Hello!
I can’t believe that almost three months have passed since I started this path. On April 13 he feels forever and yesterday. The time here does not move the same. It is not measured on week or hours, but in walked miles, the elevation rose, the crossings of stream, the sunrises and the farewells. Sometimes I forget what day it is, but I remember exactly where I was when I stopped to eat that Nutella next to a lake or took off my shoes after a brutal climb.
The mountains are behind me now, according to Ferout at least. Geologically, not quite. But something changed after Yosemite, or maybe back to Kennedy Meadows North. The environment of the path changed, and it seems that a new chapter is starting. Northern California, I’m going for you.
Looking back: Desert and Sierra Memories
The desert tried me in a way that I did not expect: the long water is transported, the heat that radiates on the road and a constant layer of dust in everything. I started the insecure path, with very open and nervous eyes for what was ahead. But I also found beauty there: strangers who felt like old friends, flourishing cactus, endless sunset and the freedom to wear everything I needed on my back. And my legs? Tanned. Very tan.
As for the mountains, Forester Pass was probably the most intense part for me, although not the most difficult. It was my first real experience crossing a steep snowfield. There was still a lot of snow, and the descent seemed more steep than I expected. Crossing that pass felt like a rite of initiation.
I would say that Pinchot was the most difficult. It just seemed to take an eternity to climb. And one of the most beautiful and memorable was Muir Pass. The landscape, the stone cabin, the open alpine stretching, felt like something out of a dream.
And Monte Whitney … ahhh there is no need for words for this …
The alpine lakes left me breath. Cold, clear and full of trout swimming under the surface. I spent more time close to them when I could, just soaking in stillness. And, of course, the relentless mosquitoes. I still listen to you when I close my eyes. No amount of insect spray seemed to worry.
Growing through miles
Something has changed me here. I feel stronger, physically safe, but also in my mind and heart. I trust myself. I do not panic when the path throws me something unexpected. I learned to be flexible, to breathe for discomfort and to leave aside the things that I cannot control.
I also discovered how much I love my own peace. My quiet moments. I have found joy when walking alone, talking to trees (I swear I’m not crazy), watching animals and moving around the world in my own terms. I love connecting to people along the way, but even more than that, I love the connection I have built with myself. Here, I can wake up whenever I want, walk to the rhythm that feels good and I stop when my body tells me. That kind of freedom is rare, and I do not assume it.
I’ve also been pressing more. I have taken larger mile days, not because I have to do it, but because I can. Even when my body feels that it is falling apart, somehow it goes ahead. I have realized that it is stronger than I give credit.
I even started enjoying camping alone. I used to be afraid, but now I find peace in solitude. There is something powerful to place my tent at the quiet dinner, cooking while the light fades and falls asleep with only the sound of the wind or a nearby stream. I feel safe. I feel capable. I feel free.
Rationalization for the next section
I need to hurry a little now. Time moves faster than I would like, and I want to make good miles through northern California. That does not mean that I hurry recklessly, but I am marking in my rhythm and carefully planning.
From now on, I will be cold soaking all my meals and focusing on foods that do not need to cook. Simplify things and save fuel and time. Cold tortillas and ramen have become my basic products, I am doing everything possible to continue digging them day after day. It is not always glamorous, but it works.
I also plan to build an updated list that compared the team with which I started versus what I have changed on the road. Hopefully soon I can share what has been essential, what has been dead weight and what surprised me most here.
Hope for northern California
Nortal has a reputation: green tunnel, hot days, mental fatigue and large sections of recent forest fire burning scars. These carbonized areas create a very different landscape, with blackened trees and land exposed instead of the lush green forests or alpine meadows to which I have been accustomed. The scars may feel mysterious or desolate, but I know they are part of the natural cycle of forest regeneration and healing. For hikers, it means less shadow, more exposure and a unique environment that can feel challenging and strangely beautiful.
But I am entering him with a new mentality. I know that each section is what you do of it, and I want it to be about presence. On efficiency. About pushing me gently, not strongly. I want to strengthen myself, enjoy the little things and stay on the ground.
My goal is to overcome this section in approximately three weeks (one can wait 🤞🏻). I am planning strategic results, less days from the city, less rest time and keeping me focused, while I give myself space to breathe when I need it. I know Oregon is waiting. And beyond that, Washington. I can’t wait for it.
The little things
The longer it is here, the more I realize how much joy lives in the small moments: to put dry socks after a stream crossing, a stranger that offers his extra snack, a cold drink of the refrigerator of a path of a path, the quiet just before sunset, a flat camp after a long day, a good place with a view with a view, someone who says «you have this», when you do not The face in a storn and instantly in a storn and instantly in one day and instantly in a new day. These moments are the ones that take me.
Until the next mile
Thank you very much for reading and following this wild trip. I share daily updates on my Instagram page, and I hope you enjoyed them as much as I love to publish them. Writing these blog tickets is something I really enjoy. It helps me process my own experience and, hopefully, it brings you a little closer to the life of the path, regardless of where you are.
If one day he dreams of walking through the PCT, I hope that my stories and reflections can be a small part of their planning, inspiration or motivation. Whether it is already in the investigation phase or simply keep the dream of one day, I am encouraging you. ♥ ️
I have been receiving support from you: through friendly words, messages of encouragement, surprise boxes of email and even donations of «buying a coffee». And I just want to say … I’m so extremely, ridiculously, overwhelmingly grateful. As, really beyond what is grateful! Each note, each sandwich, every act of goodness makes me feel so supported and seen. I take it with me at every step.
With love and dusty trails,
Ranger
