Rob – NorCal Hiker

Days 116 to 119 (Miles 1981.3 to 2094.5)

We got back on the trail at the Dee Wright Observatory. The observatory looks like a little castle built out of lava rock on Highway 242 at McKenzie Pass. Normally we would check out the view from the top but a fellow hiker warned us of about five miles of difficult lava rock walking, so we decided to conserve our energy for the trail. At first, we were giddy with excitement to have new shoes, but after a couple miles of ankle-twisting lava cobbles, it didn’t really matter much. Lava rock is the worst. Continue reading “Days 116 to 119 (Miles 1981.3 to 2094.5)”

Days 100 & 101 (Miles 1597.3 to 1647)

It was nice to sleep in a little bit – our ride back up to the trail left Etna at 8 am. When we reached the summit the trail was exactly as we left it – socked in a cloud. Continue reading “Days 100 & 101 (Miles 1597.3 to 1647)”

Days 27 to 30 (Miles 455 to 530)

We left Hiker Heaven on foot and were immediately offered a ride down the road into town. We ate an incredibly delicious and filling breakfast at the Sweetwater Café (Agua Dulce is Spanish for sweet water). After breakfast we powered down the road and back onto the trail. By midday, we had reached Bear Spring. We took our time hiking a few more miles and finished the day around 3:30pm, setting up camp next to some high voltage lines. Continue reading “Days 27 to 30 (Miles 455 to 530)”

Day 3: Up and Over Mt. Laguna (Miles 32 to 47.5)

Youngblood took off around 4:30 this morning; the rest of us packed up just after sunrise. Continue reading “Day 3: Up and Over Mt. Laguna (Miles 32 to 47.5)”

PCT Gear

How the heck do we decide what to carry for 5 months?

tent_kitty

We made some efforts to lighten up our packs for this length of a trip. On the John Muir Trail, I carried two Alite Monarch chairs totaling over two extra pounds. While it seemed worth it at that time, our mileage on the PCT needs to be quite a bit higher and I don’t think we’ll be sitting around as much anyway. We’re not really in the category of ultralight hikers, more just lightweight. At some point in the future I will post updates on which gear lasted and what needed replacing on the trail (hopefully not much).

For now, here are our tentative gear lists. These lists will be a work-in-progress until we actually hit the trail… and possibly afterwards as well:

We’re lucky that we can share some of the weight. Typically, I carry the tent and Christa carries the cooking stuff. That way we both need each other and can’t split up for the night (joking).