The Long White Tunnel

By Tyler Socash

IG: @tylerhikes

You can see Mount Shasta for hundreds upon hundreds of miles along the PCT.  Allegedly, at least.  I saw Shasta for the first time in the Soda Mountain Wilderness of southern Oregon.  That was the first time I knew I was looking at California from the trail!

Standing at 14,179ft., Mount Shasta is the second-tallest mountain in the Cascade Range (behind Mount Rainier), and it's the fifth-tallest mountain in California.  Despite its formidable size, I couldn't see the volcano half of the time...

The culprit?  Northern California's forest fires!  Lightning strikes in late-July ignited most of the wildfires across Humboldt and Trinity Counties.  Without much rain in the forecast, combined with severe drought conditions, these fires continued to spread.  By early August, 6-million acres of forest — a size equivalent to the entire Adirondack Park — already burned across the United States... and the fire season isn't over. 

Smoke fills the valleys as I march southbound in California. 

The right-center peak is Mount Shasta, as seen from Oregon. 

The Appalachian Trail is nicknamed The Long Green Tunnel.  Everything is so lush back east.  We typically don't worry about forest fires, and there never seems to be a shortage of water (or snow).  Coping with intense and long-lasting wildfires is the new normal out west.  The Pacific Crest Trail suddenly transformed into a Long White Tunnel. 

The smoke-smuggered sunset. 

A shrouded Marble Mountain, namesake of the Marble Mountain Wilderness. 

The Russian Wilderness. 

Terrible air quality in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. 

Nearing the end of the smoke-filled skies as I hike east in the Castle Crags Wilderness. 

On the day that I hitched into the small village of Etna, CA, things were getting pretty bad.  As I waited for a ride on top of Etna Summit, I looked west at the spreading white veil.  "Who on earth would travel in that direction?" I thought.  I wasn't sure if anyone would be driving through such thick smoke.  Surprisingly, some weekenders were passing through and graciously took me downhill and eastward into Etna.  

While I was in town I met up with other hikers who were intending to hitch out of the smoke.  They were willingly bypassing huge sections of trail just to get back into the clear skies with unobstructed views!  I want my thru-hike to be a journey of continuous footsteps from Canada to Mexico, so the next day I hitched back uphill to Etna Summit.  Back into the Long White Tunnel.  

The Russian Wilderness, Trinity Alps Wilderness, Castle Crags Wilderness... they were all beautiful.  I know the smoke robbed me of vistas, but I guess I can say I had an authentic PCT wildfire experience!  One day in the Trinity Alps was so bad that I could actually taste the fire with every inhale.  What a strange sensation!

I increased my daily mileage as the trail headed east.  I was told by a few northbound hikers that there wasn't any smoke in Burney, CA.  That propelled me forward.  

When you're hiking, you spend a majority of your time staring at the trail itself (I often trip when gazing upon the views while walking).  This is especially true when your views are shrouded by smoke.   You'll notice lots of little lizards in Northern California.  I saw plenty of northern fickers near the trail, too.  They always fly away quickly, revealing their signature white rumps as they go.  But on this day I saw a track that I did not expect...

"What was that?!" I questioned aloud.  I actually stopped and retraced my steps.  I looked at the impression in the sandy trail.  One huge front footpad, five soft dimples representing toes.  I studied it intently for a few seconds, and moved on to find another one.  And another...

It sprinted faster than my own adrenaline could signal my fright.  In a flash, the black bear around the very next corner took off!  I was totally caught off-guard.  I never dreamed that I would be tracking a bear that was only 50 feet in front of me!  

Well, it only took 1,200 miles, but I finally saw my first bear on trail.  I'm still eagerly awaiting my first mountain lion sighting. 

The bear now a few miles behind me, I came to an open ridge with another immaculate view that I wasn't expecting to see — Mount Shasta!  I had escaped the 400-mile Long White Tunnel!  I decided to eat dinner at that very spot so I could watch the sunset.  It was stunning.  A top-5 sunset while on the PCT!  Shasta, you were worth the wait. 

