In 2017, I attempted a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail and blogged and photographed every day. I made it 700 miles before leaving the PCT and heading to the Oregon Coast Trail to hike another 300 miles or so. Here’s a directory to those blogs.
The Pacific Crest Trail
Day 1: Campo to Hauser Creek
Day 2: Blisters Galore! Hauser Creek to Boulder Oaks
Day 3: Climbing Day. Boulder Oaks to Mt Laguna
Day 4: So Much for a Shorter Day. Mt Laguna to Boulder Fields (Mile 57)
Day 5: Boulder Field to Canyon Campsite
Day 6: Recognized as Hiker Trash. Canyon to Scissor’s Crossing/Julian
Day 7: It Gets a Little Sad Out Here – Scissor’s Crossing to Valley Overlook
Day 8: Valley Overlook to Roadside Campground
Day 9: Bucket Showers Are Amazing – Roadside Campground to Warner Springs
Day 10: Warner Springs to Agua Caliente Creekside Campsite
Day 11: Hot Hot Heat – Agua Caliente to Just Past Mike’s Place
Day 12: Falling Asleep While Walking – Just Past Mike’s Place to Before Paradise Valley Cafe
Day 13: Up Up Up, Burgers and Overwhelm – Desert Climb to Wooded Overlook
Day 14: A Little Pity Party – Woodsy Campground to Herky Creek
Day 15 + 16: Waiting Out the Storm – Herky Creek to Idyllwild + Zero in Idyllwild
Day 17: In Which I Do Exactly What I Plan Not to Do – Idyllwild to Mountaintop Campsite
Day 18: All The Way Down – Mountaintop Campsite to Rusty Pipe and Faucet Camp
Day 19: Finally Got to Camp Before Dark – Bottom of San Jacinto to Whitewater Creek
Day 20: All I Want Is a Nap – Whitewater Creek to Seasonal Creekside
Day 21: My First 20 Mile Day – Seasonal Creekside to Arrastre Trail Camp
Day 22 + 23: Determined to Thrive – Nero and Zero in Big Bear
Friends & Families of Hikers—Some Questions to Ask When They Call Home
Day 24: Leaving Town Makes Me Sleepy-Sad – Big Bear to Lake Overlook
Day 25: Downhill Means Big Miles – Big Bear Overlook to Splinter’s Cabin
Day 26: The Hot Springs Were Everything I Wanted Them to Be – Splinter’s Cabin to Deep Creek Dam Offshoot
Day 27: Long and Flat-ish – Deep Creek Dam Offshoot to Silverwood Lake Campground
Day 28: Will Hike for McDonald’s – Silverwood Lake Campground to Swarthout Canyon
Day 29: Back to the Mountains – Swarthout Canyon to Guffy Campground
Day 30: Town Got Weird – Guffy Campground to Wrightwood
Day 31: Back to Trail, Sort Of – Wrightwood to Grassy Hollow Visitor Center
Day 32: Carrying It Up The Mountain – Grassy Hollow Visitor Center to Islip Saddle Trailhead
Day 33: The Best Magic – Islip Saddle Trailhead to Sulphur Springs Campground
Day 34: Farther Than Anticipated – Sulphur Springs Campground to Roadside Burn Area
Day 35: Motivated by Camp – Roadside Burn Area to Acton KOA
Day 36: Gone to Hiker Heaven – Acton KOA to Hiker Heaven
Day 37: Zero at Hiker Heaven
Day 38: First Cowboy Camp – Hiker Heaven to Hilltop
Day 39: Hippie Daycare – Hilltop to Casa de Luna
Day 40: 3 Mile Hike Day – Casa de Luna to Dirt Road
Day 41: Dirt Road to Sawmill Camp
Day 42: Sawmill Camp to Wee Vill Market
Day 43: The LA Aqueduct – Wee Vill Market to Cottonwood Creek Bridge
Day 44: Shade Sleeping – Cottonwood Creek Bridge to Tyler Horse Canyon
Day 45: Bad Stomach – Tyler Horse Canyon to Tehachapi
Day 46: Zero in Tehachapi
Day 47: First Slackpacking of the Trail – Tehachapi to Windy Mountain Campsite
