#pct2023

Okay this is a question I got all the time when I told anyone that I was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. And the answer is yes. I also saw a Tik Tok on how to annoy thru-hikers and this question was on the list lol

Well I personally don't mind the question and I bring up this book now because this next part is where Cheryl Strayed began her journey on the PCT. From Mojave/Tehachapi to Kennedy Meadows. This stretch lasts for roughly 150 miles and it took me about 6 days to complete.

After my well earned rest in Tehachapi, I headed back out on the trail to go through one of the most beautiful sections of the trail so far.

This is the foothills of the Sierra so naturally, the terrain changes into a more lush landscape and we began to gain some elevation. The campsites between Tehachapi and Kennedy Meadows were all stunning and at night I could see SO MANY STARS it was unreal.

I also need to note that the water carry out of Tehachapi was the longest by far! I want to say it was close to 40 miles? but don't quote me on this. I was very mindful of my water consumption in this part and hiked FAST trying to catch up to some hikers who left a day before me.

I also want to note I cried the most on this stretch of the trail. Not because of sadness but more so because I was in awe of my surroundings and felt surreal and blessed. This is definitely why I love to be outdoors immersed in nature. The sheer magnitude and beauty of the landscape evokes a certain feeling in you (◕‿◕✿)

^That was where I bawled lol

Anyways, I was able to catch up to my fellow hiker Strider in the next stretch and I made it to Walker Pass. We hitched a ride into Ridgewood and stocked up on some supply to push to Kennedy Meadows!

Fast forwarding a little bit, this next section was very hilly and I witnessed some of the most striking sunsets here. I can't stop recalling how beautiful it was and I keep thinking I need to use the word "beautiful" a bit less lol

Push Push Push

And there I was, in Kennedy Meadows!

Aw man, you wouldn't believe what I felt there. PURE ECSTASY

The fact that I had hiked 700 miles was mindblowing and seeing others who had walked the same journey melded a sense of solidarity and unity in this community.

The common topic of this hiker haven was where to go next. Because of the high snow fall in the Sierras, many decided to bypass and go up north. As for my trail family, we decided to head up to Mammoth Lakes to go skiing for a day and jump up north.

Little Bear Spring Camp to mile 464.0 - 156.1 miles

A bunch of stream crossings in this stretch. I have to dip my shoes underwater which is never satisfying but thankfully they dry out quickly in the desert.

I still have some knee pain but it is getting better every day. The scenery is beautiful and I love taking dips in the creek to cool off. It's been much warmer at night and I couldn't be more thankful.

Oh I also started cold soaking food. I am figuring out the perfect amount of time necessary for food to cook when cold soaking and I am thinking about ditching my stove for a bit to go hardcore ultralight lol

This was the first natural hot springs I've been to and it is the only one on the trail (I believe). The water was indeed HOT and since the springs were next to a creek, I alternated hot and cold to give my muscle some ease. This was an awesome camp spot although I did wake up to a crowd of naked people on the weekend.

We hiked a bit further toward the rim of the world and Silverwood Lake. This lake is huge and it feels like I am no longer in the desert but I'm sure the heat and the dryness will return.

Also some trail magic <3 So trail angels come out to spots on the PCT to offer free food, charging, and other services a hiker may need. They do it completely free and only a handful accept donations so these are just purely good people out there who want to see you succeed. I had a few cokes and beers to quench my thirst and load up on some calories. The nice lady also cooked me 2 veggie burgers, which were delicious after hiking for a while. Honestly I am a bottomless pit when it comes to food these days. I would love to come back to the trail as a trail angel and feed some hikers. PAY IT FORWARD :D

Next up is McDonald's in Cajon Pass. This is the only McDonald's on the trail so I'm pretty excited.

After loading up on some junk food, my trail fam hiked out a bit further. The next day is almost a 20 mile hike uphill with a long water carry so we are going to start early. We also had a family dinner and this was the biggest one by far!

Next up, Wrightwood. I was really missing some town food so I decided to go a bit faster to take a zero day at this lovely hiker town.

And here comes the second mountain challenge, Mt. Baden-Powell. It was actually not too difficult and we were able to do it in one day. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous coming off the summit although I was tired from the steep uphill climb in snow of course.

After Baden-Powell, I pushed back to back marathon days (26 miles +) to get to Acton for a nice shower and laundry at the 49ers Saloon. This spot was epic and I would recommend people camp there for free. The food was pretty good too and we were able to hitch back to the trail easily.

We then cowboy camped (as the weather was nice) and aimed to get to Agua Dulce soon after.

