Pacific Crest Trail – Page 3

PCBCRT Day 37: Marble Mountains & Unplanned Town Stop

Thursday, Aug 10th, 2023, 0640-1930Paradise Lake to Etna Hwy, then hitch to Etna29.5 miles, Gain 5660′, Loss 5810′, elevation 6010′ I was surprised the deer didn’t bother me overnight. I made sure to pee really far away from my tent, so that seemed to do the trick. Maybe I was just too tired from the climb the day before to even notice them. I got a pretty late start but still made almost 10 miles by 10 am. The morning was fantastic, with the landscape being so much better than I remembered it. Actually seeing the Marble Mountains was incredible. They were characterized by these white bands of marble, so dramatically different than the surrounding peaks. I couldn’t even see[…]

PCBCRT Day 36: Running up that Hill

August 14, 2023 kaulua26 Bigfoot Trail, Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail, Pacific Crest Trail

Wednesday, Aug 9th, 2023, 0610-1730Seiad Valley (Brian’s Place) to Paradise Lake, BFT mm 147.525 miles, Gain 6880′, Loss 2170′, elevation 6110′ The best way to break a vortex is to get out early! I was actually hoping for a 5 am dark start but 6 am was good enough. Everyone else was still asleep and the morning perfectly cool…what a change from 100 degrees the day before! With a 6000′ climb over nearly 20 miles, I couldn’t imagine a better tactic than what I employed. I walked the road as fast as I could, eating the 4 miles in 1 hour. I said goodbye to the Klamath river for the second time…I passed it a week ago while hiking the[…]

Up Next: the Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail

June 26, 2023 kaulua26 Bigfoot Trail, Oregon Coast Trail, Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail

This is a rough sketch of the Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail…PCBCRT. I ‘invented’ this roughly 1200 mile route as a conglomeration of 4 distinct long distance trails, stringing together parts or all of the Oregon Coast Trail (OCT), Bigfoot Trail (BFT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT). I made-up the name to include a portion of each trail’s official name, paying homage to a common misconception, emphasized by the “Pacific Coast” part. That’s because about half the public mistakenly calls the Pacific Crest Trail the Pacific Coast Trail…I’ve encountered this error so many times that I don’t even bother to correct people anymore. In reality, the Pacific CREST Trail doesn’t even travel within sight of[…]

2022 Year In Review

March 8, 2023 kaulua26 Appalachian Trail, Arizona Trail, Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Grand Enchantment Trail, Mogollon Rim Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Pacific Northwest Trail

I wanted to do recap of all my hiking in 2022, which is something I should’ve been doing since I started this blog in 2017. Maybe I’ll do some back-posts over the next winter season to cover years 2017-2021. I like collecting stats in one tidy place. Call it ego or whatever, really I just want to keep track of everything for personal reflections. 2022 was a pretty busy year! I thru-hiked one specialty route, the Mogollon Rim Trail (MRT, courtesy of Brett Tucker and Melissa Spencer) and also one official National Scenic Trail, the Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT). These 2 thru-hikes were quite different from each other and afforded a very wide array of habitats, conditions, and experiences. They[…]

2022 ALDHA-West Gathering / Triple Crown Awards

February 28, 2023 kaulua26 Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Pacific Crest Trail

Saturday, September 24th, 2022, Keystone, Colorado I just wanted to do a quick post about the 2022 ALDHA-West Gathering. This is an annual event where hikers are honored for having completed the Triple Crown of Hiking: the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Pacific Crest Trail. I actually completed this trilogy the year prior, but given my Aug-Nov southbound hike of the AT, it was too late to submit my accomplishments for that year. I guess it was meant to be, since having the Gathering in CO aligned perfectly a visit to my home state after the PNT. A hiker friend, Tim Sharp (aka Nine Lives), gave me a ride to and from the event. I only attended one day[…]

MRT (Bonus) Day 26: Gila Hot Springs

May 14, 2022 kaulua26 Continental Divide Trail, Grand Enchantment Trail, Mogollon Rim Trail, Pacific Crest Trail

Wednesday May 4th, 2022, 0640-1000West Fork Gila to Gila Hot springs.11 miles. We had about 6 miles to go until the cliff dwellings, then another 5 miles of road walking to Doc Campbells and the hot springs in the morning. The trail went by fast, especially since I was running to keep warm. The relentless river crossings turned my feet into blocks of ice, so I had to do something to generate heat. We passed a camp where the occupants were dry, sitting in chairs, and sipping coffee. Ahhh, the regular backpacking life. We also passed our camp from the year before, where I spied toilet paper right where I’d cowboy camped…good thing I hadn’t counted on a repeat of[…]

The Backwards Triple Crown

July 8, 2021 kaulua26 Appalachian Trail, Arizona Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Te Araroa

First, let’s get the “What’s the Triple Crown of Hiking?” question out of the way. Borrowed from the horse racing world, this Triple Crown is an informal recognition of those that have hiked all 3 of the longest American trails end-to-end. The 3 trails are the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), and the Appalachian Trail (AT). According to the American Long Distance Hiking Association’s 2020 records (ALDHA-West), a total of 482 Triple Crown of Hiking Award recipients have so far been recognized. That means more people have been to space than have hiked all 3 of these trails! Chew on that Jeff Bezos! Money can buy just about anything but it takes[…]

PCT Summary & Stats

December 5, 2018 kaulua26 Pacific Crest Trail

It’s been just a bit over a month since I finished the PCT and I’ve been reflecting on my journey a lot. It’s hard to believe that it’s now almost exactly a year since I started the Te Araroa and I have a whole additional thru-hike to think back on. I covered over 4500 miles in one year and over 5000 miles in the last year and a half. I would have never guessed that I’d be where I am today before starting all this. If I could use one word to describe my PCT hike, it would be PERFECT. There is not one thing that went terribly wrong in 4 months or that I would do differently. I threaded[…]

Day 115: The Finish

November 10, 2018 kaulua26 Pacific Crest Trail

October 28th, 2018 Mm 18 to The End, mm 0 Distance: 18 miles 0600 – 1200 I was on the trail early to ensure that I finished around mid-day. My friend Jon (same that dropped me off at Harts Pass) was driving all the way from Phoenix, AZ to pick me up. He had made the offer a few weeks ago and I thought it would be pretty cool to be greeted by the same friend that had seen me off at the start, almost 4 months ago. Stellar and I would also be finishing together. We had been hiking buddies much of the way since just before Tuolumne Meadows, a stretch of nearly 1,000 miles. That is the farthest[…]

Day 114: The Penultimate Steps

November 2, 2018 kaulua26 Pacific Crest Trail

October 27th, 2018 Mt Laguna mm 42 to mm 18 Distance: 24 miles 1030 – 2000 Sleeping in felt oh-so-good. I slept until 6 am! Then I had TWO coffees and chatted with Zappy and Gail. Zappy, looking like he has commandeered my backpack and tent. We’re twinsies. Gail with his toys Then Stellar arrived and he and Zappy went for breakfast. I was slow to pack up but made it to the PO just as it opened. I bought a few things at the store, which had a good selection, but I no longer needed much. Stellar and I left town together and looked forward to an easy day. We chatted as the miles passed easily. Honestly, I remember[…]

Category: Pacific Crest Trail