PCT Day 9, Vista Creek to Fire Creek, 18 miles
I believe great people do things before they are ready. – Amy Poehler It feels late getting up at 5:30, but I just wake when it’s light and we’re deep in the woods. It’s clear and a bit cold. I did my business, digging a cat hole with the orange trowel, and now coffee is […]
PCT Day 8, ‘four falls’ to Vista Creek, 21 miles
Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim. – Nora Ephron Sunrise on ‘four falls’ – yes, I notice another falls to the right while sipping my coffee – is sheer bliss. Also, it’s exactly why I came – for these types of moments. The sound of water moving, the smell of […]
PCT Day 7, Steheken to random beautiful place ‘four falls,” 15 miles
Stay strong. Make them wonder how you’re still smiling. – Anonymous I sleep reasonably well even if I have to cram my earplugs in to drown out the snoring. Randy wakes me up early to suggest we do laundry. It’s a decently long walk from her, along the lake, but there’s a phone and I’m […]
PCT Day 6, Hideaway Camp to High Bridge, (Stehekin) 13 miles
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going. Beverly Sills I wake up late after taking pain reliever, running to the bear box in just my skivvies to fetch it, light rain unable to deter because my cramping muscles won’t let me sleep. Al makes space for me on the bench and we chat […]
PCT Day 5, Methow River to Hideaway Camp, 21 miles
Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass. – Maya Angelou Nights aren’t easy. I wasn’t invaded with nightmares or sitting up in blind panic in the dark, but my muscles ache and I toss and turn. Eventually, by the river, the cold seeps in and I need to adjust. Sadness only […]
PCT Day 4, Hart’s Pass to Methow River, 16 miles
Be yourself. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. —Joan Jett I wake up late, at least for me, at 5:45. It’s cold and overcast as I poke out and take a seat under Broken Toe’s tarp. Here I work on a visual-audio piece weaving together several mini interviews with hikers I met at the […]
PCT Day 3, Hopkins Lake to Hart’s Pass, 25 miles
It is never too late to be what you might have been. – George Eliot Who am I now? Not a DJ, not a host, my name means nothing. I am instantly without a voice, without an audience, without a purpose. I sit up in the alicoop in a panic. It’s just a nightmare. But, […]
PCT Day 2, Holman Creek Trail Junction to Hopkins Lake (via Canadian border) 23 miles
The secret of getting ahead is getting started. – Sally Berger I sleep fitfully, my hips complaining. Every time I turn, my mattress crinkles like a bag of fritos. A deer clops through the site all night looking for salt. Lights come on then loud shooing away and laughter. I leave at dawn, a bird […]
PCT Day 1, Harts Pass to Holman Creek Trail Junction, 13 miles
Trail Angels take over 30 hikers to Hart’s Pass on a warm, clear day with easy walking on superb tread.
peeps of the PCT: the start
As I prepare for the CDT, I look back to the start of the Pacific Crest Trail and advice to not plan too much.
