What the Trail Taught Me

What the Trail Taught Me

It is difficult to put into words how the trail changed me, or how much it taught me; I just know that I am not the same person I was when my tender feet first stepped out of Blue Moon’s car and into the powdered dirt at the southern terminus. It isn’t always obvious...

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Back to Reality…Nah…

Back to Reality…Nah…

The party was over; Krav and Littlefeet needed to be getting home. Krav had to be back at work, and Littlefeet needed to wrap his brain around life after the trail. Bearclaw and I still had a few days of vacation left and had decided we would head back to Rainy Pass...

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Castle Pass to Manning Park, Canada

Castle Pass to Manning Park, Canada

August 16, 2015 Day 16: Castle Pass to Manning Park, Canada Miles: 12.48 Total Miles: 2,660 Miles to Go: 0 We ate breakfast with Littlefeet, but it was hard to stay present. We were all too excited. Only four short miles stood between us and Canada. Big breath. It was...

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Mile 2,625.28 to Castle Pass

Mile 2,625.28 to Castle Pass

Saturday, August 15, 2015 Day 15: Mile 2,625.28 to Castle Pass Miles: 21.14 Total Miles: 2,646.42 Miles to Go: 12.48 Washington, I decided, was the gorgeous drama queen of States. It was beautiful to look at, but it was a giant pain in the ass. We awoke to a dense,...

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Glacier Pass to Mile 2,625.28

Glacier Pass to Mile 2,625.28

Friday, August 14, 2014 Day 15: Glacier Pass to Mile 2,625.28 Miles: 15.63 Total Miles: 2,625.28 Miles to Go: 33.62 Sometime after dark, I was awoken by the snapping of branches. The air was thick with smoke. For a brief moment, my half-asleep brain...

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Rainey Pass to Glacier Pass

Rainey Pass to Glacier Pass

Thursday, August 13, 2015 Day 13: Rainey Pass to Glacier Pass Miles: 21.02 Total Miles: 2,609.65 Miles to Go: 49.25 After breakfast dad and Marianne drove us up to the trailhead at Rainy Pass so we could make our final push north. On the drive up, we could...

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Winthrop & Twisp

Winthrop & Twisp

Wednesday, August 12, 2015 Day 12: Winthrop & Twisp Miles: 0 Winthrop was easily one of the most charming towns in the Northwest. It wasn't incorporated until 1924, but you'd never know that by looking at it. Apparently, in the 1970s, when Highway 20...

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North Cascades National Park

North Cascades National Park

Tuesday, August 11, 2015 Day 11: Lone Fir CG Miles: 0 Needing to be out of our room by 11 a.m., we wandered across the street to drink coffee on the veranda of the little drive-through coffee shop across the way. We were there for less than an hour, when,...

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Mile 2,526.27 to Sedro Woolley

Mile 2,526.27 to Sedro Woolley

Monday, August 10, 2015 Day 10: Mile 2,526.27 to Sedro Woolley Miles: 19.09 Total Miles: 2,538.35 Miles to Go: 120.55 We woke up at sunrise, only twelve miles from our detour off of the PCT. I had mixed feelings about this; I didn't want to detour from the...

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Mile 2,508.1 to Mile 2,526.27

Mile 2,508.1 to Mile 2,526.27

Sunday, August 9, 2015 Day 9: Mile 2,508.1 to Mile 2,526.27 Miles: 18.26 Total Miles: 2,526.27 Miles to Go: 132.64 This was, without a doubt, the most challenging day I had ever had on a trail. Our Krav alarm went off at the same time as usual only today it sang a...

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Mile 2,489.4 to Mile 2,508.10

Mile 2,489.4 to Mile 2,508.10

Saturday, August 8, 2015 Day 8: Mile 2,489.4 to Mile 2,508.10 Miles: 18.7 Total Miles: 2,508.10 Miles to Go: 150.81 We may have had a crappy night's sleep in our cramped, uneven tree hole, but we awoke in an exceedingly good mood considering. With only one tent to...