Freshly out of water after cooking, I reasoned that I should hike downhill and camp near the next water source... Or!  I could stay and enjoy the views of the mountain that had eluded me since August 13th.  

My cowboy campsite, with Mount Shasta to my northwest. 

I stayed put for the night. 

The big bend in the Pacific Crest Trail around Mount Shasta had been completed.  Now I'm heading in a predominantly southerly course towards Mexico, with clear skies overhead!  

Every now and again I turn around to appreciate the views behind me.  I could spot Shasta from the notoriously dry Hat Creek Rim, potentially for the last time...

My sights were set on the PCT mid-point, which I reached on August 27th, exactly two months to the day of leaving the Canadian border. 

The PCT midpoint.  I made it half-way!

Wow!  What a journey so far!  I couldn't believe that only two months have elapsed on trail.  The days are so packed, that it has felt more like half a year!  

As I crested a hill at the end of the day, I looked back.  I could see the ridge where the PCT midpoint marker was located.  I could see the lakes near Chester, CA where I rested for a day.  I could even see Lassen Volcanic National Park that I cruised through the day before that...

...and in the fading light I caught a glimpse of an old friend.  Towering amongst the clouds was the snow-capped summit of Mount Shasta.  It looked so far away.  I'm sure this speck on the horizon would go unnoticed by 99% of northbound hikers. 

I think the long white tunnel made me cherish this view a bit more.

For Purple Mountain Majesties

By Tyler Socash

IG: @tylerhikes

The trail will challenge you emotionally, physically, and mentally during your thru-hike.  I just happened to ride that triad of roller coasters within a 24-hour time span.

I set out from White Pass at 6pm alone.  This was strange.  Thus far I had been hiking with Half Jesus and Wildfire throughout the state of Washington, but I had different ambitions than my hiking comrades in this upcoming section — I wanted to do a high traverse in the Goat Rocks Wilderness. 

Ever since we met a northbounder named Impala (2nd to finish the Pacific Crest Trail northbound this year) in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, we heard from every single northbound hiker how amazing the Goat Rocks were.  Most people remarked how they wished they had spent more time in that region.  Hailing from New York State, I couldn't imagine another time in the near future that I would find myself back here, so I decided to venture out by myself to spend more quality time with the wilderness. 

The initial ascent out of a resupply town is always difficult.  You carry large amounts of food, large amounts of water, and therefore your pack weight is substantial.  I was carrying a 40lb. pack. With Cascade Locks, OR over 150 miles away, I wanted to ensure that I had enough food for the journey.  

Thousands of vertical feet and many miles later, I made it to Shoe Lake Basin and the top of the ridge.  Even though my shoulders ached under the weight of my pack, the idea of witnessing my first sunset behind Mount Rainier propelled me onward.  

When I set my pack down, I was in awe. The clouds were perfect, and the sun was still above the horizon... This would be one of the greatest sunsets of my life. 

Goat Rocks in the distance.  Excited for the sunset!

The inspirational sunset behind Mount Rainier. 

When it happened I was invigorated!  I felt like John Muir, Bob Marshall, or Edward Abbey would have agreed that this was an exceptional sunset from an extraordinary location.  I sat there for an hour as the sky turned into a Crayola crayon canvas.  Every color was on display.  The mountains actually turned purple in the foreground.  "For purple mountain majesties!" I sang aloud. I felt alive, and I was very happy that I embarked out on this section in time to witness my greatest moment on trail.  

