Day 5: Another Atmospheric River

18 March 2023 Eagle Rock (PCT Mile 106) to Warner Springs (PCT Mile 110) Today was a short day because I did some math. I don’t think I can make it down to Palm Springs before the next atmospheric river hits. Fifty mile an hour winds. Two inches of rain down low and two feet…

Day 4: Cross Country Fun

17 March 2023 Banner to Eagle Rock, PCT Mile 106 I slept really well in my tiny house at Banner Ranch. I was the only hiker that showed up, so I had the whole place to myself. It was easy to repack and get going at first light. The first mile or two were a…

Day 3: No More Snow (For Now)

16 March 2023 PCT Mile 42 Mount Laguna to Banner I’m back on trail! But this time there’s no postholing! The snow is almost completely gone from the Mt Laguna area. This morning I got an Uber back to the Laguna Mountain Lodge and then started walking again. I took the Los Huecos forest road…

Day 2: Pure Exhaustion

3 March 2023 PCT Mile 23 to 42 I slept great last night. It was cold but calm. I awoke to a frosty interior. It felt good to get moving. Lake Morena was putting on a show, wrapping itself in a low fog. At Cottonwood Creek I didn’t (yet) want to get my feet wet,…

Day 1: Here We Go, the Snow!

2 March 2023 PCT Mile 0 to 23 Today was the day! Double Down drove me to the terminus to start my 2023 PCT thru-hike attempt this morning. Living in San Diego, I’ve been here before, but I’ve never seen snow at the border. Double Down said “Look! Snow in Mexico!” And I said “Hey!…

Oops! I did it again

You would think I learned my lesson. After failing to complete the Tahoe Rim Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Arizona Trail, and the Tahoe Yosemite Trail, you would think I could come to terms with the fact that I am not a thru-hiker. You would think. But this year I have fallen ass-backwards into…

Hellhole Canyon

9 January 2023 Hellhole Canyon Trail to Maidenhair Falls (5 miles, +1,000/-1,000 feet). Before heading back to San Diego this morning, we got in one more hike at nearby Hellhole Canyon. The trail is pretty flat at first, heading straight up a (by comparison) lush wash. As we ascended it got steeper and we started…

The Slot

8 January 2023 West Butte Trail to Borego Mountain Wash (5 miles, +800/-800 feet). It’s Half Cookie’s birthday this weekend! (er, birth-weekend?) We decided to go do a couple of hikes in Anza Borrego State Park. It’s California’s largest state park, but relatively unknown to people outside of Southern California. We love it! We decided…

Secret Falls (Shhhh!)

26 December 2022 Secret Falls Trail (2 miles, +100/-100 feet). Our last hike in Kauai was my favorite! It was very short, but to get to the trailhead we first had to paddle on the Kailua River, which was GORGEOUS! It was about an hour paddle to the trailhead where a hundred kayaks crowded the…