What hiking is really like
A thru-hike — or just a long-ass hike — is basically any overnight hike, repeated several times in a row.
Do you know how to walk, then sleep, then walk again?
Great. You’re a hiker. You know what hiking is really like.
And that’s where this post ends. That’s all there is to hiking.
// Lumberjack
Yeah, I know. It’s a bit short.
You probably want to know what thru hiking the PCT is really about, right?
Well, that’s something everyone has to figure out for themselves.
But I can tell you what walking the PCT is like.
A day starts early.
If you’re like me – severely jetlagged at the start of the trail, you wake up well before sunrise. That sucks. Everything is cold, wet with dew, and your sleeping bag suddenly isn’t as cozy as it was in your tent-researching fantasies. So you get up. And you walk to get warm.
Then you walk some more.
Eventually, you’ve walked far enough that it’s time to eat breakfast.
Top 3 moment of the day, right there.
You fix some water. And guess what? You walk again.
Then comes lunch. Water again. More walking.
Lunch, by the way, is also top 3.
By this time of day, I’ve forgotten what sitting down feels like. Distant memories of my couch at home flash by. Soul-crushing stuff.
Later, you set up camp. You eat. You sleep.
Nice. Day well spent. Hopefully you talked to someone at some point. If not, eh. There’s always tomorrow.
“But Lumberjack,” you say, “what about the experiences? The views? The people you meet?”
Yeah, they’re all there.
But you need to understand something: walking is slow.
I can climb a ridge, catch an incredible view, and even photograph it. But that amazing view?
It lasts ten minutes, tops. Then I’ve seen it. And now it’s just a distant, annoying reminder of how far I still have to walk.
Especially in the desert section. Every view is basically the same:
Also: make sure your playlist is long enough.
By the 15th repeat, monotony turns into some kind of cosmic joke.
It’s repetitive. It’s dusty and dirty. It really is beautiful. But briefly.
And then its just one foot infront of the other again.
It really is mind-numbing to walk.
I love it.
I hate that.
Yeah ill probably do this again soon.
// Lumberjack
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