And here is another gear list for those that care. I would like to go lighter,
but I'm comfortable with the equipment I have right now. I intend to reuse most
of my PCT gear for the AT, with two notable exceptions:
1. I replaced the Hyperlite Mountain
Coming back home was hard. I didn't expect that. I expected to be happy to see
friends and family again — and I was — but it's tinged with... grief? What?!
It's now three weeks since I left the trail and I miss it. I missed
Even though the last 200 miles have not been the greatest yet on trail, there
have been some moments of levity that have kept my spirits up. Philllip, aka
Monster, attempted to rechristen me with a new trail name. Let's just say that
he was succesful.
It all
Today was the hardest day on trail. Strangely, it wasn't my feet, knees, or any other part of my body that made it difficult. It was my mind.
I came off a zero expecting to be refreshed and ready for 25 mile days again. I was anything but
On trail you have a lot of time to think about... anything.
There are lots of different people on the trail and each carries a burden. Each
person suffers in their own way. Some days they suffer more, some less. They all
carry different burdens—some heavier, some lighter, but
Paul, Roi, and I took a zero in Wrightwood. I enjoyed waking up late (6:30 AM)
and having a quiet breakfast with Creature and Paul. Creature is the nicest
tattooed guy from L.A. I've ever met. Six pieces of thick wheat toast with
homemade jam, two
We were so smug. We saw a storm coming, our feet hurt, we ate too much at
McDonald's, and a hot tub at the Courtyard Marriott was just too tempting. We
told ourselves, out loud, over and over, that we were making the right decision
to stay back,
