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
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
We watched the sun rise. We crossed creeks. We passed by lakes. We met a trail cat. We walked some more. We napped. We walked again. We crossed rivers by bridge. We crossed rivers by foot. We set up camp in a field, soaked right up next to each other in teensy hot springs - … Continue reading Day Sixty Seven: 1356.7 – 1380.4km
I reckon every day has something special to offer. Sometimes it’s like a treasure hunt and you have to search for it (admittedly, I don’t always find it), but sometimes it’s served to you on a silver platter. Today, I had that something special served to me in ziplock bags, by some very special people. … Continue reading Day Fifty Six: 1234.4 – 1245.8km
IT’S MY BIRTHDAY! 😁 (Here, in America.. Because I know for my Australians it happened yesterday. Time zones, right?) And it’s been an absolutely beautiful day. Maya woke me up with a cup of coffee. Thibaud - who left KM sometime after Jefé and I but hasn’t been seen in two days - caught us up. … Continue reading Day Fifty Three: 1195.7 – 1212.9km
I walk, letting the tall grass run through my fingers as my hands brush past, and I see me. The real me. The me that is so often obscured by distractions of everyday life, responsibilities and to-do lists. The veil of familiarity and monotony has fallen away. I begin to see the woman inside me … Continue reading Day Forty Four: 954.0 – 980.0km
Tonight, I’ll be in Hiker Heaven. After all my research; my blog scrolling and YouTube watching and internet scouring, it seems surreal that I’m reaching the places I’ve read and dreamt about. Before, they were long off waypoints. They weren’t even real. They were names on pages, pinpoints on maps. Yet here I am, checking … Continue reading Day Thirty: 701.8 – 731.5km
The plan was to get to Idyllwild. We were more than ready for a town: beds, showers, laundry, no tents, clean feet, pizza, more supplies.. The setback was, it was going to be a hike and a half. More than 30 kilometres - doable - but the vast majority of which were going up, with … Continue reading Day Twelve: 252.6 – 285.2km
Well, I figured it couldn’t last forever, right? It didn’t. I got up at stupid o’clock (4AM) and continued to press snooze for half an hour.. then it still took me until 5:20 to have my life fully packed and walking away from my tent site. My knee still ached, but at least it was … Continue reading Day Ten: 196.4 – 231.8km
I feel a bit like royalty out here. My nights at Scout and Frodo's were highlighted with a Celtic fiddle player, and one of the San Diego adventure stores shouting us a party - free pizza, wine, beer, popcorn, raffles, PCT movies and pros all out to swap stories and give tips and information. Then … Continue reading Day One: 0.0 – 24.7km
I know you're all dying to read the next post - sorry for the wait; I didn't have wifi at last night's albergue. It was attached to a beautiful old cathedral and works by donation (generally we pay 8-12€ a night), so was a little old-school and totally sweet. For dinner we had a community … Continue reading Día Siete / Day Seven
No one day is the same as the next. Maybe this is why we should always be thankful for today: there will never be another exactly like it, and we can never really know exactly what to expect. It seems everyone started out early today to beat the merciless sun. We were walking just after … Continue reading Día Seis / Day Six
