One hundred and forty six days. It bugs me deeper than I want to admit that it’s not a round number. It’s not a ‘neat’ number. It’s not pretty, tied up in a bow, divisible by ten or rounded to the nearest five. I mean, it could have been. We could have got here yesterday … Continue reading One Hundred Forty Six: 2,585.8km

Gosh, I've been sounding morose lately! Scribing these last days has been such a drag, and I realise how mopey I sound. It’s just... It’s all nearly over. This chapter really is very nearly complete. I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself as of the day after tomorrow. No more digging cat … Continue reading One Hundred Forty Five: 2,564.4km

The woods were quiet as I made my way south this morning. Light filtered through the canopy of leaves above me. Trees stood tall and solemn. A heavy hush muffled the sound my footsteps. Woods morphed into rainforest, with the lushest greens my eyes have seen. That photo isn’t filtered. None of these are. It … Continue reading One Hundred Forty Four: 2,544.4km

As far as nearing the end of this epic adventure goes, I’m doing pretty good. Even with waking up to a frozen tent. I’ve heard about other hikers waking up to frost and ice, but I hadn’t realised what that meant exactly. I guess I just hadn’t given it too much thought. Not until this … Continue reading One Hundred Forty Three: 2,511.1km

Yesterday was officially the first day of American fall (autumn), but it feels like winter has well and truly set in.  Yes, I was born in the middle of (Australian) winter, but I am NOT a winter baby. I was two weeks overdue, and Mumma ended up having to have a cesarean because I just … Continue reading One Hundred Forty Two: 2,476.2km

Have we really been here for two whole days already? It doesn’t feel like long enough. We’ve watched five, maybe six movies. I don’t even know. I do know that I’ve had three baths - long ones! - since getting here. Piping hot water, magnesium bath salts, lavender oil... Oh yes. Trout Lake is where it's … Continue reading One Hundred Forty – Forty One: ZEROES

I'm of the opinion that full moons truly do affect people. I don't know what it is about them, but I know I always tend to feel a little wilder, a little less inhibited, a little more inclined to do crazy things. Like hike for twenty four hours straight to cover sixty five kilometers (or … Continue reading One Hundred Thirty Nine: 2,453.5km

I haven’t taken so many photos in a single day in my entire time on trail. Probably ever in my entire life. I keep trying to write about it, but I always tend to flick between photos to tell the story of what any single day entails, and this time it’s giving me anxiety: I … Continue reading One Hundred Thirty Seven: 2,377.2km

Liza stopped by before we left this morning: not only with 2Beers' phone and Nemo's lighter, but with stickers and keyrings as little mementos. She went so far as to realise we were conscious of every gram we carry, but still wanted to give us something to remember her by. As if we could ever … Continue reading One Hundred Thirty Six: 2,355.3km

SONGBIRD AND JEFE ARE HERE! And Nemo and 2Beers showed up late morning, after I got a glorious sleep in. And Marley and Hannah, and Blue, and Twerk, and Turtle, and a whole heap of hikers trying to sit out the storms that keep rolling in and out and in again. So many familiar faces! … Continue reading One Hundred Thirty Five: ZERO

We zeroed yesterday and basically zeroed the day before that, so this morning, it was time to move our butts. (I know, we've said that before. It's a broken record by now, but hey: we're having fun!) During yesterday's 'mileage renegotiations', as we've come to call it, we all agreed that an early start and … Continue reading One Hundred Thirty Four: 2,347.3km

Remember back in the day when it felt like I started every second post with ‘Well, we had intended to hike seriously today...’? This is one of those.  It’s kind of mostly Speedy’s fault.  My Dad helped too, in a way.  The phone call home went well yesterday afternoon. After a lot of tears and … Continue reading One Hundred Thirty Three: ZERO

I generally do pretty good at not stressing, but I’m fighting to stay in a positive headspace. And not winning.  So the visa issue... I need to leave the US by October 19th.  To get back in, I need to actually leave the continent of North America - as in, go further south than Panama, … Continue reading One Hundred Thirty Two: 2305.6km

No frostbite from last night. And that potato chips/Snickers bars combo did wonders for my body heat, not too long after I wolfed them down. God had mercy on us. We were woken by sunlight: enough of it for us to stretch out and keep our bones warm, while our tents dried and coffee brewed. … Continue reading One Hundred Thirty One: 2300.7km

The romanticism that enveloped me yesterday, and the dry heat from the fireplace last night are distant memories already. I think it was Jefe who told me months ago that the more calories you eat before bed, the hotter you'll sleep. Your body has to burn those calories, and keeps itself warm doing all that … Continue reading One Hundred Thirty: 2284.0km

