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.
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For veteran readers of the blog, I’m trying something a bit different; my spring break blog posts will summarize multiple days of my trip, informed by my daily journal. On the PCT I found myself not writing things I was thinking and feeling because I knew it would end up on the internet, so this is my current idea of a solution.
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Today was a short one because of the closure around Wrightwood for the Bridge Fire. I walked to Mile 356.2, gaining a bit over 4,000 feet in the process, only to descend several thousand to hitchhike into Wrightwood and thus halfway around the closure. This amounted to about 15 miles on trail and 21 total miles of walking.
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Today was pretty quintessential type II fun. I woke up to a drizzle on my face at 1 am, which I dismissed as my imagination. After being convinced by several more I hastily put up my tarp and fell back asleep. When I awoke at 5:30, the drizzle was still present. Since my pack liner completely ripped yesterday (it’s this gossamer-thin nylofume bullshit: never again), I improvised my tarp as a pack cover and began hiking in the cool drizzle. With few exceptional periods, this was the nicest weather I experienced all day.
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Today was quite fun. I’ve entered a new bubble so I have met lots and lots of people the past two days. The trail today was very easy, almost all downhill, which is reflected in my high mileage (28 miles according to the map, I’ve setup camp right next to the trail at mile 313.4) despite the fact that I spent 2 hours at an incredible hot springs.
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Back on trail, I ended the day at Mile 285.9 for a chill 20 mile day after the delights of Big Bear. I didn’t start walking until about 10 since a failure to realize we were breakfasting at a cash only establishment caused me to run around town looking for an ATM for which I could tap my phone. A fool’s errand.
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Today I woke up early to get to Big Bear Lake and meet Bailey for breakfast at the Grizzly Manor Café. I hitched in with a very friendly guy who had never heard of the PCT.
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Today I rebounded well from yesterday’s struggles. I woke up feeling quite depressed and unmotivated, but after packing up and getting water a few miles downtrail I felt ready to take on the day.
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Today was undoubtedly the most difficult day so far. Though Rocksie warned us that the walk up Mission Creek would be difficult, I wasn’t prepared for the mental and physical anguish of 12 miles of extremely washed out trail at its best and painfully slow and often directionless boulder hopping at its worst. Today the trail drew its first tears from me, and after the tap was opened I cried at least twice more.
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Tough day. The desert forces you to appreciate the little things—shade found under a boulder, a cool breeze, cold water—because that is often all that is on offer. We ended off trail at mile 218.6.
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Today we walked about 20 miles to end at mile 193.7, though only 14.3 of these miles were on the PCT proper—we took a side quest to summit Mount San Jacinto, adding a couple thousand feet of elevation gain and several miles on variable and occasionally steep snow.
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Today we did zero mileage and just relaxed in Idyllwild—big breakfast, pint of Ben and Jerry’s for post breakfast snack, finished the book I’ve been lugging around and not reading while munching on some carrots, made a bunch of phone calls, watched Kill Bill vol. 1, and had a massive lasagna dinner cooked by a friend. I also met the mayor of Idyllwild:
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Today we had an easy 11 mile day into town. entirely downhill and mostly snow free.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
