Last year I had the great pleasure of walking 810 miles along the PCT, over the course of seven weeks, before my journey was cut short by a freak injury. This year's hike was considerably shorter, both in terms of distance walked and time on the trail, and I feel I should provide an explanation of why I left the trail early.
Read MoreAfter a very taxing day yesterday it was almost 6 am when I awoke this morning. I didn’t sleep well last night probably because I was overtired from the previous day's exertions. One thing I was very clear about was the decision I made last night to end my trip here. I was holding Jim back from making the miles he needed in order to honour a deadline he had set to meet a friend at Ashland. I think Jim appreciated my candor and honesty, and we parted on good terms and wished each other well.
Read MoreOn the trail by 7-10 am and the weather, like every day since this trip started, was beautiful blue skies and bright sunshine. We had a short climb of around 3-400 feet to start our day before we started to bob along a ridge which provided glorious views down to several lakes many hundreds of feet below us. We were only 16.5 miles from Belden, but it’s almost impossible to keep a good pace going due to the footing.
Read MoreJim wanted to be on the trail by 6-00 am today, but when I woke at 5-45, Jim was not up. Therefore it was going to be a much later start than Jim intended. We finally got away by 7-00 am and enjoyed a very pleasant downhill walk for 1 1/2 miles before filling up with water. Every fill of 2 liters adds about 4 of weight to the backpack!
Read MoreMarvin arrived at my campsite, ready to roll, but I still had my tent to take down. As Marvin had rolled his ankle again during his walkabout, it was decided he would go on ahead to get it warmed up. My tent fly was soaked, and my tent footprint was also wet, which meant any loose grit or pine needles would stick to it. This is a part of the camping process I detest, but my tent needed to be packed, so I set about getting it done. Finally, I was ready to leave.
Read MoreLast night we arrived in Truckee where we decided to take a zero. For those not familiar in the jargon of the PCT, a zero-day is when you take a day off from hiking. This enables your body to rest and recuperate from the rigours of hiking, and at the same time allows you to run around picking up supplies that may be required for the next stage of your journey. The one problem with Truckee is the fact the town is so large and to get around you need an Uber as trail angels seem to be nonexistent.
Read MoreWe took a leaf out of my experience from last years hike along the PCT where we decided to leave camp and have breakfast after walking several miles. This was partly through choice and partly through necessity, as we were very low on water.
Read MoreWifi doesn’t always corporate when you’re the Wanderer. Here are a collection of pictures from the first week!
Read MoreMarvin and I had to share my tent last night as it fit perfectly on the site we had chosen to camp, and because there was no other sites big enough to accommodate Marvin's one man tent.The wind was blowing pretty good but we were able to secure the tent so that it would not blow away!!
Read MoreDeparted our camp at 8-25 am after a great nights sleep and the walking was some of the best we have experienced to date. The trail was relatively flat with some slight undulations just to keep things interesting and we were averaging about 2 miles per hour which seemed like warp speed in comparison to the past 3 days. It really is amazing how much ground you can cover if you are not having to search for the trail or go up and down over the snowy hills that are often encountered.
Read MoreWe hit the trail right at 8 am which wasn't really that difficult since we had camped just a few feet away. Unfortunately within minutes it had disappeared again, lost in the footprints going this way and that, and after a long exhaustive climb we had these amazing views of a lake to our right and water rushing headlong down a granite slab. It would have been exhilarating had we not been lost.
Read MoreLast night we camped at Aloha Lake and we were up and on the trail by 8 am. We were greeted with a brilliant blue sky and glorious sunshine and it looked like it was going to be another hot one!
Read MoreLast year I left the PCT in an ignominious fashion having to be rescued from the Sierra Nevada Mountain range by helicopter. Today, 407 days later, I’m returning to my beloved trail to walk another 877 miles in my quest to hike from The US/Mexican border up to Manning Park in Hope, BC. As with my previous blogs this is where I pause to reflect on all those people who have helped and supported my efforts.
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