Three Days on Mount Jefferson

Around 11 years ago, in the summer before my 8th grade year, my dad looked at his map of the Jefferson Wilderness Area and pointed thoughtfully at one of the trails. "I think," he said, "I want to try out this Breitenbrush trail this weekend. You wanna come?" he asked. Of course I wanted to … Continue reading Three Days on Mount Jefferson →

Mail drops on the PCT: Putting the Pro in Procrastination

Considering I leave this week for the Pacific Crest Trail, I thought it might be fun to, ya know, figure out what I'm going to be eating on the trip. Here's the problem: I'm a lousy cook, even in the best of circumstances. Case in point: I once was in charge of making macaroni and … Continue reading Mail drops on the PCT: Putting the Pro in Procrastination →

Passing Out In First Aid Class

So I guess I'm more squeamish than I thought I was. In preparation for hiking the PCT, I thought, "I should really take a wilderness first aid class." When I saw that REI was going to have a class a week before I leave, I signed up without hesitation. I would have been better off … Continue reading Passing Out In First Aid Class →

So I quit my job…

I generally enjoy my job. It's the side effects I can't stand--waking up every morning with third tier pop music stuck in my head, wanting to punch customers in the face for asking why I'm not more chipper at 9:53 at night, being unable to plan with certainty any events beyond next week due to … Continue reading So I quit my job… →

Permission Granted!

After a whole 17 days of delayed gratification, I received my permit to hike the Pacific Crest Trail this evening. And yes, it does feel fantastic. Am I totally ready to hit the trail? Sure! Right after I buy a tent get my California Campfire Permit Get my permit to enter Canada Buy a … Continue reading Permission Granted! →

The Deep Questions

Why am I here? What's the purpose? If you're talking about life in general, great questions! However, my psychology 201 professor said we need to guard against over-sharing, or else people might try to give us jackets without armholes. That would make blogging difficult, so I'll hold off on answering those. As to why I'm … Continue reading The Deep Questions →

Beaten by the Bearvault

Question: Which bear is best? Is that a ridiculous question? Are there basically two schools of thought? If that's your answer: Let's be friends. I always need people to finish my quotes from The Office, otherwise things get kind of awkward. False. The best bear, at least when backpacking, is the one that doesn't come … Continue reading Beaten by the Bearvault →

Embarrassment at REI

I've spent 4 years obsessing over backpacking gear and planning a future Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike. I've been backpacking three times. I've read dozens of trail blogs, gear lists, and books of backpacking wisdom. So when I went to REI to jump on the bandwagon of the Osprey Aura AG 65, (the AG stands for … Continue reading Embarrassment at REI →