Pacific Crest Trail – Page 4

The Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail Introduction

This is a rough sketch of the Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail…PCBCRT. (I know, my scribbling looks a little like blood dripping…sorry about that. It ended up being a good proxy for how my legs looked after some bushwacking along the route.) 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[…]

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, 2018Mm 18 to The End, mm 0Distance: 18 miles0600 – 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 before. As I was packing in the dark, MECA and Natty came by. They had stayed at the campground and got an even earlier start. Everyone was excited to finish. Sunrise on the trail was very[…]

Day 114: The Penultimate Steps

November 2, 2018 kaulua26 Pacific Crest Trail

October 27th, 2018Mt Laguna mm 42 to mm 18Distance: 24 miles1030 – 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 I was slow to pack 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. I left town, looking forward to an easy day. The miles passed easily. Honestly, I remember little of the trail from this day. It was mostly downhill and I was feeling pretty euphoric about almost finishing. Everybody[…]

Day 113: Mt Laguna

October 31, 2018 kaulua26 Pacific Crest Trail

October 26th, 2018Mm 75.5 to Mt Laguna mm 42Distance: 33.5 miles0550 – 1800 I needed an early start today. For one, it’s just better to get in as many miles while it’s still cool. And two, my headlamp batteries were dying, so I wanted to make it to Mt Laguna before dark in the evening. In the early morning, I had the benefit of the moonlight and didn’t need my headlamp. Worst case, I could rob the batteries out of my Spot device. I passed by Zappy’s tent early on and began my way up into the Laguna mountains. This was the last big climb that would take me from about 2300′ up over 6000′. These hills were dry but[…]

Day 112: Eagle Rock

October 30, 2018 kaulua26 Pacific Crest Trail

October 25th, 2018Warner Springs Community Center mm 109.5 to mm 75.5Distance: 34 miles0800 – 2000 My tent was mostly dry in the morning, despite the sprinklers. It was such a nice area that I took my time packing. I regretted dragging my feet later in the day but at the time felt no rush. Zappy left just after I did but we hiked separately all day. I was in a very good mood starting out on my own and enjoyed hiking up a river valley and then through open plains on a beautiful morning. I came to eagle rock, a series of boulders that have a pretty distinct figure. Can you see the eagle? I spent the rest of the[…]

Category: Pacific Crest Trail