And we knew it was our time

Throughout the posts I write on the PCT, I will end each one with a song. Whether it sums up my experience of the day, I played it over and over again or it’s just something I’ve been thinking about. Unlike ending with a song, this post I will start with the song.

Lane 8 and Massane – And we knew it was our time

(I recommend you listen while you read! Although I would listen on your favorite streaming service because YouTube puts an ad right before the peak of the song and it really takes you out of it)

–

I know it’s my time.

My time to do something crazy

something that many know

that others never will

A desire to be out there

trying hard

Share stories with new people

Being terrified of what’s next

The PCT

–

A LONG distance hike has been on my mind since college. Even more so the “oh, I could never do that.” A decade ago I never thought I’d be here. Less than 100 days until you hike the Pacific Freaking Crest Freaking Trail! Almost everything was planned for me last year, but I just wasn’t prepared for it. Now, 2026, I am physically, financially and mentally prepared for it.

The “why”

This question is one that we hikers ask ourselves at some point during preparation (and every day on the route). I can think of multiple reasons, each unique: from seeing new places and meeting new people to getting out of my comfort zone and listening to music in wild places.

Leaving towards the west.

When I moved to North Dakota, I saw it as my chance to see the West, to be able to live there. The reality was that I was still in the Midwest! I only took one trip out of state and it wasn’t far from Montana, or even the Rocky Mountains. The desire to see the Rocky Mountains, Sierras, and Cascades has been on my mind for a long time, but has never come true.

Spending a thousand dollars on flights, hotels, ubers/rental car just for a week-long trip never appealed to me. There are so many places to see and so much that could be done. A one or two week trip simply wouldn’t be enough and it has never been worth it for me. My need to know new places goes beyond tourism, I want to exist in a place as if I had lived there for years. Get to know all the good trails, the good food, that traffic light that stays red for too long. The PCT will be the best middle ground. I’ll be lucky enough to see some of the best places in the west while I live there!

Music for me.

My identity revolves around the place where I have lived, but also the music I listen to. My other unusual reason: I simply want to exist in the beautiful landscape of the West listening to the music I love. The song mentioned above: And we knew it was our time (AWKIWOT) has become my internalized theme for the PCT. I now listen to it daily and know its association with the PCT. Songs can carry a lot of weight, emotion and memories for me. Whether it’s a past relationship, a road trip, or a good hike. Music takes me to places that not even an old, dusty road could take me. AWKIWOT reminds me of where this year is headed. No matter how the walk goes, the song will always leave that mark of anticipation.

the typical

I say all that but I will add that I have the typical reason of wanting to prove that I can do this. I actually got going for 5 months. I’m there for the trail community and the love of wrestling. I want this walk, not for the content (although I will share it) or the glory, but for me, something I have worked hard to earn. Through 2650 miles of pain, determination and determination.

Bumpers and friendly fire in a perspective of the Long Road

I definitely don’t have the standard musical taste.

2013

Music is and always has been an important part of who I am. In 2013 I started listening to electronic dance music (EDM) and never looked back. Starting with the artist Approaching Nirvana. Their first albums until waiting for the sun were fundamental to defining my love for the EDM scene. I often go back to those albums and love each and every one of them. They often got drunk on the Long Road!

2014-2023

I finally stumbled upon the compilation album. Monstercat 017 – Ascension one day after high school. That album broadened my horizons on dance music as a whole. I stayed with the label almost exclusively until about 2023, when I diversified the labels I listened to. For a decade I was listening to a WIDE variety of EDM, from House to Dubstep to DnB. My modern focus has been melodic house and specifically the This Never Happened (TNH) label.

2023 onwards

TNH and one of their most well-known artists, Sultan + Shepard, really honed my current music taste. His latest album series: Circle In Time. You could say that it would be a perfect encapsulation of the PCT. Endless dawn Inspired by the desert, perfect for Southern California. Forever, now inspired by the air, like the high elevations I’ll be at in the Sierras. AND something, everything a representation of ancient forests, prominent sections of NorCal, Oregon and Washington that remain.

Tangentially to Sultan + Shepard, the label’s founder, Lane 8 has many songs and albums that have stayed with me over the past few years. Discovering TNH and Lane 8 led me to a collaboration he had with Massane. The song has stayed with me and will be the theme song for my PCT hike. Much of TNH’s discography will be downloaded offline and looped.

I can’t fail to mention Trivecta. Focusing on his two albums The way back and find my way which are perfect representations of my love for «outdoor» dance music. I’ll be sure to make a detour to Multnomah Falls to listen before I goand exploding (in my ears) everything that ends when you reach the northern border.

Step by step, song by song.

Every time I listen And we knew it was our time I know my why, a long way to the point I was waiting for. A moment when I found my path longer than I will ever truly know. The moment may come early, it may not happen until I get to Canada but I will have the “I did it for this” moment.

If you want to check out my «songs to inspire me on the PCT» playlist, give it a listen.

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