The life of a Thru-hiker

A quick summary and insight into every day I spent hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2021.

If you’re ever wondering what the day-to-day is like when doing a long trail, well, here is a quick snippet of every day I spent on trail.

Day	Starting mile	Camping mile	Miles	Comments	Town
1	0	20	20	Lake Morena to Mount Laguna – Forest had an accident
2	20	42	22	Feet got completely wrecked
3	42	57	15	Met Sam – ran out of water..
4	57	79	22	Made it to Julian	Julian
5	79	81	2	Spent most of the day in Julian – cowboy camp for the first time – met Sarah
6	81	101	20	Made it Mile 100!
7	101	118	17	Stopped at Warner springs for a hot dog – passed Eagle Rock
8	118	137	19	Continued hiking with Sarah and Sam
9	137	154	17	Made it to Paradise Valley	Paradise Valley
10	154	170	16	nice hiking day, high desert
11	170	180	10	Made it to devils slide, down to Idylwild	Idyllwild
12	180	180	0	Passed Acton KOA – made it to Agua Dulce – Reunited with sparkle + trail family – slept at mexican restaurant
13	180	190	10	Hiked 10 + 5 off trail miles – summitted Mt.San Jacinto
14	190	212	22	Down fuller ridge, extremely hot – First trail magic (Mama bear) under I10
15	212	230	18	Still incredibly hot – made it to white water river
16	230	250	20	Lots of climbing and heat – down 14 lbs
17	250	265	15	Made it Big bear, got picked up by Kenny and stayed at his house – great trail angel	Big Bear
18	265	278	13	Great Breakfast at Kennys – body feels better – startedd hiking at 2pm
19	278	301	23	Reached mile 300!
20	301	320	19	Made it to the hot springs – first toe nail fell off
21	320	347	27	Longest day yet – passed silverwood lake – Reached Mcdoanlds a little off trail –
22	347	369	22	climbing all day – Made it to Wrightwood! good general store – stayed at trail angels house (Anita)
23	369	409	40	Hiked 7 Miles out of Wrightwood – had to hitch around trail closure from fire in previous year – bryan(TA)
24	409	436	27	worst night yet, slept with clops and quite man, we all hated it! so cold and windy
25	436	454	18	Passed Acton KOA – made it to Agua Dulce – Reunited with sparkle + trail family – slept at a Mexican restaurant	Agua Dulce
26	454	478	24	Night hiked the aqueduct to avoid the heat – sleeping at wind farm..very windy! started getting back pain
27	478	517	39	Hiked 15 miles – had to do a road walk – hitched most of the way – made it to mile 500! got to hiker town!	Hiker Town
28	517	535	18	In the night hiking schedule – 6 miles in the morning and the rest at night – got stomach sick, had intense diarrhea and ran out of TP
29	535	558	23	In the night hiking schedule – 6 miles in the morning and the rest at night – got stomach sick, had intense diarrhea, and ran out of TP
30	558	566	8	Made it to Tehachapi – resupplied – went out for Pizza, got a ride back in a Tesla from Rick (TA)	Tehachapi
31	566	566	0	Zero-day in Town resting in the hotel all day – Sparkle jumped ahead
32	566	582	16	Good hiking did miles in the morning, rested all day, and continued in the afternoon – body felt tired
33	582	605	23	The heat continues to get worse and the water carries are insane – rough day both physically and mentally for everyone
34	605	621	16	Clops got her poles stolen – we missed the water source and had to backtrack. 40-degree weather and no shade – started feeling sick
35	621	640	19	Continue to feel sick because of the heat – stayed at water cache all day – no shade and tarp did work
36	640	656	16	Made it to Walkers pass – hitched to Ridgecrest for lunch and went to a kids water park – Im over the desert – got back on trail feeling better	Ridgecrest
37	656	681	25	Passed the 25% completion mark – hiked with Endless and QB – still on the morning and night schedule
38	681	702	21	Passed the 700-mile mark! made it to Kennedy Meadows – ate at grumpys and stayed at the general store	Kenny Meadows
39	702	702	0	Zero-day in KM – resupplied – got bear canister – new shoes – stomach still a bit sick
40	702	716	14	Started the Sierra! backpack is pretty heavy due to Bear Canister
