New favorite thing: telling kids about backpacking. Why? When an adult asks what you eat on the trail, and you say, "Pop-tarts and Snickers," they tend to groan and look away as though the very idea of so much sugar is shameful. (Or maybe they're just jealous; who knows?) But when you tell a gathering of … Continue reading Backpacking for third graders →

Spoiler alert: unfortunately, this post ends with me leaving the trail. Not permanently, I hope, but likely for the next month or so. And, back to the narrative! While in Idyllwild, Miguel and I visited the ranger station to inquire about snow levels on top of Mount San Jacinto, which we would be crossing the … Continue reading Let’s just call Mount San Jacinto “Caradhras” →

We now resume our rapid-fire recap of the PCT. Day 10: As we ate our pancakes at Mike's place, Papa Buff told us a bit about his beekeeping business in Humboldt County. Remember that, because bees will come back in a few sentences. After leaving Mike's, we got to Tule Springs 10 miles later. Sadly, the … Continue reading Week 2.5: Water and Milkshakes →

After 109.5 miles in one week, my hiking partner Miguel and I decided to take the day off in Warner Springs. Warner Springs is an unincorporated area that has a school, fire station, post office, golf course, senior living park, and community center. For two months of the year, they open this community center to … Continue reading Day Nine: Running out of Time →

Thank to a solar charger that only charged my phone for three seconds at a time, I haven't been able to blog as much as I had hoped. In reality, the first two weeks of hiking were almost entirely consumed with walking, eating, or sleeping, so I probably wouldn't have blogged even with unlimited power. … Continue reading Catching Up: Week One on the PCT →

For the first couple miles after setting off from the Campo monument, I attempted to keep up with the people I had started with. It was a lovely walk, and we were all together when we hit the most important milestone of all: the first one. Shortly thereafter, though, I desperately needed to sit and … Continue reading PCT Day One: Don’t Rain on this Parade →

There are few things that make me wish I had planned an extra day in San Diego more than looking out the airplane window and seeing a pirate ship in the harbor. Alas, I had people to meet, so I added ship commandeering to my list of things to do when I go to Comic … Continue reading Getting to the trail: thank God for trail angels! →