Pct on dkcrw

20240806 Crater Lake to Bend (mile 2002)

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

One of the things people are most often curious about the trail is where we get our water from.

There are a variety of different ways you can make the water found in lakes, streams, puddles and ponds drinkable. These range from filters and purification tables, to good old fashioned boiling. The most popular by far is the Sawyer Squeeze, a no-frills filter making impressive claims (99.99999% effective against bacteria and protozoa, lifetime warrantee). In contrast the least popular gadget by far were the UV sterilization pens, which we saw only once when someone approached us to borrow some water because they had broken theirs. However, all of these methods require a decent quantity of dirty water to get started, and finding the water can prove difficult.

20240613 Wrightwood to Lake Isabella (mile 653)

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Writing this from Lake Isabella where we are staying at the Kern Motel, so named for the river Kern which flows down south from the Sierra through this way. The area has seemingly seen better days. At the gas station slash liquor store, the shelves seemed empty of most things, apart from energy drinks (four new looking fridges, stacked with colourful cans and humming loudly), fish bait, and dick pills. The vibe was upbeat enough and the spotty teen behind the counter was holding himself well against the seemingly endless onslaught of requests and retributions from the customers coming in and out. I purchased four Evians and a small bottle of Jim Beam and headed back to the laundromat where Grace waited with Two Books and Big Shrimpin’ (trail names now becoming the standard way of referring to anybody). In the blazing heat I was glad that we had made it down off the hills, even if the town displayed all the hallmarks of a place grown a bit too comfortable with its methamphetamine usage. It really felt like we were out in the heart of the desert now, which felt strange given the enormous lake for which the town took its name, and the knowledge that we had got off trail to hitch a ride here at Walker Pass - typically seen by many to be the official end of the desert section.

20240516 Julian to I-10 (mile 209)

Tue, 21 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Have you ever heard a rattlesnake use its rattle in anger? I have, and it is LOUD. It doesn’t sound like it does in films, like a delicate castanet, slow and threatening. It is a harsh whirring, a vibrating, oscillating, terrifying VRWRWRWRWRW sound that fills every empty inch of air. I have seen plenty of rattlesnakes by now, but all of them either juvenile or so sedate that I was never in any real fear of danger. Coming down the north side of the San Jacinto mountain though, having just sailed over the mile 200 marker, I did hear one. And it not only scared the life out of me, but I jumped so high that I lost an earbud.

20240504 Campo to Julian (mile 77)

Mon, 06 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Writing this from the tent about three miles up from ‘scissors crossing’, a place name which meant nothing to me a week ago but which I now know well. It is eerily still, though just an hour ago it was gusty and the sky is threatening rain later. Big clouds are mounting up on the horizon. We abandoned one potential campsite earlier in the evening due to it being in a flashy looking gully and not wanting to risk getting washed down the mountain in the event of a storm.

20240423 Spain to LA

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Left the UK on Thursday 18th April and flew straight to Barcelona with friends. Every time I fly Ryanair I say that it will be the last time, but just as the delirium of parenthood comes to overshadow the pain of childbirth I cannot help but find myself back in the saddle. What a miserable airline it is though. We spent a few sunny days out on the Catalan coast, ate good food, and discovered that the universal comedy of Mr Bean does indeed transcend the language barrier.

20240416 Leaving England

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Location : Southwest London, UK

Distance : 12.6km

Route :

https://strava-embeds.com/embed.js

Woke up on Saturday and went for a walk around a busy Richmond Park. Saw some deer, looked at the deer, and bought a cappuccino from the little café. It was a beautiful morning and the paths were heaving. Later that day I saw friends and then the family visited my parents house, where I am now staying having left the flat in Bristol last week. That evening we went out for a curry. My mum made a cake.

20240405 Pacific Crest Trail

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Location : North America

Distance : 4,265km

Route :

[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1ULrH9H1I47-2NfRzo3m1osepeaY4yt8&ehbc=2E312F&w=640&h=480]

What is the Pacific Crest Trail?

This summer Grace and I are going to walk 2,650 miles from Campo (the border of Mexico and Southern California) to Canada’s Manning Park. This is known as the Pacific Crest Trail and is made up of a series of backcountry tracks stretching through California, Oregon, and Washington. It has existed officially since the mid-20th century, but joins up historic trails through the much older national parks such as Sequoia and Yosemite. The trail crosses the San Andreas fault three times and traverses around 60 mountain passes. Around 10,000 people are known to have completed it, which is around 1,500 fewer than the maximum capacity of Luton Town’s Kenilworth Road. For context, in 2023 58,015 people ran the London Marathon.