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 […]
Category Archives: Long Trails
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 […]
Reds Meadow to Kearsarge Pass – Week 8 Pacific Crest Trail
Imagine soaking in natural hot springs when suddenly chunks of ice begin falling from the sky. Perhaps that is not everyone’s idea of a remarkable life experience but that afternoon was among my favorite on the trail. One the most dreaded features of the High Sierras is the sporadic storms I endured that day. As […]
Sonora Pass to Reds Meadow – Week 7 Pacific Crest Trail
Incomprehensibly expansive vistas and impossibly vast ridges pale in comparison to a single pine cone. While this week, ending in Reds Meadow, has been easily some of the Pacific Crest Trails most scenic, my focus has been on the micro. Soon into my first day I was at 10,000 feet, wide eyed and gaping at […]
Bridge of The Gods – Week 5 Pacific Crest Trail
Tempting myself to look down I shudder at the hundred foot drop below me, this was my experience crossing the ‘Bridge of The Gods.’ This monumental bridge is where Washington meets Oregon, along the Pacific Crest Trail. Crossing the gargantuan Columbia River Gorge into Oregon marks the beginning of my time hiking through Oregon. Shortly […]