Backpacking provides the opportunity to get lost in nature and find yourself. Music creates the presence to feel emotions deeply. It is not often they come together, enhancing each other. On my hike of the Pacific Crest Trail they did, thanks to my travel companion, a small plastic Outdoor Ukulele. Whatever emotions I felt, I […]
Category Archives: Pacific Crest Trail
Life on Trail – A Pacific Crest Trail Documentary
“One granite ridge A tree, would be enough Or even a rock, a small creek, A bark shred in a pool.” -Gary Snyder, Piute Creek The words of this poem inspired me to look closer at my surrounding. Whether your hike is 1465 miles or 2 miles it can be hard to tune into the […]
Idyllwild to Warner Springs – Week 16 Pacific Crest Trail
Most hikers, upon arriving in town, look for a good restaurant, a laundromat, a nice inn, I usually head for the local library. The Idyllwild library has been the best I have encountered along the trail so far. It is in these libraries I feel most at home, especially after spending an enitre week in […]
Big Bear to Idyllwild – Week 15 Pacific Crest Trail
Yet again I find myself in a warm bed, indoors. If I am not careful this might turn into a habit. This week started in the lakeside town of Big Bear. I followed my usual intown program; grocery store, to swim hole, to library. When I left the company of my paper friends, too heavy […]
Wrightwood to Big Bear Week 14 Pacific Crest Trail
This week I walked through the backyards to one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States, Angeles and San Bernardino National Forest. I was pleasantly surprised by tremendous views, only slightly tinted with the flashing lights of suburban grids that lay below. I started my week camping with an old friend near Wrightwood. […]
Hiker Heaven to Wrightwood – Week 13 Pacific Crest Trail
Since June second I have not spent a night indoors, let alone in a bed. My streak came to a bittersweet end this week in the glorious Hiker Heaven. The desert has been brimming with extremely generous families and individuals. Hardly a few days have passed without being blessed by their presence. My week started […]
Hiker Town to Casa De Luna – Week 12 Pacific Crest Trail
A litter of three-month old kittens crept up before scurrying away, several chickens dodged the cats as a flock of mountain chickadees darted for safety, this was Hiker Town. The unusual hostel-like complex was on a lone plot of land along highway 138. The owners transformed it into a miniature ‘town’. A mock post office, […]
Walker Pass to Hiker Town – Week 11 Pacific Crest Trail
It was supposed to be dry, bleak, and lifeless. In stark contrast with my preconceived notion of what a desert ought to be I have encountered water, color, and life. After the soaring peaks of the Pacific Northwest and the glacier cut granite of the Sierras the more subtle and ancient beauty of the desert […]
Kennedy Meadows to Walker Pass – Week 10 Pacific Crest Trail
Community can determine whether a thru hike is successful or not. While each hiker has their own reason for being on the trail we unite as a family, creating a unique culture. In a community like this, premised on taking on the grueling task of living on the trail for months on end, inspiration and […]
Kearsarge to Kennedy Meadows – Week 9 Pacific Crest Trail
The past eight days has been a non stop barrage of the new and unusual. I couldn’t be happier about these oddities I faced on my way to Kennedy Meadows South. The slower I go and embrace the far-out occurences, the deeper I get pulled into a state of appreciation and enjoyment. Refueling in the […]