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Janus Lake to Mile 2,498.4

Janus Lake to Mile 2,498.4

Friday, August 7, 2015 Day 7: Janus Lake to Mile 2,498.4 Miles: 18 Total Miles: 2,498.4 Miles to Go: 168.81 Up early, I sat on the edge of a log and watched the mist roll off Janus Lake, as breakfast cooked. The fog slowly lifted to reveal a perfectly...

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Dinsmore’s Hiker Haven to Janus Lake

Dinsmore’s Hiker Haven to Janus Lake

Day 6: Dinsmore's Hiker Haven to Janus Lake Miles: 9.75 Total Miles: 2,471.37 Miles to Go: 187.54 It didn't rain overnight— it poured so hard that, even pitched under the enormous old-growth fir tree in the Dinsmore's backyard, the outside of the tent was drenched...

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Mile 2,451.48 to Dinsmore’s Hiker Haven

Mile 2,451.48 to Dinsmore’s Hiker Haven

Wednesday, August 5, 2015 Day 5: Mile 2,451.48 to Dinsmore's Hiker Haven Miles: 10.14 Total Miles: 2461.62 Miles to Go: 197.29 It was cold; not Washington snowstorm cold, but cold enough that when our Krav alarm went off, no one was motivated to peel themselves out of...

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Deep Lake to Mile 2,451.48

Deep Lake to Mile 2,451.48

Tuesday, August 4, 2015 Day 4: Deep Lake to Mile 2,451.48 Miles: 19.01 Total Miles: 2,451.48 Miles to Go: 207.43 Having gone to bed long before sunset, we were up at the ass-crack of dawn, ready to hike. Even with a leisurely morning breakfast, we were still the first...

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Small Tarn to Deep Lake

Small Tarn to Deep Lake

Monday, August 3, 2015 Day 3: Small Tarn to Deep Lake Miles: 14.76 Total Miles: 2,432.32 Miles to Go: 233.94 This morning was one of those mornings where I woke up and started by wiggling my toes, just to make sure my legs still worked. Upon discovering they did, I...

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Ridge Lake to Small Tarn Mile 2,417.56

Ridge Lake to Small Tarn Mile 2,417.56

Sunday, August 2, 2015 Day 2: Ridge Lake to Small Tarn Mile 2,417.56 Miles: 19.58 Total Mile: 2417.56 Miles to Go: 248.67 “TIME TO GET UP!” Krav yelled from his tent. It was 6:00 a.m. I’d totally forgotten about the Krav alarm! I rolled over and popped out of the...

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Snoqualmie Pass to Ridge Lake

Snoqualmie Pass to Ridge Lake

Saturday, August 1, 2015 Day 1: Snoqualmie Pass to Ridge Lake Miles: 7.48 Total Miles: 2,397.98 Miles to Go: 268.25 "Are you guys excited?" My friend Tree asked as she drove us up to Snoqualmie Pass from her parent’s house in Ellensburg. Truthfully, I was exhausted...

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Mirror Lake to Snoqualmie Pass

Mirror Lake to Snoqualmie Pass

Saturday, August 23, 2014 Day 9: Mirror Lake to Snoqualmie Pass Miles: 9.1 Miles to Go: 0 It was hard to be motivated to get out of bed knowing we were only nine miles from the end of the trail. I wanted to return to reality now, about as little as I had...

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Mile 2,380.6 to Mirror Lake

Mile 2,380.6 to Mirror Lake

Friday, August 22, 2014 Day 8: Mile 2,380.6 to Mirror Lake (2392.9) Miles: 12.3 Miles to Go: 9.1 “Oh fuck! Babe, wake up!” Bearclaw yelled. Barely awake I rolled over and open my eyes just in time to see a horizontal flash of lightning streak overhead....

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Mile 2,365.2 to Mile 2,380.6

Mile 2,365.2 to Mile 2,380.6

Thursday, August 21, 2014 Day 7: Mile 2,365.2 to Mile 2,380.6 Miles: 15.4 Miles to Go: 21.4 The weather was perfect for hiking. There was barely a cloud in the sky as we packed up and left our campsite in the huckleberry patch and by the time we were...

