Pacific Crest Tale

In the summer of 2016 my dad and I embarked on the adventure of a lifetime, thru-hiking the entire Pacific Crest Trail.

This site exists for one purpose - to recount in painstaking detail all of the experiences my dad and I had with gear, resupply, and each other.

I hope that this will help you be better prepared for your next PCT adventure, however long or short that may be.

Base Camp: Ramona Laying out our gear before the hike...sans Charles unfortunately.	Mama's MVP Meals AKA freezer takeover AKA all dehydrated everything.
Day One Mom joins us on the trail for our first day out of Campo and we're all smiles at the southern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail.	PCT Jokes Love and laughter is never in short supply on the Pacific Crest Trail, and Jenn brought plenty of both.
Desert Dweller Doug The sun exposure and winds in the valley as you approach San Gorgonio Pass are no joke. Dad defends against both of them here.	Living W(right)wood The sun sets on another gorgeous day along the PCT and we have high hopes for our first night in a new REI tent.
Bienvenidos a Vazquez! Dad enthusiastically shows off the Vazquez Rocks en route to Agua Dulce and HikerHeaven.	Kennedy Meadows! After just over 700 miles of hot hiking, the Double D's celebrate at the famous Kennedy Meadows.
Sunset in Yosemite An otherwise unremarkable part of the trail becomes breathtaking as the evening light strikes it just right. Happy Birthday America.	Adventure is Out There Caught dad in a beautiful moment, enjoying the isolated wilderness of the trail a few days south of Tahoe.
Sunrise at Heather Lake It's hard to match the feeling of inner tranquility that overtakes you when you wake up to a mirror-like reflection in the Desolation Wilderness.	Approach to Etna Even at mile 35 of a 40.3 mile day, it becomes impossible not to stop for a photo-op when this kind of a valley is kissed by the setting sun.
Through the Burn Hiking through hundreds of miles of burn area over the course of the trip provided significant motivational challenge. It's everyone's duty to act as responsible stewards for all vulnerable wild places.	Crater Lake In an era of over-hyping events, experiences, and places, Crater Lake effortlessly exceeds all expectations.
Nice to Meet You, Sisters There are many times when the trail is this simple, and in its simplicity gives purpose and direction to your every step.	Mordor Not actually the fictional land from Mr. Tolkien's novels, the trail leaving 3 Sisters is covered in an equal amount of black lava rock for as far as the eye can see at some points.
Aaahhhhh A quick pit stop at one of the countless beautiful waterfalls along the trail provides some much needed hydration before continuing deeper into the Goat Rocks Wilderness.	Glacier Peak Wilderness The colors in northern Washignton are almost as striking as the elevation gains and losses.
Portrait of Pain A close-up look at what Dad's feet looked like on any given day for the vast majority of the hike. A tougher man I've never hiked with.	Large Creek in N. Washington If you stopped and looked at every pretty little waterfall on the trail you would never finish, but I just couldn't help myself this time.
Red Pass, WA The mountains have a fresh dusting of snow from the day before, creating a stunning and intimidating view.	You May Now Kiss the Monument After months of hiking and countless challenges overcome, Dad shows his affection for this piece of wood at the Canadian border.

Who We Are

Just a couple of guys from a smallish town in San Diego.

We decided to make this site to attempt to unify and simplify the TONS of information that is out there regarding the PCT into one updated location.

Learn more about our motivations for hiking, each of our backgrounds, and the rest of our story...

Gear

The first thing everyone wants to dive into is gear, and we are no exception.

On these pages you can find all of the gear we recommend, from the points of a youngish buck and the more seasoned veteran.

All of this can get CRAZY expensive, so we also share some incredibly helpful ways to get the best deals and buy with confidence...

Thru-Hiking

It takes a special kind of crazy to want to spend at least 4 months away from the comforts of home, dealing with pain, dirt, and the mental demands that come with the territory of attempting a thru-hike.