I've been thinking... I might write a book. Like, actually write a book. This conclusion has come to me after the countless hours upon hours upon kilometres upon miles upon hours of walking and processing my thoughts. I think the smallest seed of this idea was planted back in Redding, when I was asked, "What … Continue reading One Hundred Twenty Nine: 2263.4km

As we walked, and talked, 2Beers asked me how I’m feeling.  This has got to be the most beautiful place I have experienced on earth. No wonder our conversations and friendships and memories made in this place goes so deep. “Do you mean in general, or about the PCT as a whole, or do you … Continue reading One Hundred Twenty Eight: 2,225.2km

I only took one photo today: 2Beers and Nemo, as we walked out of Snoqualmie Pass and up into those misty mountains.  I feel content. Peaceful. Light. Happy.  I got to chat with Mumma and Dad this morning, then spent a further two hours on the phone to my gal pal Reens and sister Sarah … Continue reading One Hundred Twenty Seven: 2,196.9km

I had breakfast with him one hundred and twenty six days ago at a table with Maya and Dario. He's been my pal and confidante and other half on and off for four months, in between his sabbaticals and the inevitable returns that earned him the trail name 'Prodigal'. But today, we said goodbye. Clearly, … Continue reading One Hundred Twenty Six: 2,189.7km

It's begun. Begun? Began. Begun... I never really know about the 'a' versus 'u' in this situation. And I've googled it more times than I can count - the jury's still out. Anywayyy... It has begun. The northbound bubble - the friends and comrades and acquaintances I began this journey with back in May, the … Continue reading One Hundred Twenty Five: 2,172.0 km

Okay, yeah, so, it turns out I wasn’t the only one letting my thoughts get the better of me last night. Swapping stories this morning, I learnt that 2Beers had also wound herself up a little, and made a similar dash for camp once dark hit, like I did. Nemo had felt ‘a little weird’, … Continue reading One Hundred Twenty Four: 2,154.7km

Lately, the way our mileage has worked out means our days start with a big climb and end with a descent.  With my knees still hurting, I would so much rather prefer it the other way around. I can race up hills (and generally faster than the rest). I love bounding up into the mountaintops, … Continue reading One Hundred Twenty Three: 2,133.3km 

Hoooooly guacamole, if my post yesterday was’t some sort of sermon that I specifically needed swirling in my head today, then pigs might start flying (or however that saying goes...). I even wondered if this is how it feels to live out a Doctor Who episode, where the Doctor might go back in time to … Continue reading One Hundred Twenty Two: 2,109.6km

What am I dreaming for? What is my life message? What will be the questions I ask myself on my deathbed?  Am I living up to the answers I hope I give on that day?  I’m not sure I can answer confidently if the hike today was more challenging than the podcast I listened to … Continue reading One Hundred Twenty One: 2,098.0km

It's been a while since I've stumbled across some solid good old trail magic, but the drought has ended at the cute little ski town of Stevens Pass.I met Joylene and Savannah Scott yesterday evening.Our little posse that keeps shrinking (and will shrink again next week - I'm still coming to terms with another goodbye) was … Continue reading One Hundred Nineteen – Twenty: ZEROES

I only gave a half hearted attempt when I tried to sneak off before the gang woke up. The snooze button was pressed at least twice before I even moved, let alone deflated my NeoAir and wriggled out of my quilt. This far into the game, I’ve got my morning system pretty down pat: it … Continue reading One Hundred Eighteen: 2,074.9km

Yesterday may have been borderline, but sitting here in my tent eating cold plain couscous and chewing straight into a stick of salami as if it were a banana, there’s no question: my streak of 10/10 days has come to an end. My knee is screaming at me every time I need to step down. … Continue reading One Hundred Seventeen: 2,045.1km

Washington Is A Babe. (But she’s also a bit of a biatch). My knees are in agony again. I thought I was doing pretty okay - I’ve been taking glucosamine (for joints), I’ve been stretching like four times a day, I’ve been taking more care of my body than I ever did coming northbound. I … Continue reading One Hundred Sixteen: 2,016.9km

I don’t know how it’s possible, but today was another 10/10. Which means I’m currently on a six day streak - that’s a record (not including the cold temps, because that’s just part of living in the mountains). I woke up having had not one, but three creepy Black Mirror-esque dreams, and decided promptly that … Continue reading One Hundred Fifteen: 1,991.9km