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Mile 2,350.1 to Mile 2,365.2

Mile 2,350.1 to Mile 2,365.2

Wednesday, August 20, 2014 Day 6: Mile 2350.1 to Mile 2365.2 Miles: 15.1 Miles to Go: 36.8 I poked my head out of the tent, fully expecting to see a damp, muddy forest, but save for the few sprinkles we’d gotten last night, the ground was dry. A low...

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Sheep Lake to Mile 2,350.1

Sheep Lake to Mile 2,350.1

Tuesday, August 19, 2014 Day 5: Sheep Lake to Mile 2350.1 Miles: 16 Miles to Go: 51.9 We were up at literally the crack of dawn, watching the alpenglow sneak down the talus slopes of the mountains behind Sheep Lake. I guess that’s what happens when you...

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Two Lakes to Sheep Lake

Two Lakes to Sheep Lake

Monday, August 18, 2014 Day 4: Two Lakes to Sheep Lake (2334.1) Miles: 11.3 Miles to Go: 67.9 When we’re hiking, Bearclaw and I like to discuss our ideal bear sighting. We have this bucket list thing about wanting to spend a good fifteen minutes watching a...

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Buesch Lake to Two Lakes

Buesch Lake to Two Lakes

Sunday, August 17, 2014 Day 3: Buesch Lake to Two Lakes (2322.8) Miles: 13.8 Miles to Go: 79.2 Oh, trail sleep! How I had missed trail sleep: no trains, no sirens, no cars, no heater kicking on, no cat purring, no streetlight shining in my window, no...

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Hidden Spring Jct to Buesch Lake

Hidden Spring Jct to Buesch Lake

Saturday, August 16, 2014 Day 2: Hidden Spring Trail Junction to Buesch Lake (2309.0) Miles: 24.8 Miles to Go: 93 Dusty, Trenchstar and Bearclaw were all relieved I didn’t wake them up at the ass-crack of dawn so we could “be on the trail early.” When my...

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Snowgrass to Hidden Springs Jct.

Snowgrass to Hidden Springs Jct.

Friday, August 15, 2014 Day 1: Snowgrass Trailhead to Hidden Spring Trail Junction (2284.2) Miles: 17 Miles to Go: 117.8 “Woah… How did you escape the sixties intact?” We were raiding the grocery store for a quick and easy breakfast we could eat on our way...

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Back In Packwood!

Back In Packwood!

There is nothing worse than sitting at a desk just watching the digital numbers in the right-hand corner of the computer screen ever so slowly creep towards quitting time. Wednesday was pure torture. In fact, I’m almost positive the earth decided to rotate a fraction...

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What Doesn’t Kill You Something, Something

What Doesn’t Kill You Something, Something

Carl and I had spent an entire day walking Bangkok. It was now dinner time and we were starving, but more than that, we were on a mission to find some of the "amazing" Thai food everyone kept raving about. We had been in Bangkok for nearly a week, and the...

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Yosemite: Day Five

Yosemite: Day Five

Day Five Our fourth day on the trail (and fifth day in Yosemite) was a long one. We would end up hiking nine miles over two passes, the second of which was 12,350 feet. But it was a popular trail so how bad could it be? Right? - Or so we thought as we sat there...

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Yosemite: Day Four

Yosemite: Day Four

Day Four During his morning stroll to our bear can, Carl discovered a ripped open bag of half-eaten tea satchels, something that was sweet and pink but was so gnawed up it was impossible to tell what it had once been, and ten packs of Starbucks Via coffee...

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Yosemite: Day Three

Yosemite: Day Three

Day Three The morning was chilly, and once we’d shaken the frost off of the tent, we were eager to get back on the trail just to stay warm. On the hike up to the top of the pass we passed three men on their way down, but other than that the trail was all...

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Yosemite: Day One & Two

Yosemite: Day One & Two

Day One We were in Yosemite; this was exciting for two reasons. One, I had never been to Yosemite. Two, we had read that Yosemite had seven hundred and fifty miles of trails, and we had every intention of using at least forty of them. Our goal had been to...

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Zion “Narrows” – Into the Abyss

Zion “Narrows” – Into the Abyss

"You’re going to Zion? Okay, you guys have to experience Zion the way I first did. Don't even go into the park, hike in through the "Narrows," spend at least three days and call me when you get out." I was eavesdropping as Carl talked to his brother Stan....

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