Further Adventures Along the PCT: ATypical Hiking Day

"Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up."
 - T. McKenna



I thought it might be interesting this time around, to share what a typical day on trail consists of for me. I carry a small notebook to record interesting thoughts or ideas, and I kept a log of events for a day. Here is the result...

5:40 am 
I wake briefly, note the sun's earliest presence in the sky, and roll over to continue sleeping.

7:00 am
I wake again, noting the sun is clearly above the horizon, roll over and sleep some more...

8:00
Finally I get up, eat some breakfast, and pack up to get moving.

Packing up camp!

8:30 - 10:30
Hiking, with a brief break at a creek to filter some more water.

10:30 
Snack break consisting of pop-tarts, chili cheese fritos, and a peanut butter and jelly tortilla.

Break time! Elevate the feet if possible.

10:40
A couple of other PCT hikers catch me on break, and we chat for a bit.

11:00 - 12:45
Hiking, listen to a bit of music while contemplating this blog idea. Cloudkicker is the choice of the day. (Cloudkicker)

(I don't always listen to music while hiking, but it does help take my mind off the achy feet and churn out miles...)

12:45
Water break, decide to eat another peanut butter jelly tortilla... A couple folks on horseback pass by and engage me in conversation.

Thru hiker in his natural habitat.. this how passerby's would see me - stuffing my face

Them:"Oh hey, there's a hiker! Are you going all the way to Canada?"

Me: "Yep, that's the plan"

Them: "Wow! Where did you start, how long have you been on trail"

Me: "The Mexico border, been on trail since April 25th, about 1100 miles so far.."

Them: "Wow, that's so amazing/inspiring/cool!"

(I have a conversation like this almost every day. The questions and reactions are pretty similar every time.)

1:00
Decide to eat some trail mix too. Then I get up, dust the ants off, and hike some more.

2:30 - 4:00
Long lunch next to a stream with some other hikers. Ramen with tuna to eat, and definitely a dip in the creek to cool off.

4:00 - 6:15
Hiking to the next water source. I note that at this point in the day I have done 19 miles already.

8:10 pm
Stop for the day, make camp, eat dinner.

Total mileage for the day: 23. Not too bad, considering it was about 9 hours total spent hiking. I've found that I haven't gotten faster as my body has adapted, I'm just able to withstand longer days of hiking fairly comfortably. The terrain tends to dictate how fast I go, whether it's up or downhill etc..

Profile for this day, mile 1170 to 1193 roughly

Hiking breaks are good, and I take many. I eat a lot of food during these breaks. When I pack up in town, I plan for about 4000 calories per day.. this gives me a little buffer if I move slower than expected, but is surprisingly close to the mark for what I can eat on a solid day of hiking.


And of course, here's the next video. Part 2 of hiking in the Sierra! Definitely some more beautiful spots this round.

Cheers,
- Traveller