So we dive into all of that here, along with the specifics of navigation, resupply, and the unique challenges that we faced on the trail...

Trail Journal

One of the hardest tasks that I did out there was keeping up a daily written journal, but looking back it has proven to be one of the most rewarding.

Check out this totally unique interactive trail map for an incredibly detailed breakdown of what each and every day was like on the PCT...

PCTA

Official site of the Pacific Crest Trail Association. Check it all out here: http://www.pcta.org/

Yogi's Books

An absolute must when planning your PCT hike. Support Yogi and help yourself out here: http://www.yogisbooks.com/

The Blog

Welcome to the nitty gritty folks. Where the blisters meet the boulders. Where mucking through mud meets wiping with the wintergreen. Where... well you get the picture. Welcome to the platform where I'll be celebrating the highs and lamenting the lows of this incredible adventure in excruciating detail.

It is my goal to be as accurate and honest as possible in my writing so I can look back on it with pride and you can follow along with the action as it unfolds.

To The Blog!

Everything you need to live your own.

Base Camp: Ramona

Laying out our gear before the hike...sans Charles unfortunately.

Mama's MVP Meals

AKA freezer takeover AKA all dehydrated everything.

Day One

Mom joins us on the trail for our first day out of Campo and we're all smiles at the southern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail.

PCT Jokes

Love and laughter is never in short supply on the Pacific Crest Trail, and Jenn brought plenty of both.

Desert Dweller Doug

The sun exposure and winds in the valley as you approach San Gorgonio Pass are no joke. Dad defends against both of them here.

Living W(right)wood

The sun sets on another gorgeous day along the PCT and we have high hopes for our first night in a new REI tent.

Bienvenidos a Vazquez!

Dad enthusiastically shows off the Vazquez Rocks en route to Agua Dulce and HikerHeaven.

Kennedy Meadows!

After just over 700 miles of hot hiking, the Double D's celebrate at the famous Kennedy Meadows.

Sunset in Yosemite

An otherwise unremarkable part of the trail becomes breathtaking as the evening light strikes it just right. Happy Birthday America.

Adventure is Out There

Caught dad in a beautiful moment, enjoying the isolated wilderness of the trail a few days south of Tahoe.

Sunrise at Heather Lake

It's hard to match the feeling of inner tranquility that overtakes you when you wake up to a mirror-like reflection in the Desolation Wilderness.

Approach to Etna

Even at mile 35 of a 40.3 mile day, it becomes impossible not to stop for a photo-op when this kind of a valley is kissed by the setting sun.

Through the Burn

Hiking through hundreds of miles of burn area over the course of the trip provided significant motivational challenge. It's everyone's duty to act as responsible stewards for all vulnerable wild places.

Crater Lake

In an era of over-hyping events, experiences, and places, Crater Lake effortlessly exceeds all expectations.

Nice to Meet You, Sisters

There are many times when the trail is this simple, and in its simplicity gives purpose and direction to your every step.

Mordor

Not actually the fictional land from Mr. Tolkien's novels, the trail leaving 3 Sisters is covered in an equal amount of black lava rock for as far as the eye can see at some points.

Aaahhhhh

A quick pit stop at one of the countless beautiful waterfalls along the trail provides some much needed hydration before continuing deeper into the Goat Rocks Wilderness.

Glacier Peak Wilderness

The colors in northern Washignton are almost as striking as the elevation gains and losses.

Portrait of Pain

A close-up look at what Dad's feet looked like on any given day for the vast majority of the hike. A tougher man I've never hiked with.

Large Creek in N. Washington

If you stopped and looked at every pretty little waterfall on the trail you would never finish, but I just couldn't help myself this time.

Red Pass, WA

The mountains have a fresh dusting of snow from the day before, creating a stunning and intimidating view.

You May Now Kiss the Monument

After months of hiking and countless challenges overcome, Dad shows his affection for this piece of wood at the Canadian border.

Who We Are

Gear

Thru-Hiking

Trail Journal

The Blog