The sunset was so grand that I wondered, "If I night hike, perhaps I can reach the Goat Rocks in time for an epic sunrise?"  I pushed through the dark forest and donned my trusty headlamp.  I was intimidated at first, but no animal wants to mess with a loud human in the dark, so I pushed onward with confidence.  Something to think about, because someone will eventually ask thru-hikers about this: over 30,000 people have died in car accidents each year in the United States since 1945.  Only a couple of bear attacks happen every year.  You can pull this stuff up on Wikipedia if you'd like.  I think I'll take my chances in places like Goat Rocks Wilderness.  No I'm not afraid of bears or mountain lions... I'm afraid of sharing the road with people in steel machines that are going 65+ mph!

Mount Rainier and alpine flora in the safe Goat Rocks Wilderness!

The next morning I made it to the highly-anticipated Knife's Edge of the Pacific Crest Trail in Goat Rocks.  This is when I began experiencing euphoria...

A happy Tyler!

Don't drop off this knife edge!

Mount Saint Helens in the distance... I wonder where the top half of the mountain went?...

On top of Old Snowy - the beginning of my off-trail traverse. 

When I climbed Old Snowy, I felt like I had made it to heaven.  I saw herds of elk and mountain goats in the valleys below, I saw Mount Saint Helens, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams... They were all there!  I could even spy the Alpine Lakes Wilderness mountains and Glacier Peak in the north.  I felt so accomplished walking all this way in just a few weeks.  I remembered looking out of that airplane window and seeing all of these sentinels below... Now I was walking beyond them!

I felt a rush of emotion.  I cried, and that's OK because Jim Valvano said it was one of the three things you should do everyday — "have your emotions moved to tears."   I couldn't  believe that this was my life and my journey.  I couldn't believe how utterly gorgeous the wilderness was.  All at once I missed my family and my friends.  I wish they could have been up on Old Snowy with me.  Unbridled happiness and adrenaline pumped through me.  That's when I remembered Impala's suggestion from two weeks ago... "Stay high." 

I assumed he meant the ridgeline, and when I saw Ives Peak in the distance I knew that I had to give it a shot. I would summit Ives and contour to a ridge that met up with the PCT at Cispus Pass.  Easy right?  I was so incredibly wrong, but my emotional high had me pressing along the talus fields. 

It happened rather quickly.  It started with a misstep, led to a few cuts, and resulted in a rockslide.  I heard people on the PCT below shouting, "Rock fall!"  I jumped towards larger rocks and escaped with only a few small scars that still haven't faded.  The rock tumbled forever, but luckily not anywhere near the trail below.  I turned around. I was scared.

I fully intended to return to the trail down the Old Snowy alternate.  When I climbed back up to the summit of Old Snowy I was shocked to be confronted by a beautiful girl hiking in a sports bra and her parents.  "Where yah heading?!" the older, yet spry man asked.  "Well, I was thinking about traversing to Ives Peak and beyond before eventually returning to the PCT, but I just started a rock fall and spooked myself out."  The older man with his wry wit responded, "You're heading the wrong way if you want to summit Ives.  Just stay on the very top of the ridge and negotiate the cliffs and glaciers.  I did it when I was younger."  Now the pressure was on, and Future Dad wasn't going to back out now, especially with a cute girl nearby.  "Alright, I'll try it again!" I proclaimed. 

After a nice conversation, I hiked through stuff like this...

Mount Adams through a hidden arch!  Naturally, I had to walk through it. 

Just about to climb off this glacier with my 40lb. pack and go up some Class 4 rocks to get up Ives Peak.  Sorry Mom!!!

Looking back at my traverse - the greatest hiking experience of my life!

Finally atop Ives, I was pumped.  Super pumped.  Emotionally, I was feeling excellent.  But on the descent something happened.  It started with a few pebbles getting into my boots.  They were in there hours ago, but due to my adrenaline rush and the inherent danger in an exposed hike like this I hardly noticed them.  During the descent my rush was fading, and the pain was mounting.  Every scree field on the way down seemed to pound more and more pebbles into the balls of my feet.  I emptied my ankle-high boots a few times, but to no avail.  The rocks found a way in.  

