Old School and Shortcut

Backpacking Experience
Multiple two night trips

Training
OS - Already in good shape, did one 10-15 mile walk per week with gear.

Start
Ross Lake water taxi to the PNW trail, N to border July 1st  

Sierras
So. Kennedy Meadows Oct 8th

Hike Result
Old School made it to the US/Mexico border, Shortcut got off at Snoq. Pass and hiked from Sonora to VVR in the Sierras

LIFE NARRATIVE

Old School and his wife Shortcut were working on the West Coast and wanted to take a break from their careers before starting the next chapter of their lives. After three weeks on trail, Shortcut quit the thru-hike attempt due to injuries at Snoqualmie Pass, and Old School decided to go on. Throughout the trail he took significant time off trail to spend time with her. To make these meetings work and keep on schedule with his mileage average, he had to hike big miles days when he was on trail.

BIG MILE DAYS

“Doing big days back to back is a very romantic idea. But in reality it makes the PCT feel way more like a job. You have to get up and put in your miles, and you really need to be dedicated to going and to going fast. And I think there is a romantic idea associated with that, to say I did 100 miles in 3 days, but the reality is I didn’t stop and lay by a lake, or have a long lunch with my friends. It means I did 100 miles in 3 days and that’s all I did.”

HIKING WITH YOUR PARTNER

“I think that our relationship worked well because we were dedicated to the relationship more than we were dedicated to the trail. I’m guessing a lot of people have relationship difficulties on trail because they are dedicated to the trail more than anything. Personally I’m lucky because of how supportive my wife was. Having done the first three weeks together she saw how much I loved it and how much of a dream it was for me, and she was super supportive of that. It’s something that we knew would only last for a couple of months and we could stick it out with me hiking and her coming to visit me every two weeks. And I would work really hard to make sure she felt loved along the way. And that meant that I would check for cell phone service on top of every ridge and I would use my one hour of breaks every day to sit on that mountain and call my wife. It was a big effort on both of our parts, and the most important part was that desire of wanting what’s best for each other, even if it meant sacrificing for each other.”

HIS TRAIL ADVICE...

“Know what kind of a hiker you are, and make your expectations based on what you already know about yourself. So if you know you are a very competitive or athletic person, make your expectation to finish. But if you look at yourself and say I love to hike but I don’t know if I can go the distance, then put your expectations in a realistic place.”

The trail itself doesn’t tell you anything (it’s a dirt path), but it allows you to put yourself in situations that tell you who you already are.

The trail was moreso in every way than I expected. It was more beautiful, but more difficult. More rewarding, but more challenging. I think with every expectation I had, good and bad, it was more extreme in every way. And that’s what made it so interesting and so captivating.”

Eastwood

Backpacking Experience 
Appalachian Trail '14

Training
2-3 days of running per week

Start
Hart’s Pass road headed north to border with 1 friend - June 29th

Sierras
So. Kennedy Meadows Oct. 11th

Hike Result
Made it to the US/Mexico border

LIFE NARRATIVE

Eastwood completed his dream of hiking the AT in 2014, and two years later found himself attempting the PCT. He was terrified a few days in going over Rock Pass in the Pasayten Wilderness, as he made his way to the US/Can Border. He wrote a detailed account of Washington State southbound that’s a great resource for prospective sobos.

“Don’t take Northern Washington lightly. It was a bit more that I bargained for. It’s not a hike at that point it’s a little bit of mountaineering.”

“Comparing the AT and PCT sobo is difficult because they are so different. The AT is so much rainier. On the AT the emotional and mental aspect that was difficult was the rainy weather. And on the PCT sobo the difficulty was the way you had to push yourself to go 450 miles further in less time. I never felt that on the PCT I could relax until I got to Kennedy Meadows South.”

HIS TRAIL ADVICE...

"Best advice I got before my first thru-hike was, "Be stubborn."  Meaning, don't give up.  Ever.  You can do it if you believe and stay at it."

"Every 10 pounds off your back is a world of difference in comfort.  Go as light as possible, but don't suffer to do so.  Just do your homework and get the best, lightest gear you can afford.  If you can't get the best lightest gear, don't worry, people have been thru hiking with heavy gear for decades.  

"Don't be afraid to spend time alone.  Hiking and camping with the group has great benefits but spending time alone builds character. " 

"Most importantly.  HAVE FUN."

Happy Feet

Backpacking Experience
Section hiked Oregon PCT ‘15

Training
Walked 5-10 miles a day for three months. Would do way more hill training

Start
Hart’s Pass headed north to border with 1 friend - July 6th. Reached border on July 8th and started south

Sierras
So. Kennedy Meadows Oct. 8th

Hike Result
Made it to the US/Mexico border

LIFE NARRATIVE

After hiking the Oregon PCT in 2015, Happy Feet was determined to take a career break and attempt an entire thru-hike. Once main reason was the wonderful people he had met during the '15 section hike. He also felt that long distance backpacking was like nothing he had ever experienced. It seemed like the ultimate challenge and adventure. Because he was working at a university and was on contract until July 1st, southbound was the only possible choice. He started with a friend for the Hart’s Pass up and back, but was alone for week 2 through Glacier Peak Wildnerness, one of the hardest parts of the trail. 

