Taking some time off has been a good call. I was fighting with myself so much last week, trying to make everything work. Instead of enjoying my time out here, I seem to have been on auto pilot. I was stressing myself out. I needed a break. I just didn’t want to admit it - … Continue reading One Hundred – Two: RENO
Well, I went two hundred metres today. And then J$, Pickleback and I sat on a flat rock, overlooked Donner Lake, shared coffee and breakfast, and I simply decided I was done with hiking for a while. I’m just kinda over it. A reset button needs to be pushed. I love living outside, I love … Continue reading Day Ninety Nine: 1856.2 – 1856.4km
What kind of story am I writing? When people read the pages of my life, and the chapter titled ‘Her Journey Along the Pacific Crest Trail’ in particular, will they scoff at how long it took me to complete? That it wasn’t a direct Mexico to Canada journey? Will they think it less of a … Continue reading Day Ninety Eight: 1834.1 – 1856.2km
Today is all about gratitude. Grateful that I get to eat choc chips for breakfast whenever i feel like it. Grateful for my parents. Grateful for this big old adventure. Grateful my feet have carried me this far. Grateful that I still have so many miles left. Did I mention already that I’m grateful for … Continue reading Day Ninety Seven: 1807.8 – 1834.1km
This is my friend Jimminy Cricket. If you’ve fast forwarded a few chapters, or you started with us back at the beginning, you’ll know her as Sarah. Jimminy - who also goes by J$ (J-Money) is my Australasian sister. She’s not just one of my peeps, she’s the Sam to my Frodo. Out of all … Continue reading Day Ninety Six: 1782.6 – 1807.8km
Mountain House Raspberry Crumble - it’s my still favourite of the dehydrated bougie* meals (never mind it being classed a ‘dessert’), even though I had scalding hot mixture dripping down my back this evening. Yeah. That happened. With these dehydrated meals, all you have to do is boil two cups of water, pour it into … Continue reading Day Ninety Five: 1768.2 – 1782.6km
Yesterday evening we got back to the trailhead, and I thought I needed a nap before dinner. I woke up from said ‘nap’ f o u r t e e n h o u r s later. I’m guessing it was kickback from all that happened Friday, as well as sharing our hostel room with … Continue reading Day Ninety Four: 1753.8 – 1768.2km
Thank you again to all who are praying for me around the world. Thank you for your encouragement and support. Thank you for the messages flooding in and reminders that I’m on track. Understandably, this weekend was not my average town stop. It was on the outside, of course. We had breakfast mimosas and went … Continue reading Day Ninety Two – Three: ZEROES
I’m not sure how to even put today into words. I’ve talked it out with a few key people, and I’ve replayed it in my head enough times: it’s not a problem of recollection. This time, I’m unsure how to adequately describe how my day unfolded, and I want to make sure I’m honouring and … Continue reading Day Ninety One: 1713.0 – 1753.8km
Lately, I’ve been seeing so many posts from friends along the PCT who have reached the midway point. Some of them started before me, some after, and all those I have seen on Facebook or Instagram are currently 500km ahead of where I’m sitting in my tent right now, typing this. Pickleback had a conversation … Continue reading Day Ninety: 1684.6 – 1713.0km
It felt good to hike today. It felt really good. It felt like I actually hiked, which is welcome - especially as I’ve felt so unmotivated to move recently. I think getting up early is my best bet. I hate the early mornings, but they do me good to set me up for the day. … Continue reading Day Eighty Nine: 1658.8 – 1684.6km
Ahhhh yes. Let’s just go ahead and acknowledge that we didn’t hike eight kilometres/five miles in total today. We’re just going to get that right out of the way. We can claim it for what it is - a fairly completely ridiculously short day, and instead of feeling guilty about that, embrace it! Yes! We … Continue reading Day Eighty Eight: 1650.9 – 1658.8km
Waking up with pillows under my head, a doona wrapped around me, sprawled across a fold out lounge and my friends in various beds close by was a flipping brilliant way to meet the day. I missed these guys. I know we were meant to get an early start and hike, but we had to … Continue reading Day Eighty Seven: 1636.6 – 1650.9km
I’m definitely absolutely not sold on it yet... But I’m maybe kind of a little bit coming around to the idea of a flip flop. It makes sense. I don’t love it, but it does. To be able to reach Canada straight through, I need big miles: like fifty kilometre day miles. Even with that, … Continue reading Day Eighty Six: ZERO
Mentally, and emotionally, this has been my hardest week on trail. I haven’t wanted to whine and moan - no one enjoys that - but it’s been a push. And we haven’t even been pushing too hard. I’m just thoroughly not enjoying it right now. Maybe because HBG is scattered along the trail instead of … Continue reading Day Eighty Five: 1619.8 – 1636.6km
