2025 Summer/Fall Summary & Stats, Year In Review

(Scroll to the bottom for a listing of links to all my posts)

I respect those that can summarize their yearly recaps into beautiful and tidy video reels on social media, but I’m unfortunately not one of them. I can just barely manage static images, words and numbers…in essence, boring old Luddite stuff. That’s just me, I guess. Even still, I was overwhelmed trying to fit this year into a blog post, but here goes…

I’ll start with the figures from my Garmin watch, which says I took a F*#!-ton of steps! My 4,471.8 estimated miles were based on these step counts, thus include every day life movements, not just hiking. But in totaling my hiking miles for the year (with actual figures from my journals), I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that my trail segments and routes added up to over 3000 miles. After all, I did start my season very early at the end of January, then pretty much kept going into October.

In short, I walked across the Sonoran and Mojave deserts from Tucson to San Diego, then north on the PCT from the Mexican border to the southern end of the Sierra. I took a few months off in May and June, then resumed my PCT redux hike from the Canadian border south through Washington and Oregon. I then skipped down to the Sierra (as I already hiked the PCT through Northern California a 2nd time in 2023) and hiked a mix of high routes and the PCT/JMT from Sonora Pass to Kennedy Meadows South. I wrapped up the trip with visits to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado National Monument, Arches, Canyonlands and Mesa Verde National Parks in October.

Total Hiked in 2025 (including some hikes on Cumberland Island and in CO and UT): 3,076 miles. This brings my total hiking distance since 2017 to just shy of 22,000 miles (21,986). I was proud to pass the 20K mark while on my Desert Winter Thru Hike earlier in the year, as well as finish all segments of the Great Western Loop. The rest of the year didn’t entail too much new or revolutionary, but I had fun revisiting sites along the PCT and seeing new parts of the Sierra.

Now that I’ve hiked almost all of the PCT for a second time, I can confidently say I’m not aiming for a 3rd go-round. I feel pretty satiated on the PCT, especially since every year more of the corridor is burned and it’s too sad seeing all the new fire scars (Olallie Lake). I now just want to preserve my memories of the trail, as I first saw it in 2018. Hiking the PCT a second time helped solidify those memories, along with adding some new ones, but I’ll admit that there were a few times I was a little bored with the trail, always knowing what was ahead.

However, there’s still much more of the Sierra that I want to explore, so I hope to go back to complete many of the high routes in the upcoming years. Just to be clear, I hiked only parts of the various high routes, with my single goal being to complete a continuous line from Sonora Pass to KMS. I estimate that I hiked about 50% of Steve Roper’s published Sierra High Route, 50% of the Yosemite High Route (the northern half), and 5% of the Southern Sierra High Route. The rest was either on the PCT or side trails (Emigrant Pass, Half Dome, Bishop Pass). Getting a taste of these high routes definitely made me crave more.

I already posted my summary for the first part of this year: DWTH. So the rest of this post will be dedicated to….

Summer – Fall Summary & Stats: PCT WA, OR & Sierra

Dates Total: July 11th through September 24th, 2025
Dates PCT WA: July 11th – Aug 3rd, 2025
Dates PCT OR: Aug 4th – Aug 24th, 2025
Dates of the Sierra: Sep 1st – Sep 24th, 2025

Duration Total: 64 days of hiking (not counting zeros/days in between sections)
Days hiking in WA: 24
Days hiking in OR: 18
Days hiking in the Sierra: 22

Total Distance Hiked: 1306 miles
WA Distance Hiked: 524 miles
OR Distance Hiked: 426 miles
Sierra Distance Hiked: 356 miles

Zeros/Transitions: 3 days in OR for PCT Days (Aug 14-16), 7 days to transition from OR down to the Sierra (Aug 25-31), 2 zeros in Bishop (Sep 10th & 18th).

Average Daily Distance (w/o zeros): 20.4 miles
Longest day: 35.5 miles (OR between Shelter Cove and Crater Lake)
Shortest day: 5.5 mile (getting back on trail after PCT days, the day before my longest day)
Days hiking 15 miles or less: 21
Days hiking 16-20 miles: 10
Days hiking 21-25 miles: 11
Days hiking 26-30+ miles: 22 (9 days over 30)

Biggest elevation gain / loss in one day: not certain but there were a few days around 7K of gain/loss in WA, maybe also in the Sierra but my daily mileage was lower on the high routes.