After a few hours I finally made it back to the actual Pacific Crest Trail, but something was horribly wrong.  I felt physically defeated for the first time on trail.  I walked all the way from Canada to Goat Rocks in southern Washington with no problems... Until that descent. 

I took off my boots after Cispus Pass.  That's when I noticed the blood.  My socks helped to stop the bleeding, but my toes were still oozing.  Yes, it was gross. 

Upset Tyler only hours after summiting Old Snowy.  I took this photo intentionally - to remind myself that the PCT isn't all sunshine and roses.  Well, actually, there is a lot of sunshine.  It never rains out here.

After an attempt to wrap my feet with tape and moleskin, I could only move 2 more miles that day.  I collapsed on trail and rolled off it to a small campsite with one spot left.  It was only 5pm, my earliest campsite destination so far, but I needed to stop.  Physically I could not move on.  The other two spots were occupied by Lost and Found & All Day Long.  We had our typical "Northbounder meets Southbounder" conversation. "Have you seen Tin Man, Magic, Impala, Bi-Polar, Kiester?" they inquired.  Some I had, and some I had not.  "What was your favorite part of the trail?" I asked robotically.  I quickly added, "Mine was nearly today until I hurt my feet." It was All Day Long who told me then, "The trail will challenge you emotionally, physically, and mentally during your thru-hike."  He also added, "What you need is Leuko tape, that stuff is the best when it comes to fixing blisters and caring for your feet."  I didn't have Leuko tape.  I didn't even have Half Jesus or Wildfire with me.  I was in a bad place...  

The mental part came that next morning.  My two campsite friends left by 6am.  I was afraid to look at my feet.  They throbbed.  I knew I wouldn't be able to put my boots on.  I actually felt defeated. I thought, "Wow, maybe I can't do this.  Maybe I won't make it to Mexico..."  Nearly half of all thru-hikers who set out on this cross-country 2,650-mile quest never complete their journey.  Injury plays a heavy factor.  

I just laid in my sleeping bag.  7am. 8am. 9am.  The hours went by.  That's when I saw him.  Bobbing along the trail with a great white beard was a man that All Day Long referred to last night.  With the warmest of tones the man said, "Oh, hello down there!"  "Are you 'Bi-Polar?'" I asked.  "Yup, that's me!"  Bi-Polar has an excellent reputation  on trail.  Everyone loves him.  Hiking legends are praised along the trail, and word spreads about the not-so-friendly hikers too — sometimes hundreds of trail miles in both directions. 

In addition to becoming a legendary character during this 2015 season, Bi-Polar apparently has a controversial blog.  Find it if you can!  

Even though he was pressing hard for Canada, Bi-Polar was more than generous with his time. We talked for an hour!  We connected over other long-distance hiking trails, like the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin.  We talked about the negative consequences of hydrofracking.  We talked about the fact that only 2.7% of the Lower 48 States is classified as wilderness.  In the end, I saw him as a genuine man with a gentle soul.  Unprompted, Bi-Polar asked how I was feeling.  I told him about the sunset over Rainier, the herds of elk, the Knife's Edge, Old Snowy, the rock fall, the spry older man, my traverse, and the condition of my feet.  

"You know, what you need Future Dad is some Leuko tape... And it just so happens that I have some for you.  My feet don't blister anymore.  You can have it."

It was as if a heavenly angel had descended upon my campsite. Just as quickly as he dispensed his unexpected trail magic, Bi-Polar was gone.  

I finally removed my legs from my bag and applied the Leuko tape.  I slipped into my hiking boots.  It felt like stepping into comfy slippers on Christmas Day.  That's when Wildfire wheeled around the corner, shocked to see me so soon.  My reaction upon her timely arrival was joyous!  Things came together perfectly...  Almost too perfectly.  