We chilled at the hiker oasis in Agua Dulce for a bit before heading back out onto the trail. I'm actually feeling pretty good now. Most of my leg pain have resolved and I only feel some pain in my feet. Once that goes away, I will be unstoppable.

Oh I also ditched my stove in Wrightwood and sent it forward to Tehachapi. I will be cold soaking only for the next week or so. It's been going great so far but I do miss the hot meals after a long day. I am starting to pick up the miles so I'll have to keep this up to make up for the slow days in the beginning.

Idyllwild to Little Bear Springs Camp - 134.7 miles

I was going to try to post daily but its proving to be extremely difficult so here I am with 10 day updates.

So after my zero day at Idyllwild, I hitched out back to Paradise Valley Cafe and started my hike up San Jacinto, the first mountain challenge of the PCT. I've been struggling with blisters and knee pain so I'm still cautious about doing big miles but I think I could manage in a few weeks time! This is where we camped up on San Jacinto. It was right on the mountain ridge and we could see the clouds spill over into Palm Desert. It's very interesting to see a dense forest on one side of the mountain and a desert on the other. In the morning the frost had completely covered our tents.

The morning hike was absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful terrain and frost still hanging onto tree branches.

The night before summiting San Jac, we camped at this beautiful campsite overlooking the cloud covered town of Idyllwild.

Hiking in snow has been pretty brutal. We were doing about 1 mph, which can be fun at first but gets real old very fast. I hiked with a bunch of people I met on the trail and glad to say we crushed the first mountain challenge.

Okay the hike down was pretty sweet. My knee pain had subsided a bit and it finally warmed up. I was so cold every night on the mountain :/

Of course, we had to get In-N-Out! I've actually been to this exact In-N-Out when I used to live in LA so it felt pretty good to be back! I ate 3 cheese burgers and 4 fries, which I didn't even know my stomach could take. HIKER HUNGER IS REAL~

And back out to the trail. Next stop is Big Bear, which I also used to frequent in the winters to ski. I feel like I'm leaving out a bunch of stuff with these longer day updates but oh well~

The hike has been pretty sweet so far! Made it 200 miles out on the trail and I am loving it so far.

Diner brekkie is LAW. Once we got to Big Bear, we had to make sure to go to a proper American diner with bottomless coffee and some country fried steak. We are stoked to be here and to take a zero day after so long. We had just summited San Jac so we are sorely due for a shower, laundry, and town meals.

As I mentioned, I used to come here for short ski trips since it is a 2 hour drive from LA. I ran into so many familiar faces here and got some quality rest.

We hiked out to a nice stream and that concludes my 10 day update. If you want more detailed day to day updates on my progress, feel free to check out my IG: @_danvswild

I am feeling good so far! I've made tons of friends and I've been handing out a bunch of pins to people I meet on the trail. My feet and legs are getting stronger everyday and I am in love with the sense of amity and respect between hikers. I also feel a great deal of freedom and happiness from simply admiring the beauty on this Earth.

mile 133 to Idyllwild - 18.9 miles

Fantastic day today!! I hiked with a buddy the whole day for the first time. I woke up this morning and the tent was v wet 🥲 But I packed it up and starting wading through the brisk morning air. I later ran into Jaise and we planned to hime together to Paradise Valley Cafe (PVC) and hitch our ride into Idyllwild.

I really enjoyed hiking with Jaise. We maintained a similar pace and exchanged pleasant conversations and silences. We pushed through the desert until we stumbled onto a water tank.

This was a high frequency water tank. Very good vibes. I ran into many friends I haven’t seen in a while. After fueling up, Jaise and I realized we had 2 hours to hike 6.5 miles in order to grab a burger at the cafe. We buckled up and pushed real hard and made it to PVC where we got a burger and a quesadilla. Even with my tender tendons, I felt unstoppable today :) Glad to see that my legs are feeling better!

Afterwards, Jaise, Marina, Juan, Clark, and I hitched together to Idyllwild and got a campsite. Jaise and I then headed into the town and we got some bomb ice cream. We also got a cabin for tomorrow night for our first zero day (when you hike 0 mile) ever! Oh after our chill sesh back at the campground, I took a hot shower.

Boulder Oaks to Mt Laguna - 15.4 miles

Ah what a beautiful day! Although every day has been pretty magical so far. I started my day early around 6am. I go to bed before the the sky is dark now lol

Temperature was pretty awesome today. I also loved the landscape. Going from rocky mountains to a forest of ponderosa pine. Mm I can still smell the forest of Mt Laguna

I also got to grab some real food at a nearby lodge with other hikers :) The campground is very nice and I love that all the PCT hikers are camping together!

Working on June