Counting down my 100+ days until I set foot on the PCT…

…and counting the percentages

For the past few months I’ve been mentally tracking my likelihood of moving forward with the PCT climb. Since October I’ve been at the arbitrary 85%-90% mark but I just haven’t had that last push. However, in the last few weeks I have reached that 99% mark. I’m committed. Some ties hold me back in that last 1%, but #PCT2026 is an opportunity! What led me to that 99%? I’m actually not too sure… Is it the fact that I gave in and made a spreadsheet? Maybe… Is it the fact that I’m getting ready to tell my boss that I’m leaving in a few months? Probably… All I know is that I’m committed to it more than ever.

The introduction

Hello everyone! Welcome to my blog! Come for the hiking stories and stay for the missed jokes and bad grammar! I’m Jaycee, a 26 year old Vermont resident! (Obligatory blah blah, I didn’t grow up as a hiker, but then I became an incoming presentation.) I did my occasional mini hikes and that ambitious Katahdin hike in October 2019 where I couldn’t see anything and it was a miracle I didn’t get hurt (I was wearing many layers of cotton in fog approaching freezing). I moved to North Dakota from Maine and subsequently returned to Maine the following year.

The first month ago, I set out to hike New Hampshire’s 48,4000 feet with my adventure pup Aurora, also known as ‘Friendly Fire’ (if you’ve met her, you know that). It took us a little over a year, including that spring hiking binge in the worst conditions, but we did it. I continued hiking from time to time and took the opportunity to move to Vermont. From then on I did occasional day hikes, but nothing too substantial, there were just so many other hobbies to participate in in Vermont. Early 2025 saw a lot of changes at my job and I seriously thought about leaving the PCT or AT, but it just wasn’t the right time for me. Despite that lack of commitment, I switched to local and shorter, and 3 weeks later I was headed to NOBO on The Long Trail.

Sunrise atop the Whites passing Madonna and Worcester Peaks in Vermont (May 2024)

something about change

I have been built for and have thrived through controlled change in my life. Since we shuttled back and forth between college and home, it’s been almost a full decade of moving. Through many choices and coincidences, I ended up in Vermont for 2 years. It’s the longest I’ve been in one place for the last decade and it’s a little nerve-wracking to be «settled.» At the beginning of October I told myself ‘you can’t convince yourself to do it’. You won’t be ready.’ I said it not as a challenge, but as a promise. I’m not ready, I won’t be ready. However, I wasn’t ready for the LT and I know no one could say they had it figured out and preserved that mindset after your first day on the trail.

My life has been chaotic for the last year. I will avoid getting into politics, but that is difficult with everything that is happening and I currently work for the United States federal government. With the change of administration last January I said goodbye to many of my colleagues, my friends at work. I don’t blame any of those who left voluntarily, I almost did it myself. Those of us who stayed put up with the increased workload because we love the people we work for. I sit here exhausted, tired, exhausted and devastated by my job. I’m ready to move, ready for something different. Don’t get me wrong, I love Vermont and I struggle with the possibility of not being able to return after the tour (a decent portion of that last 1%). I long for a change of pace and the Pacific Crest Trail is my goal.

A sunrise in North Dakota (November 2021)

That resume you asked for?

As I mentioned, my hiking experience is a split hike on Vermont’s Long Trail in 2025. I hiked 154 miles from the Massachusetts border to Lincoln Gap over the course of 13 days in June and then the 118 miles from Lincoln Gap to the Quebec border over 10 days in September. The LT had been my goal for 3 years at that point and being able to complete it was very rewarding. I also completed NH48 in 2022 and 2023, although very few of those treks were overnight. The PCT has been a little pinch in my head for some time. I’ll speculate that what appeals to me most is the fact that I’ve never been to the west. The furthest away was eastern Montana. The grandeur of the big mountains has become alluring to me (don’t worry, the East Coast Appalachians and the Adirondacks, I still love you more). I think the best way to experience them is in their rawest form… throwing myself into them step by step.

My current start date is in May, which doesn’t go well for a heat hater like me, but at least I’ll be fine in the Sierras, right? (I’m daydreaming that every day is a balmy 65°F with very light rain overnight. I’m kidding myself.) I’m taking a «no spoilers» strategy. I want to be prepared for what’s there, but I avoid watching a lot of trail videos or reading highlights about the PCT in detail (I admit I’m not following that very well since I check Google Maps for photospheres on the trail daily at work). Regardless, I am very excited to document the path for my memories and for anyone who wants to follow it.

omnomnomnom feat. Friendly Fire and Etch-a-Sketch (June 2025, LT)

Final comments

I’m going to end the post on a music note. Today I’m going to pick up the full album ‘Our Lives Entwined’ by Leaving Laurel, which was released on January 9th. I’m sure in some post I’ll talk about what the Leaving Laurel project means to me, but for now, happy trails!

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