Wildfire and I hiked south.  We hiked with gusto.  We walked past Mount Adams, spent time in rural Trout Lake, encountered the most magnificent Trail Angels near Panther Creek Campground, and crossed Bridge of the Gods into Oregon together, with Half Jesus only a few hours behind!  

The reflection of Mount Adams in the wake of my emotional highs and physical/mental lows.  What a great swim!

If you'd like to see what the PCT in Washington State looks like, check out my original video via this link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eTKVK7uib_A&feature=youtu.be

I'm in Oregon now, pushing south.  Walking through Washington took me just under a month.  515 miles complete! Over 2,000 daunting miles to go!  Ahead of me lies more hardship, more sunsets, more magic.  The author Donald Miller wrote that, "The mountains themselves call us into greater stories."  I can only hope that more of these future mountains are purple.

What's in a Trail Name?

By Tyler Socash

IG: @tylerhikes

The Stehekin shuttle was arriving at 9am, and we had to make it!  After 5 grueling days on trail most thru-hikers get antsy for town food.  There are a few towns along the PCT that entice hikers to walk faster and dig deeper — Stehekin, WA is one of those towns.  

A view from the middle of Lake Chelan near the Stehekin village. 

While Brandon fell behind, the urgency to get to this fabled town pushed Matt and I onward.  He had been there before, and every story he told about Stehekin made the importance of catching the early shuttle grow.  Matt calls Stehekin, "The town that time forgot."  Situated at the end of ~60-mile Lake Chelan, there are only three ways to arrive at Stehekin: take the long ferry ride from Chelan, charter a sea plane ($100 per person), or hike there via the Pacific Crest Trail.  

In addition to hearing all about the iconic bakery, organic garden, impeccable swimming, and bountiful food, Matt also hoped to catch up to another hiker that he met earlier in his trip south.  They call her, "Wildfire."  Matt wondered if I had seen a hiker with a small turquoise pack and a French braid, but I learned that Wildfire started south before I returned from the border monument.  Catching your trail friends is a big deal on the PCT.  With zeros, neros, missed resupplies, injuries, etc. you never know when you or your friends' PCT plans will be thwarted.  Sometimes you never see a trail friend again... (Spooky.)  We had to make that bus to catch Wildfire, and we did!  

The Stehekin shuttles in "downtown" Stehekin. 

These shuttles were ferried out to this isolated town to take hikers and hotel guests up and down Stehekin Valley.  For $7 cash, the bus will take you from the High Bridge Ranger Station all the way down to town — a price you'd gladly pay to avoid the 12+ mile road walk.  The bus makes one mandatory stop on the way into town... The Stehekin Bakery. 

This is one of my favorite magical places :)

When the bus came to a halt, the driver said we could run in and grab something to go.  When we got off the bus, we found a lovely group of hiker trash (an affectionate term for thru-hikers who have evidently adopted a sub-standard way of living, i.e. wearing tattered clothes, drinking water out of a Denny's bathroom sink, and so on).  That's when Matt said, "There's Wildfire!"  

Wildfire, like The Man Matt, is awesome.  She was given her trail name (a significant alias given to all long-distance thru-hikers) when she shouted "Wildfire!" while sleep-talking.  Similar to Matt's hiking backstory, her best laid plans to southbound thru-hike the PCT were altered last year due to weather/injury.  She was back at it though, and she was already hiking over 20+ miles a day. 

Wildfire, The Man Matt, and Tyler — soon-to-be Southbound besties!

I didn't have much time to talk.  I needed calories and the bakery's scent permeated the air as well as my subconscious.  I ordered huge sticky buns and a Pepsi immediately to help replenish the food deficit that naturally comes when you hike 120+ miles.  When I finally came out to the hiker trash picnic table, I noticed Wildfire was with other friends.  Karissa and Seth were about to head south out of High Bridge in order to enter the Glacier Peak Wilderness.  It was daunting to think that the next town, Stevens Pass, was 100 miles south from here.  Two other people, Robyn and AJ, were also enjoying the Stehekin Bakery.  Wildfire seemed to be very confident within this group, as if she had known these other newfound adventurers her whole life.  With a mouth full of sticky buns I ran back to the bus screaming, "See you all in the Glacier Peak Wilderness!"  I drew laughs because of my enthusiasm... And partially because I accidentally spit everywhere when I yelled.  I was very excited to be eating at the historic bakery. 