Favorite Days: Day 1 Start from Ross Lake, Day 3 Canadian Border, Day 20 Goat Rocks, Day 32 Sisters and Elk Lake, Day 37 Crater Lake swim, SHR Day 6 Half Dome, SHR Day 14 Crabtree lakes and Miter Basin, SHR Days 19 & 20 Alpine Col, Royce Lakes, Bear Lakes, Gabbot Pass.

Favorite Sections: WA Canada border to Snoqualmie, Goat Rocks, Sisters Wilderness, All of the Sierra, but especially anything off-trail.

Least-Favorite Day/Sections: SHR Day 15 coming down out of the Sierra towards KMS…just a let down after so much grandeur in the Sierra, plus TP guy. All the burn areas in OR, especially around Mt Jefferson.

National Parks: North Cascades NP, Crater Lake, Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia NP
Highpoint WA: Old Snowy mountain, 7,880′ (side-trip)
Highpoint OR: Mt McLaughlin, 9,493′ (side-trip)
Highpoint Sierra: Forester pass 13,098′, 2nd Crabtree Pass 12,591′ (part of the Southern Sierra High Route)

Peak Bagging: Old Snowy 7,880′, Sawtooth mountain 5,354′ (just south of Trout Lake), Mt McLaughlin 9,493′, Big Sam Peak 10,825′, Half Dome 8,839′.

Alternates: Ross Lake to Devil’s dome to PCT at Holman pass (all part of the PNT); Mirror Lake and Miners ridge fire lookout, Panther falls creek road walk to Carson WA, Eagle Creek from Cascade Locks, Emigrant Pass, Yosemite High Route north segment in lieu of Sierra High Route Sky Pilot Col to Tuolumne Meadows, side trip to Half-Dome (missed some of the SHR that’s on trail), Minaret Lake Trail in lieu of Nancy Pass, skipped part from Reds Meadow to Mammoth Pass, Thunderbolt Pass in lieu of Knapsack Pass, skipped last quarter of SHR Frozen Lake Pass to Roads End, Alpine Col in lieu of Snow Tongue Pass, Royce Lakes and Italy Pass in lieu of Feather Pass.

Nights tenting on or near trail: 54 (62 nights total camping, which includes stays in town and at PCT Days)
Nights camping alone or with only 1 other: 44 (17 dry campsites / 15 make-shift sites, i.e. stealth / no evidence anyone ever camped there before)
Nights camping with/around a group of hikers on trail: 10
Nights camping in the same location as 2018: 4 (Waptus River, Trout Lake, Maidenhead Shelter, Crabtree Meadow)
Night camping in a town/resort campground: 6 (Leavenworth KOA, Trout Lake General Store, PCT Days, Shelter Cove, Mazama)
Nights Spent at a Friend’s/Trail Angel’s place: 10 (1 Bellingham Mary, 1 Bend Jill & Robert, 4 Sacramento Alan, 2 Pinecrest Scott, 1 Mammoth Doug, 1 Reno Spreadsheet and Steph… includes days before, in-between and after hike)
Nights at a hotel/hostel: 7 (1 Seattle, 1 Ashland, 4 Bishop THC, 1 night on the train Dunsmuir to Sacramento).
Nights in a row without sleeping on a bed: 45 (although 1 of these nights was under a roof on a carpeted floor in Bend)

People I hiked with (mostly briefly, list not complete): Mary Badass, Bad Sherpa, Amber, Foggy, Meat Wagon, Jockstrap, Plate, Goldfish, Lightweight and Saint, Purple and Willow.
Longest stretch I hiked with others: About 4 days combined with Meat Wagon and Jockstrap. Also 2.5 days with Amber, from just south of Steven’s pass to Snoqualmie pass.
Days seeing no other people: 5 (all on the YHR/SHR), longest streak: 2.5 days

Towns/resupply points visited, in order: Seattle/Mt Vernon/Concrete, Stehekin, Stevens Pass/Leavenworth, Snoqualmie, White Pass, Trout Lake, Carson/Cascade Locks, Timberline Lodge, Olallie Lake, Big Lake Youth Camp, Elk Lake, Shelter Cove, (back to CL for PCT days via Eugene and Bend on return), Crater Lake/Mazama, Fish Lake, Ashland, Mt Shasta/Dunsmuir, Sacramento, Pinecrest, Tuolumne Meadows, Reds Meadow/Bishop, KMS, Mammoth, Reno.

