My passport will not swipe at the self-service kiosk - do I really have to get into that giant line of people behind the check-in counter? An airline employee on the floor attempts to rectify the situation, but after ten minutes of failed attempts (and the aggravated bending of my passport) she
VIDEO: The Birth Of A Thru-Hiker
The people you meet out on the Pacific Crest Trail are not the same people who left their friends and family behind (and not just because they are now homeless). Seeing a photo of someone before (and oftentimes after) the trail is quite shocking - generally they are barely recognizable. Where is
The Thru-Hiker League Of Super Best Friends
Some people try to be everyone's best friend, to wear so many faces that their true identity becomes a patchwork of social reflections, to always say the "right thing" even when it conflicts with what they truly believe. Some people suck. Trademarked by their uncanny ability to sing songs of
Coping With Readjustment And Thoughts Of Suicide
Writing this is difficult because doing so is an admission that I am no longer on the Pacific Crest Trail. Yes, it may have been close to three months since I last set foot on the PCT, but my mind is still out there somewhere, lost in the wilderness. The transition back into the "real world"
The Final Stats of the Pacific Crest Trail
I love statistics, and hiking the Pacific Crest Trail has provided me with plenty of data to sift through. Previously, I reported my PCT statistics in five different progress reports: The Desert, The Sierra, NorCal, Oregon, and Washington. The following is a compilation of all the statistical
Rocket Llama’s Brilliant PCT Comics
I met a lot of special people along the Pacific Crest Trail, and one of those people was Rocket Llama. Rocket Llama has used her artistic talents to convey life on the PCT in comic form, and she has been greatly successful in doing so. The following two comics come straight from Rocket Llama's
The PCT: Where I Went Terribly Wrong
When I first decided that hiking the Pacific Crest Trail would be a good idea (what was I thinking?), the one thing I constantly sought out was personal accounts of "if I could do it over again". They were difficult to come by. In an effort to help future hikers of the trail I hereby submit my
The Annual Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hiker Survey (2013)
In an effort to provide more useful information to those looking to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, I conducted a survey of over 100 people who attempted a thru-hike in 2013. DEMOGRAPHICS So who is the stereotypical Pacific Crest Trail hiker? According to the survey data, it is an unmarried
PCT Progress Report V: Washington
Finally having made it to Washington, there was no chance I was going to voluntarily end my Pacific Crest Trail journey short of the Canadian Border. Only 500 miles stood between me and the completion of perhaps the greatest physical undertaking of my life. Days ahead of all my trail buddies, I