Hello everyone,
I’m Sean, a semi-retired environmental engineer who primarily found adventure camping, surfing, and snowboarding. I am now adding thru-hiker to my description. This will be my first hike and I’m excited to see how it goes. I am married to a very understanding lady and I appreciate her support in this adventure. She will work on holiness and meet me at a few points along the trail for shuttle service, resupply, cold beers, hot showers, and other perks to be named later and perhaps some not to be named later.
how did i get here
March 3, 2024, 1045 was a turning point for me. In trying to beat my personal snowboarding speed of 49.4 mph (not as fast as some friends of mine, but fast for me), I managed to destroy and rupture my Achilles tendon. It didn’t heal properly, so in June I had surgery to shorten it. It broke again in September and was fixed by another surgeon in December. Fast forward to October 2025 and I am hiking heavy and in February 2026 I am up to 20 miles with a 30lb backpack. A “few” aches and pains during this process and nighttime yoga is common. During the “trying to fix it” period I read several books and blogs that caught my attention and made me think I want to do this. I love exploring and it’s usually with a fly rod in hand or on a dirt road in Baja, but this will be a bit more. I hope my stories and unfiltered photographs entertain you half as much as the blogs of others on the Trek entertained me.
Fun things you can find in the most random places in the desert.
Preparation
In October 2025 I started with 4-5 miles with 12-15 pounds in my pack (Kakwa), in November it was 6-8 with 15-20 pounds, in December it was 10-12 miles with 20-25 pounds and in January it was 15 miles with 30 pounds. The goal for the end of February was 20 miles at 30 pounds. Along the way, I decided to take the basic wilderness course hosted by the San Diego North County chapter of the Sierra Club. While I am a self-proclaimed car camping expert, the thought of camping in the snow filled me with dread. I’m happy to say that our recent trip to the San Jacinto Mountains and the foot and a half of snow cured me of my apprehension. I take my hat off to the people who pass through the Sierras and don’t see anything they buy white when they are in the interior of the country. I anticipate snow in the Sierras, but maybe a little greenery on the way this year. Although it’s too early to tell. I will say that the WBC is super fun and if you are near a Sierra Club chapter that offers it, you will meet a lot of friendly and understanding people.
Hike with friends at Anza Borrego State Park learning the joy of carrying 2 gallons of water
«Investigation»
My research has consisted of dozens of Trek blogs, several books, but the top 3 books would be Journeys North, Hiker Trash, and my favorite, The Long Walk Home. YouTube has provided some memorable views, including Craig M (trail name Spielberg) ~PCT 2022 and Al at Adventure Together (trail name Look Out) ~PCT 2023. I learned from the WBC that while I can handle the snow, I don’t think I want my memory of the Sierras to be anything but cold and snow. Lastly, my research has been helped by several people online: Dan Becker, Darwin on the Trail, and Mac with the Half Way Anywhere surveys. As with all things, it’s an iterative process: read/observe, think about it, synthesize the various inputs to see what they have in common, and then make a decision. I enjoy PCT surveys on Half Way Anywhere and that has definitely influenced my gear selection. The question I was asked about the survey results was: «Is the team popular because it does well in the survey?» Thanks for that Tim. I tend to think the cream will rise to the top.
my worries
My biggest concern is: will the body hold up and will my wife really be okay with this? I guess time will tell for both of us. I’m spending a lot of time (and money) on acupuncture, dry needling and brutal deep tissue massages (thanks Rhiannon Henry), a year and change of Achilles PT (thanks Jay Shaver) and muscle activation technique (thanks Mike Acord). These people have helped me rebuild my body, reshape various processes, and deal with the aches and pains of being «old.» More importantly, they have given me the mental confidence to push myself and train hard.
Doesn’t a yucca look out of place in the snow?
Questions asked
The biggest question I get is why are you doing this and we all have our reasons. Challenging myself and having an epic adventure combined is ultimately my reasoning. The funniest question I was asked was, «Is there an age limit?»… Thanks Louis T. for that one. Okay, disclaimer, I’m in my mid-50s and I’m still reading to see when my birthday happens down the road. Another question is what do I want from this? That’s a tough question since I don’t care about enlightenment, that’s for people with bigger life goals than mine, but I think patience is a worthwhile goal for me. I have never been accused of being patient. Maybe walking for 5 months instead of speeding on I-5 will help me find, or more likely, learn patience.
Read on and see my gear list and ongoing preparation in upcoming posts. Kunjungi qaz3. Spoiler alert: my base weight is not considered ultralight.
I’ll see you around the corner.
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