Resupply parcels mailed / hand delivered: 4 / 3 (1 large flatrate box shipped from Miami to Bellingham (Mary) to sort into box being hand delivered to Snoqualmie by Kelly, 1 bag of food hand delivered to Hart’s Pass by Tony-met at Seattle airport, 1 medium flatrate box shipped from Miami to Stehekin, 1 box of food hand delivered to Mazama by Mr President from Trail Days, 1 large flatrate box shipped from Miami to Sacramento with shoes, top quilt, and maps for the Sierra, 1 medium flatrate box of food shipped from Miami to Tuolumne Meadows. About 4 parcels shipped home to Miami with stuff no longer needed, 1 shipped from Tuolumne Meadows to Bishop with maps and extra food.

Longest food carry: 6 days, Bishop Pass to KMS, but I cheated by yoging some food near Crabtree Meadow. Also 5.5 days, Bishop pass to Mammoth.

Longest I went without a hot shower or laundry: about 8 days, Sonora pass to Reds Meadow/Bishop, though I did rinse some stuff and take a bit of sink shower in Tuolumne Meadows. I did not suffer whatsoever in this regard. In fact, cleanliness was not something that even really crossed my mind, as almost every day I got to take a dip in a lake or a stream…what a contrast to my desert hike earlier in the year.

Precipitation/Weather/Fires/Smoke: It was a pretty average summer/fall. On trail, I only got significantly rained on 4 times (Goat Rocks, Mt Hood, Sierra Yosemite High Route 1st day, Sierra Mather Pass). Two of these events were heavy enough to get some of my gear wet, the others were pretty brief. There was some scary lightning through Goat Rocks and over Willow Pass in the Sierra…the latter the worst thunderstorm I’ve been through in a long time, with lots of hail and some too-close-for-comfort lightning strikes.

I timed several of my town stops perfectly to avoid some bad weather, namely Leavenworth, PCT Days (rained heavy for 2 days in Cascade Locks), and both my stops in Bishop. The heat was a factor starting in OR, right about the time I hit the burns and lava fields around Mt Jefferson, continuing through to Ashland. But at least there were lots of lakes to cool off in and it didn’t stop me from making my miles each day. By the time I got to the Sierra, I was back at elevation and into the cooler temps of September.

I lucked out with fires and smoke all through WA and OR. I essentially watched in real-time as a fire was started right on trail by the thunderstorm over Mt Adams/Goat Rocks, but the awesome fire fighters were able to put it out the next day. I walked through the area as it was still smoldering and the fire fighters were working the hot spots…pretty neat! There was a little bit of smoke on my last 2 days in OR, but by then there wasn’t much to be had for views anyway.

The Sierra were another story. The Garnet fire near Fresno started Aug 24th, just as I arrived the area. It caused all sorts of problems over the next few weeks, namely from the smoke. I hit smoke the 2nd day after leaving Sonora Pass and it came and went for the next week. Traversing around the Ritter Range on the SHR was by far the worst smoke I’ve ever experienced. I felt like I was suffocating at times and was suffering from very bad coughing fits. Due to health concerns and the lack of views, I had to get off trail at Reds Meadow and skip down to Bishop. While there, Yosemite was actually shut down for a few days, including evacuations of the rangers due to the horrific air quality. Smoke also filled the Owens valley for awhile, making it all the way south to Bishop. Luckily a series of thunderstorms put a dampening on the fire and smoke, allowing me to get back on trail.

Going south from Bishop Pass was an excellent call, as I didn’t experience any more smoke all the way to KMS. By the time I flipped back to hike the section I skipped, the smoke had cleared the central Sierra, too. It was a good reminder that it’s necessary and ok to re-work plans because of fires and smoke. It’s just a fact of life when hiking western trails.

Campfires enjoyed: not a single one…I never make fires on my own and I didn’t join any made by others this trip. It’s the PCT in summer, so it’s hot and burn bans were in effect the entire time, duh! Though I did see some hikers having a fire on trail in southern OR, just before wildfires started there. I told them there was a burn ban and they completely blew me off…jerks. There’s always someone to ruin it for everyone else.

