I used to jest that “hiking” is simply “glorified walking”…just a fun excuse to eat trail mix, swap stories, and take pictures at a summit with pals. Last year something happened to me while on a trail and now I have to call it what it is: “glorified hiking.”
Prior to moving to San Diego, I embarrassingly could count the number of times I visited Wisconsin State Parks/Trails on my two hands: Devil’s Lake, Peninsula, High Cliff, Ice-Age—that’s it! Can I blame this on my 25-years of living in Wisconsin? Why the blame on the great dairy state? Well, a shockingly fun fact: Wisconsin has less total elevation gain that the state of Iowa; and even less than the state of Nebraska!1
Back in July of 2020 I drove 90-minutes to check out the historic hiking trail: Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The PCT begins at the US-Mexico border and completes 2,653 miles later at the US-Canada border!
While hiking a meager 20.9-mile section of the PCT, by comparison, I caught my mind wandering with thoughts of the pandemic and life. The motto “smile with your surroundings” just could not leave my mind and I happened to make an an impromptu vlog.2 Haha, what?! I’m not really a vlogger. So, what made me do this??
I’ve never meditated before, however, something on the trail made me slip into some strange hypnotic state. Was it a perfect combination of mental emersion in nature and physical autopilot along the path? Or, just the perfect chemical combo of caffeine and granola bars? That’s when it bit me! No, not a rattlesnake—the Hiking Bug!
Like Alchemex 42 from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, I was infected. But instead of a spidey-sense, I had a calling to the woods to revisit this newfound state!
In addition to being on trail on the weekends, I rented a couple PCT trail and guidebooks from the library and fantastically transported to the Cascades and the John Muir Trail during weeknights. The best get-away during the pandemic lockdowns. I learned of the San Jacinto snowpack, the looming presence of Mt. Hood, and some recommendations of gear for such wild backpacking adventures.
I read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, a recommendation from Mr. Nick Offerman. Another great get-away book with hilarious hiking commentary! Early in the novel Bill Bryson has a funny outlook behind the consumerism of purchasing hiking gear from a big box outlet store…
Comprehending the subtext, I turned to eBay and won my first bid on a used-like-new 2020 hiking pack! I also purchased a cheap never-used dehydrator (rescued from someone’s grandmother’s basement) and I started preparing dehydrated meals for future trips! I’ve been quite successful with chicken dishes and various fruits for overnight oat additions. If you know me, you know I take my overnight oats very seriously!
I immediately put my gear to use during my car-camping-quarantine adventure back in November-December of 2020. The thermal sleeping bag liner came in handy as I awoke to mid-teens Fahrenheit temperatures the first night while in Utah. Also, I can’t forget to mention my 2020 Thanksgiving dinner of dehydrated chicken noodle soup! Thanks someone’s grandma for the resold dehydrator! Haha #HappyThanksgivingFeast!
From reading hiking books, purchasing gear, and successfully surviving a cross-country car-camping experience, I had gained just enough confidence for the next endeavor. To pack my bag and head into the wilderness!
A few DuckDuckGo searches later, and I stumbled upon SoCal hiker’s 10 Overnight Backpack Trips in Southern California post. Specifically, the Mt San Jacinto via the Palm Springs Aerial Tram post.
I learned about how the Palm Springs Tram is the greatest shortcut to immediately climb (cheat) nearly 8,000 feat of elevation. A 15-minute, 2.5-mile rotating-gondola ride later, one is submerged in lodgepole pines, boulders, and peaks. San Jacinto State Park is 14,000 acres with 50+ miles of hiking trails. To put it another way, it is a gorgeously accessible State Park!
First Time Backpacking!
In April of 2021, I adapted SoCal hiker’s blog structure with my own challenges:
Day 1: Tram to summit: 5.8-miles with a heavy overnight pack. Descend summit to campsite.
Day 2: PCT loop to Tram: 9-miles with heavy overnight pack, sharing a section of the historic PCT for 1.8-miles.
Summit to campsite, featuring a full-moon, sunset, and sunrise. The views were breath-taking!
Successful backpacking trip! I fortunately didn’t overpack or underpack! An incredibly rewarding solo experience! I couldn’t wait to do it again!
I did it again!
In May of 2021, I was on my second backpacking journey in the San Bernardino mountain range. I adapted Hikin’ Jim’s blog titled Six Hiking/Backpacking Loops in the San Gorgonio Wilderness. I took a slightly longer route than the South Fork Loop and added a single night’s camp to split the loop in two days.
Day 1: ~9-miles to Mineshaft Flats camp area after a great hammock lunch at Dry Lake. Incredible stars and glow from the city below.
Day 2: I awoke at 3am with the goal of reaching the summit of San Gorgonio by sunrise. My ambitions were FAR too large; however, I caught the sunrise amid many east-facing switchbacks. No disappointment at all! I summited, then descended back to my car, completing an 8-mile day.
Again, such a great adventure! The Hiking Bug venom is still coursing through my veins, I can’t wait to do it again!…until next time!
P.S.
I’m still reading about the PCT, however, I’m reading a live-updating online trail journal from a through-hiker I met at the US-Mexico border! My roommate Evan and I were doing our own 16.7-mile through-hike of the PCT when we crossed paths with a hiker named KnockKnock. KnockKnock has completed the Appalachian Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, which means upon completion of the PCT he will be awarded the trail-hiking accolade “Triple-Crown!” Follow along his 141 well-documented journal entries starting HERE.
P.P.S.
Spoiler Alert: KnockKnock completed the PCT on Aug 22nd! Congratulations!
- Source: https://www.netstate.com/states/tables/state_elevation_mean.htm This might not be fair, given that the lowest and highest points aren’t necessarily next to one another…but this is a fun statement to make if you’ve ever said “Iowa and Nebraska are flat and boring states…” (No way have I ever said that!…ha!)
- My vlog is a bit cringe, but, I still stand by this statement as we’re still currently in the midst of the global pandemic. Get vaccinated and get a booster when eligible!
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