At this point, I think we have to be honest: the Hiker Biker Gang is the vortex. It’s only Nemo and I right here, and yesterday we picked up Jeremy - who officially goes by Ratatouille now. Most of HBG is dispersed ahead of us, and a couple are who knows how far behind, and … Continue reading Day Eighty Four: 1608.7 – 1619.8km
Wondering out loud, I asked the PCT if our relationship was one of unrequited love. I give her my all, every day. Of course I get tired. There are ebbs and flows to my energy, to my attitude, to how I approach her. Such is the cyclic nature of life. But everything that I have, … Continue reading Day Eighty Three: 1576.7 – 1608.7km
I miss Cathleen Cowie. I think it was Carolyn (her beautiful sister) who told me once that grief comes in waves. Originally, they are tidal waves that you feel you’ll drown in. They batter you one after another, relentlessly, as you gasp and try to gulp in air with water raging all around. Eventually, there … Continue reading Day Eighty Two: 1558.7 – 1576.7km
I’m currently having one of those serendipitous days, where I keep meeting the exact people I need to. This morning, it was Northcut. He’s an American fella out here on his first ever backpacking trip with two guys he used to work with (Scott and Paul). Far out, I’ve got to give it all the … Continue reading Day Eighty One: 1538.8 – 1558.7km
I can’t seem to find the right words, but my heart is ... wrong. It’s off balance. Restless. Anxious. Out of sorts. Lonely. Detached. I know something is wrong, but I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is, or why, or where the root of it - whatever ‘it’ is - lies. I … Continue reading Day Eighty: 1516.9 – 1538.8km
Man. Yosemite. And fires. Have I forgotten to mention there are fires? HOW have I forgotten to mention there are fires? WE CAN’T EVEN SEE YOSEMITE. The smoke is crazy - it burns my eyes every morning I climb out of my tent, and my throat is scratchy all day. If I smoked cigarettes, I … Continue reading Day Seventy Seven – Nine: YOSEMITE
I walked to Yosemite National Park. Yosemite. This is the go-to background for Apple computers and phones. It’s not hard to see why. Sunrise felt just a tad too early for summit whisky, so we shared summit coffee instead. Twice. (We had to make a second pot; it just felt right this morning). I had … Continue reading Day Seventy Six: 1485.5 – 1514.1km
I’m craving some human touch today. I want a hug. I’m not feeling down or entirely lonely. Nothing’s really wrong, and I’ve got the best gang by my side - I think I just need a big hug. Have you heard of The Five Love Languages? It’s a concept that we all feel love and … Continue reading Day Seventy Five: 1466.1 – 1485.5km
Yesterday was the first time I’ve fallen down on trail. It was a solid one too: I was as good as a turtle, splayed out in the dirt. Only a few scrapes and bruises that have made themselves known today to show for it, but it happened. So I just wanted to admit that I … Continue reading Day Seventy Four: 1459.1 – 1466.1km
I know I’ve said it before. I’ve probably said it plenty! I just can’t get enough of the Sierras: The crystal clear lakes. The vibrant green grass. The miles we keep chipping away at. The granite mountains that surround us, protect us, mystify us, beckon us. Has it really been 900 miles of trail already? … Continue reading Day Seventy Three: 1431.1 – 1459.1km
My alarm went off at 6AM. I deflated my mattress like a good hiker girl, and replied to a few messages I’d received overnight. No one stirred, but I figured it was only a matter of time before the camp started moving, so I went all out and cooked up a dehydrated egg and bacon … Continue reading Day Seventy Two: 1416.2 – 1431.1km
After spending a full zero day beside this stunner of a lake and having a campfire going for just about all of our waking hours here (with the exception of the intermittent downpours), I knew motivating myself to keep on walking would be an issue. So I gave myself a little dose of discipline: woke … Continue reading Day Seventy One: 1390.3 – 1416.2km
The unthinkable has happened. We’re zeroing again. At this point, I don’t even know how it keeps happening. The Sierras are a vortex of their own! Maybe this is why people quit in Northern California... because it’s going to be so hard to start pushing out those 25-30mile days after averaging nine miles a day. … Continue reading Day Seventy: ZERO
Obviously, the Hiker Biker Gang aka. River Bandits had to have a communal breakfast to start the day. It also made sense - seeing as we’re already here - to have one last quick look-see at the hiker boxes at the Muir Trail Ranch. There were fresh (albeit dirty) faces as more people had rocked … Continue reading Day Sixty Nine: 1380.4 – 1390.3km
You can now call us the River Bandits, as well as Hiker Biker Gang. Today we looted, and came up with a lot of treasure. We hadn’t thought it would end up a zero, but it was. And it was a productive day for our gang. I made a pot of communal coffee at 7AM … Continue reading Day Sixty Eight: ZERO