Injuries: some cuts and bruises, but really a great summer in this regard. I felt strong and healthy the whole time.

Times I wished I carried a gun or bear spray: never.

Animals seen and/or heard in order of appearance: a small black bear the very first day near Ross lake, then only 1 other small bear at a dirt road crossing in OR. Blacktail deer, grouse, marmots, nighthawks (finally figured out the mysterious noise!), elk, frogs. Sierra: garter snakes, Osprey, marmots, bighorn sheep (very rare!), snowshoe hare, ptarmigan, grey-crowned rosy-finches. There were also so many huckleberries this year, in addition to salmon berries, strawberries, and blueberries through WA and OR.

Pettings: grouse chick, many dogs along the trail (plus my favorite boy Boone at the beginning!), friendly cats at Trout Lake, mules and horses in the Sierra, friendly cat and dogs at KMS.

Gear: My standard summer kit, with my Zpacks camo plexamid tent, HMG SW 40L pack, 30 degree Katabatic Gear Palisade quilt and women’s neoair Xlite thermarest, along with all my other little stuff that I’ve been carrying for years, yawn. Nothing was all that noteworthy above what I’ve already said before. I put some holes in the bottom of my pack from scrambling around in the Sierra, which I easily patched with some KT tape and superglue. As always, I was glad I brought my umbrella, even into the Sierra, as I used it quite a bit for both the sun (burn areas) and some heavy rain a few days. I was also happy that I sprayed my tent and clothes with permethrin at the beginning. This makes a huge difference in the battle against mosquitos, although they were pretty negligible this year. I also appreciated having my lightweight Montbell wind pants as a bug barrier, so too for some cool days. In the Sierra, I used a 50 degree EE Apex (synthetic) quilt as a top quilt over my 30 quilt. It was only needed a few nights, but I was glad I had it for the shoulder season. In doubling up quilts, I only have to ship the top quilt to myself, as opposed to shipping the summer quilt home while shipping the warmer quilt to myself on trail (fewer steps+less to clean=a win).

Shoes: 2 pair. I hiked all of WA & OR in a pair of Topo Mountain Racers. Topos were my new stand-out brand of shoes this year…they are really durable! For the Sierra, I used a pair of Solomon Speedcross, which were also a new brand and model of shoe for me. These are the best shoes for scrambling on high routes! I really appreciated their superior grip, especially on Half Dome. They have very aggressive lugs, which do wear down fairly quickly but provided just the right stability on rock. Their lacing system is also nice for achieving a snug fit.

Least used items: I also only used my head net once in WA. I ditched it in OR.

Gear lost/failures: none really

Trail Angels and Trail Magic: WA and OR were pretty busy with trail magic this year. I came across 5 full-blown hiker feeds and a handful of others offering treats, along with some unmanned coolers. It was just the right amount and I very much enjoyed hanging out with the gracious people offering all this trail magic. The hikerboxes were also quite excellent, basically allowing me to go from White Pass to Ashland without shipping any boxes or needing to buy much from stores. The Kracker Barrel gave away boxes of exploded chip bags (elevation damage?) while I was there, which almost alone could have carried me through OR. I also lucked out going into Trout Lake the day they were having the town potluck, as well as the pancake breakfast the next morning. That was by far my favorite town stop.

I tried to mention all instances of trail magic in my daily posts, so I won’t repeat everything again here. But I wanted to specifically give a shout-out to new and old friends that gave me rides and hosted me along the way: Mary–near Bellingham, Otzi and Ghost–PCT Days campsite, Jill and Robert–Bend, Alan–Sacramento, Scott–Pinecrest, Doug–Mammoth, Spreadsheet and Steph–Reno. It had a great time in all these places, thanks to their hospitality and generosity.

Hitches/Ride-offers/Paid rides on public transport: 13/18/9 Altogether, I took about 13 hitches (times where I stuck my thumb out and went with the first random stranger to stop). I also got at least 18 rides that were per-arranged with Trail Angels (both free and by donation such as the shuttle in and out of Trout Lake), or from friends and fellow hikers. This often involved meeting a hiker just as we were both getting to a trail head and asking them for a ride…one of my most preferred methods. My favorite ride all summer was when my friends Mockingbird and Rock&Roll just happened to be driving by as I was trying to hitch into Crater Lake NP. I first met them on Springer Mountain in 2024 while I was hiking the BMT. This reunion was totally unplanned but resulted in such a great afternoon together, going for a swim in Crater Lake and having dinner at the lodge.