Day 48: Return of the Bad Stomach – Windy Mountain Campsite to Shaded Meadow
Day 49: Fever Sleep – Zero on Trail
Day 50, 51, 52: Off-Trail Recovering, Happy Birthday to Me
Day 53: Post-Family Bues – Walker Pass to Spanish Needle Creek
Day 54: Seeking a Sierra Trail Family – Spanish Needle Creek to Fox Mill Spring
Day 55: And Then the Desert Was Over – Fox Mill Spring to Kennedy Meadows
Day 56: Nero at Kennedy Meadows – to Kennedy Meadows Campground
Day 57: Building a Sierra Tramily – Kennedy Meadows Campground to Cow Creek Tentsite
Day 58: Getting High – Cow Creek Tentsite to 10,500′ Tentsite
Day 59: Reunions with Friends – 10,500′ Campsite to Lone Pine
Day 60 + 61: Fire on the Mountain: Zeroing in Lone Pine
Day 62: Into the High Sierra – Lone Pine to Chicken Spring Lake
Day 63: Staging for Whitney – Chicken Spring Lake to Crabtree Meadow Ranger Station Camp
Day 64: Mt. Whitney Day, aka the Day the Trail Made Me Cry
Day 65: Still a Little Shaken – Crabtree Meadow Ranger Station to Tyndall Creek Campsite
Day 66: Forrester Pass, aka The Trail Made Me Cry Part 2 – Tyndall Creek Campground to Campsite before Kearsarge
Day 67: Kearsarge Pass Day – Campsite before Kearsarge to Bishop
Day 68: A Risk to Others – Zero in Bishop
Day 69: Nero in Bishop, Panic on Trail – Bishop to Onion Valley Trailhead
The Oregon Coast Trail
Day 70-73: From Crest to the Coast – Bishop to Cape Mear, OR
Day 74: Independence on the OCT – Northern Terminus to Bud’s RV Park and Campground
Day 75: More Vagabond than Hiker – Bud’s RV Park to Tillamook Head
Day 76: The Best Sunset of Summer – Tillamook Head to Arcadia Beach
Day 77: Waves Are Magic – Arcadia Beach to Short Sand Beach
Day 78: The Most Expensive Cab Ride – Short Sand Beach to Nehalem Bay State Park
Day 79: A Thief at Camp – Nehalem Bay State Park to Barview Jetty County Park
Day 80: A Practice of Noticing – Barview Jetty Camp to Netarts Beachside
Day 81: Hiker Trash in Beach Town – Netarts Beachside to Cape Lookout Campground
Day 82: Beach Walking – Cape Lookout to Cape Kiwanda
Day 83: Rainy Morning – Pacific City to Lincoln City
Day 84: The Hiker’s New Clothes – Lincoln City to Gleneden Beach State Recreation Site
Day 85: Whale Watching – Gleneden Beach State Recreation Site to Beverely Beach State Park
Day 86: The Shortest Post – Beverley Beach to South Beach Park
Day 87: Puddle Jumping – South Beach State Park to Beachside State Park
Day 88: A Little Headspace – Beachside State Park to Carl G. Washburn State Park
Day 89: In Which I Wet the “Bed” – Carl G Washburn Memorial State Park to Siuslaw Campground and Marina
Day 90: A Lucky Hitch – Siuslaw Campground and Marina to Sunset Bay State Park
Day 91: Tired of Short Days – Sunset Bay State Park to Bullards Beach State Park
Day 92: Generous and Mistaken Strangers – Bullards Beach State Park to BLM Campsite South of Bandon
Day 93: Impatient for Low Tide – BLM Campsite South of Bandon to Cape Blanco State Park
Day 94: Rocky Point Puzzle – Cape Blanco to Humbug Mountain State Park
Day 95: Heartache, Anger and Walking – Humbug Mountain State Park to Indian Creek Campground
Day 96: The Difference Between Lead and Light – Indian Creek Campground to China Beach
Day 97: Of My Own Making – China Beach to Harris State Park
The Long Road Home
colleen stinchcombe 