 I will fail to effectively describe what this town and these people meant to me.  I didn't just leave Stehekin for the wild.  I enjoyed a wonderful nero with this clan.   Even though I was over 2,500 miles away from New York State, for a day I was home.  If The Man Matt, Wildfire, AJ, Robyn, Seth, or Karissa ever read this blog, just know that I love you guys. You, and the entire town, made me feel like I belonged.  Stehekin has character, and that beautiful, wild place was accentuated by the characters that I met within those 24 hours.  Perhaps I'll go into the details of our kayak heist, our harmonica songs, the turtle wrangling, and my "future wife" at the Ranger Station another time...

Another picture of said heist.  By the way, Lake Chelan is the 3rd deepest lake in the United States.  It just so happens I'll also see the two deeper ones next month...

Of the aforementioned people, I ended up giving three of them their trail names.  They all helped to give me ones to try on for size.  Turtle Wrangler almost stuck thanks to AJ and Robyn (seriously, you guys are awesome), and both Neil Patrick Harris and Doogie Hauser had a nice run.  The Man Matt, who is now The Man Half Jesus due to his ability to swim half-way out of the water thanks to his water polo days and his desire to wash thru-hikers' feet as a trail magic gesture, always says, "It's not your trail name until you introduce yourself as it."  Half Jesus is very wise.  

Big reveal: my trail name has become Future Dad. 

In order to remain in chronological order and to avoid a Memento storyline I'll save that story for later in this post.  

That night in Stehekin was one of the best nights of my life.  It reminded me of my childhood nights in Old Forge at the lakefront.  At one point, The Man Matt Half Jesus (he has a peculiar tendency to call everyone, "The Man") told Wildfire that she should team up with "The Man Tyler," in the Glacier Peak Wilderness.  Matt completed that section two years ago and had another adventure planned for himself off the PCT during the next 5 days. 

Just like that, Tyler and Wildfire became hiking comrads.  Spoiler alert: After three weeks the three of us still hike southbound together / near each other!  These characters will come up a lot in my stories. 

To accelerate a bit (I'm a storyteller and this really could go on forever) I'll show you what Wildfire and I accomplished in the Glacier Peak Wilderness (my second favorite wilderness area so far) and in the Henry M. (The Man) Jackson Wilderness during the next 100 miles.  Details will come out in my memoir. 

Hiking up to Suiattle Pass

Wildfire crosses the dangerous Suiattle River

At camp on the slope of Glacier Peak: Wildfire, Karissa (Darkside - I named her for her dark humor), Seth (Talent Boy - I named him this for he has many talents), and Future Dad (Seth named me this because of my conversations about finding a future wife and having a future child to take on the PCT on some future day. This name makes me happy because my old colleagues at the University of Rochester continue to speak about our impending fatherhood with reverence. I miss you guys too!)

Wildfire and I pressed on!  We appreciated these great views....

Glacier Peak!  Stratovolcano!  Remote! Wilderness is awesome!

I'm trying to break the SOBO lake swimming record.  I'm at 8 lakes so far. 

Last swim before Stevens Pass. 

And finally, to go all Memento on you, Brandon arrived at the Stehekin Bakery only minutes after Matt and I left.  He ordered sticky buns (like me).  Exhausted, Brandon laid down on the hiker trash picnic table and got his treats all over his back.  We now call Brandon, "Sticky Buns."