41	716	733	17	Solid day of hiking with Clops and Joe
42	733	750	17	Got a bit cold in the morning – made it to Chicken spring lake, and slept there
43	750	767	17	Good day Hiking, good views and lots of water – Hernia is concerning
44	767	770	3	Hiked 16 miles off trail – summited Mt.Whitney (highest mountain in the lower 48 states)	Mt.Whitney
45	770	787	17	Lots of climbing – Passed Forester Pass (highest point on PCT) – got off trail to go to sequioa national park
46	787	787	10	Hiked 10 Miles off trail and into Sequioa natinal park	Sequioa Park
47	787	787	0	Zero in Sequioa – no showers, hard resupply and were lucky to find fuel – stressful zero, didnt really rest
48	787	789	13	Hiked 13 miles back up to trail – long day of climbing
49	789	809	20	Reached mile 800! went over Glen Pass & Pinchot Pass so much climbing and lots of mosquitos
50	809	828	19	Went over Mathers Pass, Got rained on last night so gear was wet packing up –
51	828	850	22	Went over John Muir Pass – last shower was in Tehachapi.. – lots of passes!!
52	850	870	20	Went over Selden Pass – passed John Muir trail ranch – Mosquitos are out of control
53	870	891	21	went over Silver Pass – reached 1/3 of the trail – keep having stomach problems – intense switchbacks
54	891	905	14	900-mile mark! – made it to Reds Meadow – hitched into Mammoth Lakes – did laundry, resupply, and ate	Mammoth lake
55	905	911	6	Slept in , got food, hitched back to trail and hiked 6 miles
56	911	930	19	Ate lunch at Thousand Island Lake – first time getting permit checked
57	930	950	20	Went over Donohue Pass – made it to Tuolumne Meadows – Separated from Clops	Tuolumne Meadows
58	950	974	24	Went over Benson Pass – started hiking with Bottleneck, Tide
59	974	998	24	Went over Seavey Pass – went swimming at wilma lake – hiked with chopper, planner, brown sugar,
60	998	1017	19	Reached 1000 miles! – Went over Sonora Pass – Favorite day -hitch to KM north, dropped off bear canister – went to bridgeport	Bridgeport
61	1017	1031	14	Left Briidgeport – had first rain storm – lots of hail, but it was fun hiking
62	1031	1057	26	Great hiking day – Got trail magic from Chipmunk – hailed at night
63	1057	1082	25	Great hiking day – Got 2 Trail magic – overall great day
64	1082	1096	14	Made it to South Lake Tahoe – resupplied,ate and got back on trail	South Lake Tahoe
65	1096	1118	22	Went over Dicks Pass – rained on us – felt grumpy and tired before getting to camp
66	1118	1140	22	Solid day of hiking
67	1140	1152	12	Got free beer at Donner Pass – it was Joe’s Bday – went to Mexican restaurant – stayed at TA backyard	Truckee
68	1152	1152	0	Full zero , got vaccinated, resupplied, stayed in hotel with Joe, 5-star and lightining
69	1152	1152	0	Full zero, did some errands, felt bad from the vaccine, Clops reunited and slept with us
70	1152	1172	20	Got a hitch back to trail with Joe, 5-star and sweet pea – muscles felt sore
71	1172	1205	33	Reached mile 1200! passed Sierra city – massive climb at the end – chaffing was brutal
72	1205	1226	21	Slow hiking day, felt tired and sore from yesterday – very happy with tramily
73	1226	1253	27	Really hot day – majority of the day was hiking through burns – Siesta at Fowler creek
74	1253	1270	17	Made it to Quincy, hitched in and resupplied, ate and had ice cream	Quincy
75	1270	1295	25	Made it to Belden (town is now burned down) – went swimming – the heat continues	Belden
76	1295	1305	10	Got to Gordons Trail Magic – it Started raining ashes so we got off trail – Hitched to Chico , slept there	Chico
77	1305	1305	0	Hitched to Chester to meet with the rest of the crew – took day off due to dixie fire	Chester
78	1331	1365	34	Went through Lassen national park – had lunch at drakesbad ranch – went swimming in lower twin lake
79	1365	1393	28	Got to Old station and had awful pancakes – watched a nice sunset – decent day of walking	Old Station
80	1393	1415	22	Passed 1400 miles – made it to Burney – resupply, shower, hung out at church – shoes are overworn and hurting	Burney