I took public transportation about 10 times, utilizing an Amtrak bus and train, lightrail in Seattle, city buses, The Eastern Sierra Transit shuttle, and the shuttle in and out of Stehekin. The most costly ride was the train from Dunsmuir to Sacramento…about $70 purchased day-of. My thanks and gratitude to all those that helped me with rides. Also thanks to Tony, Kelly and Mr President for hand-delivering my resupply boxes to Harts Pass, Snoqualmie, and Mazama.

Hiker Sightings & Reunions on Trail (not including all I met at PCT Days): Mary and Kelly (PNT22 TA’s and hikers), Mary Badass (never met but chatted online), Skittles (known from the Trail Show podcast), Dirty Bowl (CDT19), Denhim Dan (CDT19), Anna and Kidzmeal (PCTdesert25 plus all the other NOBO’s I didn’t bother to list here), Akuna (CDT19), Mockingbird and Rock&Roll (BMT24), Karaoke (PNT22), and Lightweight (PCBCRT23).

Reflections on where I am now and the year ahead: it was a long year of mostly solo hiking, especially compared to 2024 when I hiked with other people much of the summer. It was especially lonely walking across the desert, the first time I’d set off on such a route by myself. I came through it knowing what I was capable of, at least in terms of independently navigating routes and dealing with long water-less stretches and periods of complete isolation. By the time I finished my solo escapades through the Sierra in the fall, I was really relishing my independence and freedom. But all the alone time hasn’t been great for my mental wellness or feelings of belonging. I do wish I could sync more of my activities with other people I’ve met in the long-distance hiking world, the only people that I feel I have much in common with anymore, but even this has proven hard. While plenty of other hikers have found compatibility, I’ve struggled. I blame myself for probably just having a difficult personality and that I deserve to be alone…the dark thoughts that plague me, even when I’m hiking. But at least when I’m out there walking in the middle of nowhere, I have an excuse for being alone.

Just like where I found myself a year ago while writing this summery, I’m feeling pretty stuck and anxious from post-hiking blues. Going into 2026 still trying to catch up with documenting past adventures is not exactly where I wanted to be. I have only one short trip planned for January thus far, with some ideas about what I’d like to do later, but nothing firm. Is this the year I finally run out of steam, new ideas, or money? I guess I should reflect on feeling the same way last year and then look at all of what came out of 2025. The bar has become so high, though, every new year feels a bit daunting. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see where I drift next.

Colorado/Utah Bonus Trip, Distance Hiked: 80 miles
Enjoy this last series of photos from Utah and Colorado. I visited these places with my partner in October, many of which I first saw on the Hayduke in 2023. We went to: Grand Canyon of the Gunnison NP, Colorado National Monument, Goblin Valley State Park and the San Rafael swell, Arches NP, Canyonlands NP Needles district, and Mesa Verde NP, all during the government shutdown. Only the last one was significantly affected, with all trails and artifacts closed. We also rode on the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and did the Via Ferrata downstream cable course in Ouray, both of which were super fun.

Here’s a list of all my related posts for summer and fall; the DWTH post has all the links for the rest of 2025:

Pacific Crest Trail 2025, Round 2
2025 SOBO PCT Days 0-6: Ross Lake to Canada to Stehekin
2025 SOBO PCT Days 7-15: Stehekin to Snoqualmie
2025 SOBO PCT Days 16-24: The 2nd Half of WA
2025 SOBO PCT Days 25-34: Cascade Locks to Shelter Cove Oregon
2025 Pacific Crest Trail Days: Back to Cascade Locks
2025 SOBO PCT Days 35-42: Willamette Pass to Ashland
2025 Sierra High Route Days 0-5: Sonora Pass to Tuolumne Meadows
2025 Sierra High Route Day 6: A Side Trip To Half Dome
2025 Sierra High Route Days 7-9: Past the Ritter Range to Reds Meadow / Bishop
2025 Sierra High Route Days 10-16: Bishop Pass to South Kennedy Meadows
2025 Sierra High Route Days 17-22: Bishop Pass to Mammoth