NOBO before the SOBO

By Tyler Socash
IG: @tylerhikes

In the darkness, we had arrived.  Four-and-a-half hours after departing from Seattle, our hiking party made it to Harts Pass, WA.  This location is ten axle-crunching miles northwest of rural Mazama, and it takes you to the northern-most trailhead on the Pacific Crest Trail.  I encourage you to open Google Maps and search for it.  Switch to "Earth mode..."  Try to imagine yourself finding this location, which is on the highest road in remote Washington, during the dead of night without ever being there before!  (No cell phone service, no clearly marked intersections.)  It was nearly 2am, and without a cloud in the sky there was no debate... we were going to cowboy camp (no tent) under the stars.  After our third shooting star in the pitch black Washington State sky, we rapidly fell asleep. 

Over the next three days, my fellow University of Rochester alumni and I would hike 33 miles to the U.S./Canadian border and back (66 total) so that I could avoid a Federal charge and begin my southbound Pacific Crest Trail hike legally — you can't simply walk into the United States from Canada anymore!  Inherently, a southbound (SOBO) journey is "tougher" than a northbound (NOBO) trek, but only 33 miles harder out of 2,650...  In the grand scheme of things, both ways are unfathomably difficult.  Maybe the extra hiking is a subtle factor that causes over 1,000 hikers to attempt the PCT northbound annually while only 100 or fewer will attempt it southbound?  The 33 bonus miles are among the most scenic, and arguably among the most physically taxing (especially when you consider that your body is still in sedentary office mode) along the trail.

Tyler, Paul, Jamie, and Bridget on Day 1

This section of the PCT in the North Cascades boasts 14,787 feet of elevation gain from the border to Rainy Pass on Route 20.  Even for four fit and former University of Rochester Cross Country runners, these three days were grueling.  The Pacific Crest Trail has approximately a 50% success rate for thru-hikers attemping to go border-to-border (depending on the year), and after our 20+-mile days it was apparent why so many people leave the trail.  The first leg in the Pasayten Wilderness will humble even the strongest athletes.

Alpine flora in the Pasayten Wilderness

The difficulty of this first section is overpowered by its beauty.  I've hiked in many special places, but I already know that I'm experiencing my favorite life moment.  The Pasayten Wilderness, which brings you to the Pacific Crest Trail monument on the border of Canada, boasts remarkable views and wildlife.  The denizens of this region include deer, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and the largest population of lynx in the Lower 48.  

 En route to the U.S./Canadian border.

That moment when a life-changing adventure begins!  

For the record: I made Paul, Bridget, and Jamie sing the National Anthem as we stepped back into the United States.  This was, perhaps, the finest rendition of the Star Spangled Banner ever sung while entering the country.  This will become a tradition!

Our backcountry campsite was on the other side of Three Fools Peak. 

I'm very excited to walk to Mexico!

Here are a few things that have surprised me so far:

• in 16 days on the trail, I have only used my tent three times. (A generous donation from my friend Seth - thanks Seth!)  The weather has been amazing, and cowboy camping has become my favorite thing to do!

• I only saw two Pacific Crest Trail markers during the 70+ mile stretch from the border to Rainy Pass.  That's it!  Nearly every tree has a trail marker on it back east.  You need your maps out here! 

• the U.S. Women's National Team won the World Cup!?!?  That's awesome!  It's also pretty cool that the only thing that matters on trail is self-regulation... and your happiness of course!  

I hope to have ~140 sunsets like this while on trail. 

I'll end this post with something from The Hobbit:

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.
Today and tomorrow are yet to be said.
The chances, the changes are all yours to make.
The mold of your life is in your hands to break.

Until the next time I have service... (only happened two times in over 280 miles of hiking) be well and thank you all for the support!  The trail is wonderful!  The first few days were blister-filled and physically demanding, but I'll get stronger every day on trail.  Advice I received from a friend: "The first two weeks are all mental.  The second two weeks are all physical.  If you make it through four weeks, you will make it to Mexico."