Day 49 PCT Mileage 1597.24 – 1597.24 Miles Hiked 0 I took a shower first thing, and threw my laundry in the wash. I stood around just wearing my rain jacket and my rain skirt, my hair wrapped up in a towel. No one looked at me funny. That’s Read more…
Day 48 PCT Mile Marker 1578.57 – 1597.24 Miles Hiked 18.67 I heard there was a brewery in Etna. So it was super easy to get up in the morning and get ready to go. The four of us were hiking before the sun came up. Shower, Hot Potato, Last Read more…
Day 47 PCT Mile Marker 1562.36 – 1578.57 Miles Hiked 16.21 I was walking on sacred ground. The mountains stretched over my head, requesting silence. The path made small curves here and there. Curves strategically placed to take every advantage of the views. I stopped and stared up the mountain Read more…
Day 46 PCT Mile Marker 1540.58 – 1562.36 Miles Hiked 21.78 The rock slides were orange now. Gritty giant boulders. An old hollow tree trunk filled up with rain water a long time ago, and a whole ecosystem was living in there. In the woods, tall alien flowers, their Read more…
Day 45 PCT Mile Marker 1518.58 – 1540.58 Miles Hiked 22 I knew it was his tent as soon as I saw it. I held my hiking poles in one hand and put my hand over my bear bell. I snuck past his tent, the soft crunch of gravel under Read more…
Day 44 PCT Mile Marker 1501.93 – 1518.58 Miles Hiked 16.65 Uphill, uphill, uphill, uphill. Met a great guy named Turtle. He was faster than me. I passed a guy who had exploded his pack all over the trail. I noticed, in passing, that it didn’t seem to be PCT Read more…
Day 43 PCT Mile Marker 1498.7 – 1501.93 Miles Hiked 3.23 It was lovely sleeping in on plush sleeping bags and sleeping mats. The boys snuggled onto the bed with us. Happy Family Time. We lounged around in the tent telling stories for a long time, then Aidan made me Read more…
Day 42 Miles 0 You know how you smack your hands together to squash a mosquito? I dreamed that Aidan was doing that to catch rattlesnakes with his bare hands. Then he’d pull out a pocket knife and cut off their heads. There was a basket of puppies nearby and Read more…
Day 41 PCT Mile Marker 1486.92 – 1498.70 Miles Hiked 11.78 The underwear and socks that I’d washed near the river yesterday were dry, so I wriggled into them and combed my hair. Thus dressed in my Sunday Best, I was ready to head into town. It was going to Read more…
Day 40 PCT Mile Marker 1470.98 – 1486.92 Miles Hiked 15.94 My favorite is the soft paths along long-forgotten roads. Trees grow there, the grade is smooth and wide, and I don’t feel like I’m going to fall off of the mountain. Pine needles and soft earth keep the pain Read more…