Tales From the Trail

Up and down and over the passes and through the Sierras I go. Each day I take a million concentrated steps enjoying the awesome scenery, delighting in the variety of wildflowers, acknowledging the drama of forests and contemplating how so much metamorphic rock came to be at the surface of this landscape. I try to think about other things like what I’m going to do with my life post-adventure, but I find I’m too tired to think about anything except the scenes unfolding in front of me. 

But what about the moments I’m not walking? What happens then? Here’s some tidbits of trail doings that happen throughout the day! 

Waking in a Snow Globe

One night while sleeping at the RV Park in Acton, California, my bladder called my attention. I started to slide the zipper on my sleeping bag only to immediately get it stuck in the fabric. Time was of the essence and I tugged and pulled the best I could in bleary-eyed awareness thinking more about what would happen soon if I didn’t get the zipper unstuck. So with a forceful yank, I freed the zipper from the fabric and took off running to the nearby bathroom house. A few minutes later I returned and resumed my slumber. But in the morning, when I rolled over and opened my eyes, I found myself inside a fluff storm, like in a snow globe there were a million tiny little feathers floating all over my tent and every time I moved, a million more poofed into the air. That desperate yank must have torn open a baffle. All I could do was try to lie very still and laugh! Good thing I have some Tenatious Tape in my emergency kit! 

The Saga of My Shredded Shorts

I have a favorite style of shorts I order again and again from Kuhl. I hit the trail in April with a fairly new pair and proceeded to absolutely destroy them throughout the desert section. By the time I got to Ridgecrest, I phoned the company to order a new pair and have them shipped to a small town up trail. Unfortunately, my plans changed and I ended up passing by that town on trail and had to take a bus to double back at a later date in order to retrieve my shorts. But by this time, the shorts were hanging off of me in shreds. Probably glissading down the first snow field in the Sierras didn’t help either! 

I tried Tenacious Tape, but it didn’t adhere. So safety pins were holding the fabric to the waistband and I kept my shirt tucked in to cover up my underwear. When I finally reached the Post Office in little Independence, I whipped around to show the state of affairs to the Post Master and told him I hoped he had a package waiting for me. He chuckled and retrieved my box. I asked him if I could borrow his bathroom just to change into my new pair and he informed me that I’d have to walk a few blocks to the public restroom. Then he turned and disappeared behind some shelving.

I was the only person in the lobby at that point so I dropped my drawers, put on my new pair, ripped off the tags and headed back out into the sunshine to hitch back to trail. 

The Search for Just-Right Shoes

Hiking the PCT is rough on your shoes! I started with Hoka Trail Runners and then switched to Brooks Cascadia on the advice of a Physical Therapist after I sprained my ankle. I received one pair in Idyllwild, got a whopping blister on my heel, and had a larger size shoe sent to a town up trail.

After another month in those, I decided to return to the Hokas and had a pair sent to another town along the way. Thank goodness for all the post offices in these small towns! All in all, I expect to burn through six pairs of shoes on this adventure- they do wear out quickly!

The Food Dilemma 

Eating on the trail is a full-time job, but getting it to all fit in our required bear canister is the real work! These canisters will fit about five days worth of food, but if we have a longer food carry between towns or eat a lot, we have to get creative in our re-packing of products. Or, like one guy named “Twocan’”, we have to actually carry two of these heavy cans! 

Hitching Rides

Hitching rides is not something I’ve ever done in the US before so I was very apprehensive to try out my thumb along the PCT. But it turns out that most of the time I have needed to hitch, the PCT trail crosses a little road at a trailhead popular with day-hikers, or locals are well accustomed to helping out is hiker. One sweet couple had just come from Sunday breakfast and gave me the leftovers of their breakfast burritos and then took me to the local Walmart so I could buy my groceries. Other hitches have come from Trail Angles I’ve called ahead of time and free shuttle services offered by local campgrounds or lodges. I would never want to hitch a ride elsewhere in the US but along the PCT it really has not been an unsafe endeavor.

Turnover on the Trail

When I was researching the trail I read all the statistics about why people might leave the trail. Of course, accidents do happen and I have heard of many hikers who had to leave due to a broken foot, a bad fall with a broken shoulder, a twisted knee, or overuse injuries. Many others have gotten off trail permanently due to extensive blister problems and infections on their feet- so much so that they had to go to a hospital to obtain antibiotics! The extended heat wave here in California sent many other hikers home with heat exhaustion. Other people have gotten off due to issues at home that needed their attention, or they felt like the trail was too hard, too boring, too lonely. A few more I know of had to leave because of excessive weight loss- it’s hard to eat enough food when we’re burning so many calories! 

New Hiking Friends

When starting the PCT, I really thought that I would make trail friends in the first few days and they would be my trail family for the entire trip. I think that’s woefully unrealistic. Although trail families- it “tramalies” like this do exist, it is far more common to hike alone some parts and join up with others through other sections. 

For example, at the beginning of the Sierra section, I started hiking with Bob (Hawaii) and Tom (Massachusetts). After a week, Bob skipped ahead and Tom wanted to push for more miles each day.

After that, I found Jana (South Africa) and Niels (California) to join for a while. Then, they each got off trail for different reasons, so I took off on my own again.

It’s all a very fluid process, because realistically, it’s hard to find someone who matches your pace, your day to day energy level and your goals for busting out miles on the trail and/or seeing the towns along the way. And if you’re hiking with partners that don’t match your goals or fitness level, it creates a lot of mental stress and drama. So, sometimes it’s best to hike alone. 

Reuniting with Old Friends Along the Way

As a slower hiker, I’m very used to the younger and faster blowing past me on trail. So it’s always amazing to get to a town stop and run into some of these same people hundreds of miles later. All of our journeys are so unique. For whatever reason, they may have had to slow down, double back or restart again and here they are at the exact place as me. 

Do you remember reading about the brothers from Singapore who I met while healing my ankle in Idyllwild? That was mile 179. To my surprise, I met up with them again at a hostel in Bishop (mile 832) and again at a pizza parlor in Yosemite Valley (mile 943). 

Wildlife Sightings 

Side Attractions 

The PCT winds its way through some interesting side attractions and historic mountain resorts.  

Sometimes the side attractions and off-the-beaten path accommodations add a lot of color to this adventure!