an 8 miles hike to Paradise Valley Cafe, 5 hours and 2 meals there, then another 8 miles to a campsite for a short day ending at mile 159.7.
Day 7
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Rough one today. I ended at little bear’s “hostel” at around mile 145.2 for 25.6 miles on the day. Bailey and I woke up to a crisp morning, and the weather stayed that way for most of the day—lows 70s and partly sunny.
Day 6
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Today was a day of many firsts: first marathon (in fact my phone says I walked exactly 26.2 miles, though my map shows that I ended at 119.6 for 28.4 miles on the day), first 100 miles done, first shower and laundry, first wildflowers, first gross water.
Day 5
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Though I only hiked 20 miles (ended at mile 91.2), today was a big day. I woke up early to a nice sunrise and was walking by 6. After stoping in town, I didn’t stop walking until the sun was down, around 7:30.
Day 4
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I finished the day at a very nice spot at mile 71.2—a mere 2.5% of the trail is now behind me.
Day 3
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Today we ended up at a campground in Mount Laguna just off trail from mile 47.6. A solid day of walking. It was mostly uphill and mostly in the blistering sun, so it was tough and fun.
Day 2
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Today I just barely managed to stick to my first week goal of taking it easy until my legs get under me.
Day 1
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Today I flew from Chicago to San Diego and after messing around with the southbound bus system and two rideshares I made it to the southern terminus monument. I’ll spare the gory details.
Gear post
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Today is day -3 of my PCT hike and I have finally configured my website. This (mercifully brief) test post will describe my gear. It will be so brief as to consist of two images and a link to a spreadsheet!
One day this page will be more organized…