Pacific Crest Trail

Section 2: 2,180 miles on the PCT traveling north through California, Oregon, and Washington.

Much has been written about the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) over the years and this will not be an exhaustive overview (for those curious, Wild is an inspiring overview). The PCT and I are the same age; it was designated a National Scenic Trail in 1993.

The Sierra Nevada mountains will arrive quickly, just 200 miles into where I start the PCT. I must enter the high Sierras as early as possible (ideally mid-May) to afford myself enough time to hike the 4,400 miles to the end of the San Juan mountains in Southern Colorado before winter strikes in October. An early entrance to the Sierra Nevada’s introduces unique challenges:
1) there will be a significant amount of snow to travel through (although 2021 is shaping up to be a low snow year),
2) no businesses are open in the mountains this early in the season forcing me to carry my food for a 180-mile stretch, and
3) the elevation and challenging snow terrain.

Upon exiting the Sierra’s, the race is on – I am now competing against the impending winter and must now average ~35 miles a day until exiting the San Juan’s. My route takes me around Lake Tahoe, which I hiked the PCT portion during my Tahoe Rim Trail thru-hike in 2019.

I will next hike through Northern California and Oregon. I’ll circumnavigate Mt. Hood near Oregon and again join familiar territory from when I hiked the Timberline Trail in 2020.

Next, I’ll head to Washington and Mt. Ranier National Park passing through an area I hiked in 2018. I’ll then hightail it to the Canadian border only to exit the PCT a few miles short of the end to turn right onto the Pacific Northwest Trail, the next major section.

Pacific Northwest Trail

Section 3: 750 miles traveling east on the remote, rugged Pacific Northwest Trail

Designated a National Scenic Trail in 2009, the Pacific Northwest Trail is the baby of long-distance trails in the USA… and it is still experiencing growing pains: It is renowned for being remote (cell phone reception being spotty to non-existent for most of the trail) and less developed (bushwhacking and long road walks) than its longer, older siblings (PCT and AT). It will become normal during this section to go several days without seeing another human, a trend that will continue through my remaining 4,000 miles of my hike.

Since most hikers go West Bound, I will be bucking the trend with my eastwardly hike. I will arrive at the PNT in the heat of July and the days will be sweltering with temperatures reaching above 100F. Bear spray will enter my gear kit (love you, Mom) and I’ll keep it with me for many miles until I exit Yellowstone National Park on the CDT.

I’ll cross through Washington, the tip of Idaho, and part of Montana until I take another right turn at Glacier National Park and begin Section 4.

Continental Divide Trail

Section 4: 2,700 miles on the wild Continental Divide Trail.

Gone are established routes – it is said no two people have hiked the same CDT thru-hike due to the wide variety of alternatives and absence of trails in sections. Less developed than the other National Scenic Trails, it is also the longest (~3,100 miles) as the trail follows the Continental Divide south towards Mexico. My CDT section starts by visiting a National Park on my bucket list: Glacier National Park, which is well-known for its beauty and mountain landscapes. Next up is the Bob Marshall Wilderness where my route takes me through the densest Grizzly Bear area in the lower-48 states and along the Chinese Wall, a hike I did with my high school friend Jenn in 2020.

Up next is Yellowstone National Park, the oldest National Park in the US. This park is where I fell in love with backpacking during my first multi-day trip along the Thorofare and South Boundary Trail. Leaving Yellowstone, I meander through unfamiliar territory passing through the rest of Montana, briefly again in southern Idaho, and Wyoming until I reach Colorado. This state takes me through Rocky Mountain National Park and near the ski town of Breckenridge.

Colorado also represents the last serious barrier to completing the GWL – the San Juan mountain range. I will be praying for no early season snowstorms until my exit of their peaks. I continue through New Mexico (which I’ve never visited before) until reaching the next trail segment, the Grand Enchantment Trail.

Grand Enchantment Trail

Section 5: 212 miles across the wild Southwest USA.

The GET begins near the Gila Cliff Dwellings, an archeological site from early Native Americans who lived high up in caves in the cliff walls. The entire trail is 770-miles but I’ll hike less than a third of it as I wander east towards Phoenix, AZ.

The trail is renowned for its diverse climates passing through deserts, mountains, canyons, and everything in between. It climbs Arizona’s sky islands that rise above the desert. I’ll be glad to be hiking this trail in early fall where the temperatures will be only 90 degrees… a far cry from the 105+ degrees of mid summer.

Although the trail mostly stays in desert country, there are 170+ water resources along the trail meaning water will not be as much as a concern as it was at the onset of my hike during the route-finding section.

Arizona Trail

Section 6: 316 miles north through Arizona to finish the loop.

In its entirety, the Arizona Trail traverses 800 miles across the entire state of Arizona leading a hiker from Mexico to Utah. The Great Western Loop only joins for 300-ish miles of its length.

This trail is a big milestone – the right turn to head north onto the AZT signals the impending end of my expedition. But before then, I’ll climb the Superstition and Mazatzal Mountains and hike along the Mogollon Rim, a 200 mile long 1,000-foot cliff.

I pass through my final resupply in Flagstaff, a beautiful city I visited in 2018, and walk the final 90 miles to close the Grand Canyon.