Hundreds of hikers have come from all corners of the globe to tackle the total length, or smaller sections, of the PCT. The reasons why we came are as diverse as the people themselves. The rule is to not compare your reasons, your journey, or especially the contents of your pack with another hiker. Everyone that steps foot on this trail has to “hike their own hike”, which lovingly means honor you- your needs, your pace, your experience -and love each moment of the journey as only you can. 

Along the trail, many hikers join up with others who have a common pace or daily distance goals and they form a trail family, or “tramily”. So far, I’ve met really wonderful people and seen them again and again. I’ve also spent a few days with one person or another, but generally we’re all still hiking our own hike. And then, while my ankle sprain recovered in the town of Idyllwild, they all went ahead. I don’t know if I’ll see any of these people again, but to give you an idea of who I’m sharing the trail with, here are some snippets into our short journey together.

 Martina from Minnesota is spent after years working within Washington DC politics. She’s out here to take a break and think about what’s next. We bonded on Day 2 over the eclipse.
Rick is from outside of Seattle and he’s out here to find himself and experience the healing power of nature. We kept bumping into each other every day for the first two weeks and decided that the Universe wanted us to meet and cheer each other on. But as luck would have it, we both had ankle issues and Rick got off trail and went home to rest. I’m hoping I’ll see Rick on trail again soon! 
Bounce and Chipper are newly retired from British Columbia, Canada and like me, they’re out here fulfilling a long-held dream! But their daily mileage far exceeded mine, so I’m not sure I’ll get to catch up with them again!

From the left, Clammy is from San Diego and his long-distance girlfriend, Lickit from Germany, are using this experience as an opportunity to cuddle in the shade and spend time together. Serephina is from Australia and like many others on the trail, such as Patches next to her, loved the adventurous idea of it all. Jenga, in the middle, is from Texas and has already tackled the Appalachian Trail. She missed trail life so much, she decided to do it again! I would love to see them all down the trail!

Lisa, who’s a little older than I am, just quit her job. She has spent her life in the woods all over the west with a Dad who worked for the Forest Service, and is out to prove that she can get to Canada. I believe her. She’s strong. I had a lot of fun hiking with Lisa.
Karina and Catherine are short section hikers from Quebec, Canada who take their annual vacations to hike part of the PCT. They were inspired by the movie “Wild” and just wanted to experience some of this beautiful trail together. I loved their positive attitude, but since Karina was plagued with blisters, they’re already on their way back home!
Chimney Boy and Poppins are twin brothers from Singapore who love to hike and do things together. I met them at a Trail Angel’s house and we had great discussions about life and the trail. I wish them the best!
I met up with Wazzu and Tissue on trail and found commonalities (i.e. aching muscles) with both of them. Wazzu, who has a supportive family and new grandchildren in Washington, liked the idea of seeing as much of the trail as possible while Tissue wanted to take a break from life in Alaska for awhile. She’s attempting the PCT after hiking the Appalachian Trail several years ago. Unfortunately, she developed problems with her piriformis muscle and we accompanied her to the emergency room before we returned to trail.

Happy Trails everyone!