So you know what a "thru-hike" is, you know that it's the Pacific Crest Trail (not the Pacific Coast Trail), and think you have what it takes to tackle the 2,650 mi / 4,265 km without dying. Good for you. But if you really want to be a thru-hiker, there's one thing you need above all else - a
Thirty Year Updates
Five years ago, I celebrated my first (and possibly only) quarter-century of life by writing up a bucket list (despite my disdain for this term and said lists). Most of the things on this list are quite arbitrary as I was just trying to imagine things I thought would be cool to do. I've since come
PCT, AT, and CDT Illustrations by First Row
So you've completed your life's greatest accomplishment and, being that we live in the future, you have been forever immortalized via photo at the end of your grand adventure. But what's that? Your hiking partner and trusted companion sucks at taking pictures? Did you finally make it to the other
Continental Divide Trail Week 11: Farewell Moisture
DAY 71: Dog Attack (Arrive Grand Lake/Denver, CO) I wake up early, 5:30, since today I'm trying to reach Grand Lake with enough sunlight left to hitchhike the 100 mi / 160 km to Denver - where I have a chest x-ray scheduled for tomorrow (and where I have a friend who I am hopefully staying
Guthook Guides (Atlas Guides) CDT App Review
There exist two distinct epochs on the Continental Divide Trail - pre and post-Guthook. What is Guthook? Guthook, by Atlas Guides, is an app made specifically for the Continental Divide Trail. It's not a mapping or GPS tracking app that also happens to have the ability to help you out with your CDT
Montbell Down Hugger 900 #3 Sleeping Bag Review
The Montbell Down Hugger 900 #3 is a three-season sleeping bag with a comfort rating of 37.4°F / 3°C. There are five models in Montbell's Down Hugger 900 series (900 referring to the down's fill power i.e. loft) - #1 being the warmest bag with a comfort rating of 24.8°F / -4°C and #5 with a comfort
Continental Divide Trail Thru-hiker Advice For 2019
As part of the Continental Divide Trail Survey I ask CDT hikers what they would do differently, given the chance to do it all again, and what advice they have for future CDT hikers. I share this information in the hopes of giving an idea of what mistakes people typically make pre, during, or
Continental Divide Trail Week 10: Shortcuts to Town
DAY 64: Mount Elbert (Arrive Leadville, CO) When we wake up, the wedding party has yet to arrive. I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing. What is a bad thing? All of the frozen condensation on my sleeping bag. I can't wait for all of this to melt while my sleeping bag is stuffed away in my
Pacific Crest Trail Thru-hiker Advice For 2019
This information comes from the Pacific Crest Trail Survey and aims to give you an idea of what mistakes others made pre, during, or post-PCT in the hopes that you will hopefully, be able to live your best PCT life. That said, these are statements from individual hikers should in no way be taken as