NORTHERN WASHINGTON

“The Oregon PCT was not a great preparation for the challenges of Northern Washington. I couldn’t believe how much harder it was up there. The rain, the fog, the blown down trees, the constant wetness, the dangerous snow crossings, and most of all the severe uphill and downhill. And I was decently experienced and in pretty good shape.”

“I wanted to quit in the middle of Glacier Peak Wilderness, Section K of Halfmile’s maps. I was alone, hurt, low on food, and miserable. There was no way out other than continuing to walk. The next four days and 90 miles were a blur, but I made it. I was so unprepared for that level of difficulty. But this was my only chance to do the PCT, and I wasn't going to throw away my shot. Mentally I realized the only way to make it through was to dramatically change my expectations of the trail. I wasn't out there to have a good time. I was out there to experience whatever the trail offered. And in Northern Washington that meant rain, snow, blowdowns, and steep climbs. Later that attitude helped me deal with the mosquitoes in Oregon, the heat in Nor Cal, and the cold in the Sierras. ”

REHIKING A SECTION

"It was pretty challenging mentally to hike the same portion of trail again. I'd done the Oregon section of trail the previous year and I knew what to expect. Luckily this time I was going southbound,  which actually made quite a difference in terms of scenery. It sounds obvious, but you don't look backwards a lot while hiking, so going a different direction meant a lot of different views. It was also nice to be able to be a bit of a guide for hikers who hadn't been through Oregon before. Still, I was really excited to get to Northern California and try out new towns and explore new parts of the trail." 

RECORDING TRAIL MEMORIES

"Along the way I took a photo to mark the passage of every 100 miles, and included whoever I was hiking with at the point. I also kept a list on my phone of all of the southbounders I had met or heard about. This was useful both during and after the trail to keep track of people and have an idea of how many people were on trail at any time. If I could do it again I also would've taken a picture with all of the SOBOs I met. 

I also kept a daily journal, and have read through it a couple times since finishing the trail. It's fascinating to look back on a daily record of my journey, especially because I'd forgotten a lot of the little details from months before. I also kept a list of hilarious events/stories for each section, like "bear in camp near Ross Lake." 

HIS TRAIL ADVICE...

“There is always going to be something wrong. Blisters, mosquitoes, a bum knee, bad food, etc. Don't let yourself get lost focusing on the negatives. Accept that something will always be wrong and be happy anyway.  

Don't believe the SOBO haters. People in towns in Northern California will try and tell you that you're too late and you won't make it through the Sierra. Trust the forecast, not the locals. 

Cowboy camp (sleep outside without your tent) when you can. Especially in Oregon, Nor Cal, and So Cal. It’s fun and saves setting up the tent.

Stretch often on the trail. Preferably every time you stop. Massage your feet at night in the tent and stretch before bed. And work on leg, hip and back flexibility before the trail"

Be thoughtful and judicious if you choose to listen to music, audio books, or podcasts. About halfway through the hike I'd set up the pattern of listening to content for 1/3 of the day, talking to my hiking buddies for 1/3 of the day, and walking in silence for the other 1/3. The days where I spent the entire time listening to an audio book (namely, the fantastic "Dune") were exciting, but I felt like I'd missed out on actually experiencing the trail. "

Carbon

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Backpacking Experience 
One previous two night trip

Training
Didn't train (broke in shoes a little). Would do a lot more

Start
Started at Stehekin headed south with 1 friend - July 10th

Reached So. Kennedy Meadows
Oct 8th

Hike Result
Made it to US/Mexico border

LIFE NARRATIVE

Carbon and his friend The Greek has just finished up their PhD programs in Computational Chemistry and decided to attempt a thru-hike. He thought the hike would be a fun and relaxing way to celebrate the PhD. Instead he wanted to quit on the first day of hiking, and the second, and for almost all of Washington. What kept him going was when he started to believe, “I’m here because I chose to be and I can do it.” After Snoqualmie Pass the trail got easier and he felt confident from having done one of the hardest parts of the trail.

“The first day, even just going 7 miles, I quickly learned it wasn’t going to be all fun and games. I hadn’t even tested out my tent so it took me two hours to set up my tent. Very quickly I realized that this was going to be really hard.”

“ I wanted to quit a lot, constantly. And I just kept not quitting. That’s Washington for me. Wanting to quit and not quitting.”

LOSING A HIKING PARTNER

"The Greek and I had hiked over 1,200 miles together, and had both gone through the grief of adapting to trail life. We both knew that he was going to leave the trail to meet up with his girlfriend from Germany for a couple of weeks in September, but we had initially thought that he would return to the trail after that was over. He decided not to return in the end and stopped in Chester, CA. He had to catch a bus there on September 13th to get to Quincy and then San Francisco by the 15th, so we had to rush for nine days to make it on time. This entailed a lot of night hiking and anxiety. We made it, but The Greek and I were exhausted. After The Greek left I was not sure that I would want to continue with the trail, but after taking some rest in Chester I decided that it would to stupid to quit given that I’d made it halfway. The Greek was a lot tougher than me at first and pushed me harder that I wanted to go. I have come to appreciate that and the toughness that first half of the trek gave me made the Sierra and So Cal much more enjoyable."

HIS TRAIL ADVICE...

“Research a lot about gear and trail conditions. Talk to people if you can about the difficulty”

“Prepare your body and test you gear”

“Get trekking poles!”