81	1415	1440	25	Saw Burney falls – passed Britton dam – first-time I’ve cried on trail, feet are killing me
82	1440	1470	30	Saw Burney falls – passed Britton dam – the first-time I’ve cried on trail, feet are killing me
83	1470	1498	28	Had a nice faceplant fall – good trail and weather – Saw a bear cub and mama bear in the tree
84	1498	1501	3	Made it to bus stop and into Shasta – passed 1500! – ate, resupply, rested and got new shoes (Topo)	Shasta
85	1501	1526	25	Feet continue to hurt – spirits are not high…
86	1526	1558	32	Feet and blisters were brutal today – hicked with bottleneck most of the day – made up cool new song
87	1558	1586	28	Podcasts got me through the day – Missed Carmens bday and that hurt alot
88	1586	1602	16	Made it to Etna – went swimming in town and resupplied – passed 1600! feet continue to get worse – cried again
89	1602	1632	30	Running on Iboprofine – Podcasts got me through the day – camped alone for the second time all trail
90	1632	1656	24	Hiked alone all day – mostly downhill, overgrown with blowdowns – not enjoying hiking or the trail at all	Seiad Valley
91	1656	1656	0	Stayed in Seiad Valley at a Train Angels house (Doug) farmer. slept in Yurt , really nice and relaxing
92	1656	1656	0	Continued to stay in Yurt healing and resting my feet
93	1656	1656	0	Drove from Seiad Valley to Medford to meet up with the crew. skipped some miles and missed the border 🙁	Medford
94	1656	1656	0	hung out at Air bnb in Medford with the crew, continued to rest, resupplied, ate and had a fun time
95	1720	1742	22	Got back on trail feeling a lot better – hiking with clops and Joe, 5star
96	1742	1773	31	Got Trail magic – feet feeling better – some cool lava rocks surprised me – slept at fish lake camp ground, TA gave us dinner
97	1773	1799	26	Nice trail – smoke from fires continue – feet feel better – chaffing is out of control
98	1799	1820	21	Hiked through huge burn forest – Air quiality was brutal – Everyone is mentally and physically exhausted	Crater lake Campground
99	1820	1841	21	Great hiking day – hiked around Crater lake – went swimming in Crater lake – great chill day with good fun – much needed
100	1841	1866	25	Had breakfast at diamond lake – 2 trail magic – trail was pretty easy
101	1866	1896	30	Had lunch at summit lake – good day, slowly feeling better – nights are starting to get colder
102	1896	1911	15	Got to Shelter Cove, resupplied, went swimming and hung out most of the day – reunited with big bird	Shelter Cove
103	1911	1947	36	Passed a lot of lakes and burned forest – nice day – new PR for miles – went swimming in Dumbell lake
104	1947	1976	29	Nice trail and Forest – went swimming at lunch – saw Obsedian Falls – manageable pain
105	1976	1983	7	Hiked into sisters – Lava rocks killed my feet – ate, resupplied, rested	Sisters
106	2046	2063	17	Skipped up to Ollalie Lake due to fire closures – hiking with planner, brown sugar, Thankful and journey
107	2063	2092	29	Really smokey day and felt long – Saw Mt.Hood for first time – went swimming at Timothy lake
108	2092	2116	24	Made it to Timberline lodge for all you can eat breakfast – Lots of climbing today and river crossing – passed Ramona falls	Timberline Lodge
109	2116	2150	27	Made it Cascade Locks – Saw Mt.Hood, Mt. Helen & Mt. Adams – took alternate eagle Creek – went swimming – really nice day	Cascade Locks
110	2150	2167	17	Slow morning in Cascade lock – resupplied and left – passed Bridge of the Gods – good climbing after that
111	2167	2198	31	Hiked with Planner most of the day – had lunch at Panther creek – took alternate and saw Panther creek
112	2198	2215	17	Hiked with Planner again – reached meeting point to meet Trail Angel and got a ride back to Portland to meet with cousins
113	2215	2215	0	Bought new shoes – Rested all day in Alejandro’s house in Portland
114	2215	2215	0	Hung out in Portland – went to farmers market and saw trail family – went to Trail days and then hitched back to Portland
115	2215	2215	0	Continued to rest – Missed dads 60th bday which kinda sucks – Alexus and Juana arrived today!
