PCT Completion Hike – Days 12 to 30

Checking in after completing our first 400-plus miles of our PCT completion hike. We have now been on trail for 30 days and are well more than half done with the entire trail. Our latest adventures took us from Sierra City, where we last left word, to Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. We have lots of stories, have learned a lot of lessons and have posted a lot of pictures on Instagram, too.

Now that we are a month into this, we are starting to see some of the differences between how we used to hike sections and how we are now hiking the remainder of the trail in its entirety. Planning is simplified to some degree. We no longer have to figure out transportation to each trailhead for each segment, for instance. But it’s more complicated in other ways, such as having a viable and successful resupply plan. There are other considerations, too. Being out on trail for an entire month has brought new dynamics to the hike. It’s no longer a mere physical task, though it is still that, for sure. But I’m finding the hike now just as much mental as physical. So, this brings in new dimension, as well. Patti mentioned the other day how she wakes up each morning and at first a thought sweeps over her about how hard this hike is. Soon enough, that fades and the wonder of the day takes over. For me, I find myself thinking about the hugeness of the world around me, and seem to seek a space in it where I make sense of what that means.

We are still decoding our new normal, trying to figure out what works, what doesn’t and how things might work better. We look for efficiencies everyday and we continue to dial in what works best for us. We continue to struggle getting our daily mileage over 15-miles. We have done many days over that figure, just not consistently. In order to match our goal to be done with the hike by September 15, we see each day at least a small part of that probability diminish.

We had a string of equipment breakdowns. Much of our gear is old or just not doing what we need. So, we have spent the last couple of days researching, finding and acquiring new gear as needed. This includes new shoes for both of us, a new pack for Lynn, a new water filtration system, new rain poncho for Patti. These items all either completely gave out on this latest outing, or wore out after normal use. We also needed to call for a replacement tent as the brand-new one we used only for 40 days or so, started breaking at the poles and screen. It was very stressful while on trail seeing each of these items break over a period of just a few days. Still more than 70 miles out from any stopping point, we could do nothing but rely on duct tape and employ a world of patience until we could take care of these problems once off trail.

Another major issue we are working to resolve is our weight loss. Patti has lost 8-pounds and I have lost 14. According to a calorie-burn calculator I found online Patti and I are likely burning around 5000 calories per day of hiking, well more than we can take in. So, we are constantly fighting weight loss and keeping up our energy. To this end, we are looking for better and more calorie-filled foods along with rich proteins. As an example, Cliff Bar Protein Builder bars carry 400-plus calories. Compared to the Nature Valley brand bars we were using, we more than doubled the calorie counts for our breakfasts by making this one change alone.

As we headed south on the trail, we saw and met many of this year’s thru-hikers. At first, we saw what one hiker described as the “elite” – those that hiked the Sierra Nevada Mountains as they approached it. We also met many people who jumped ahead of the Sierra Nevada and bounced back to the Sierra once the snow had mostly melted. Then, we started seeing hikers who started later in the season, finished the Sierra but did so only after the winter season had all but ended. Either way, Patti and I both hold a lot of respect for thru-hikers, no matter how they do it. It’s a great accomplishment ether way.

About Pace

Patti is 5’1”. I’m 5’11”. We did some testing (we have plenty of time :)) and found that for every 100 strides I make, Patti has to make 140 strides to cover the same distance, a remarkable difference. This has led to a lot of our time on trail spent separately. No matter how I try to modify my pace to match Patti’s, I gain speed over time and end up well ahead of her. If Patti tries to keep pace with me, she wears out and then falls behind, then, too. She does carry more endurance though and can hike beyond my stopping point. We are still working on how to make things work but right now we spend a lot of our time on trail hiking alone.

We will continue updating our progress as we are able. We don’t often have service. But when we do, I’ll update our progress.

As always, thanks for following along. Pictures on Instagram

Lynn Shapiro