116	2230	2245	15	First day with the cousins – nice trail – good views and weather!
117	2245	2265	20	Woke up with frost all over! packed up everything soaking – nice day of hiking with good views and great company
118	2265	2283	18	Went over Cispuss pass and Goat Rocks – by far one of my favorite sections – Cousins are hurting but loving it
119	2283	2301	18	Passed 2300! made it to white pass and went to Kraker Barrel gas station for food – Juanas first hitch	White Pass
120	2301	2319	18	Cold and wet morning – Juana is doing good, Alexus struggling – Weather cleared up and had a good last full day of hiking
121	2319	2326	7	Dropped off cousins at Chinuk Pass – got trail magic – stayed at sheep lake waiting for tramily – did some shrooms
122	2326	2348	22	Hiked alone all day – nice weather – made it to Mike Ulrich cabin and waited for tramily – feels good to be reunited
123	2348	2378	30	Rainy cold day – feels good to be reunited with the tramily + new additoin first class and dirty knuckles
124	2378	2394	16	Rained all night and everything was soaking! – made it to snoqualmie where first class parents picked us up	Snowqualmie
125	2394	2401	7	Resupplied, ate, hungout , got back on trail in the afternoon and did a few miles
126	2401	2429	28	Fantastic morning hike – amazing view and I was incredibly happy!
127	2429	2457	28	A lot of climbing – went over Piper pass – hiking with Dirty Knux most of the time – ate lunch at Deception Lake
128	2457	2465	8	Made it to Leavenworth , good bakey, resupplied and slept there	Leavenworth
129	2465	2483	18	Hitched out of town – Got stung by a bee – trail continues to be beautiful and challenging with all the climbs and downhills
130	2483	2511	28	Breakfast at lake Sally Ann and a quick swim – good weather – freezing water – passed 2500!
131	2511	2541	30	Went skinny dipping in Mica Lake – lots of climbing – had burrito night with knux and Mozart
132	2541	2572	31	Hiking with Mozart and Knux all day – passed the less than 100 miles left – got to Stehekin but missed bus..	Stehikin
133	2572	2572	0	Zero in Stehikin – ate, laundry, resupplied and hung out at the Bakery
134	2572	2592	20	Long climb most of the day – Tripple trail magic day – Started to rain so we got a ride to Mazama and went out for drinks	Mazama
135	2592	2613	21	Back on trail after breakfast – passed 2600! – nice views! went over Methow Pass
136	2613	2638	25	Passed Harts Pass – did Mushrooms so lots of fun – saw a bear – set up camp for the next 2 days
137	2638	2638	30	Hiked 15 miles to the finish – Isabel was there and it was amazing!! best way to finish ever – hiked 15 miles back to camp	Canada!
138	2638	2623	15	Hiked 15 Miles back to Harts pass – made it before it started raining – Dirty knux dad picked us up and drove us back to Mazama

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