The Pacific Crest Trail Fail
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- Опубликовано: 10 дек 2024
- Here is my full length Pacific Crest Trail documentary highlighting my 2021 failed thru-hike attempt. Hopefully it's a good look into the thru-hiking world and maybe it can even be helpful to someone out there looking to take on the PCT. This is my first attempt at editing a long-form documentary from one of my extended trips. I've generally just made compilation videos usually edited to bad no-copyright music, but I really like the way this one came out and I hope you do too! I uploaded vlogs from the Pacific Crest Trail that the majority of this footage comes from, however, there are lots of things in this documentary that are not in my videos I released from the trail. I thought this would be a fun project to work on and I’m glad I carved out some time to cut this thing together. I’m not at all disappointed in my failed thru hike of the PCT and I hope this film gives people out there a realistic picture of what hiking along this amazing trail was like for me in 2021. If you’re interested in seeing a more expanded set of videos from this hike, then here's a link to a playlist which will show all of the vlogs that I released from the trail:
• PCT 2021 - Ep 1 - Anno...
Thanks for checking it out and happy trails!
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More information on the Pacific Crest Trail can be found here:
www.pcta.org/
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A late start is unfortunate. It looks like you have the place to yourself but it’s miserable in the heat. The long soliloquy at around 25 minutes is one of the most honest and insightful I’ve seen. Just Mike is good - it seems to fit:
Thanks for this...I think that's the strength of vlogging like this as much as I did on the trail...it started to become really natural and my actual thoughts were coming out rather than looking at notes of what to talk about (like I do in my monthly vlogs). On another note, Soliloquy would be an excellent trail name lol! Thanks for watching Linda, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for posting this. I appreciate the honesty. Very helpful video as are the comments.
Thank you, Just Mike, for sharing your PCT experience and also the difficulties along your trek. This es exactly, what almost nobody is sharing publicly, you rather get to see the exact opposite, as if there might be some problems along the way, but hey, we are all badass hikers, we can do it nonetheless.
So, kudos for your courageous video, giving people an idea what they might have to deal with as well - next to the scenery, the hiking and all.
If you decide one day to come back to the PCT, there are some things which might be helpful:
First of all - the PCT did not kick your ass, you had to deal with a huge amount of problems which were entirely out of your control: the wildfires over so many stretches on the trail. These surely drove lots of other hikers off the trail as well. The very same applies for your body’s sensitive reaction to altitude sickness. You never know how this might affect you unless you are hiking up in high altitudes.
It doesn‘t matter how physically trained you are, or how old, or how healthy - everybody reacts differently to high altitudes.
When you come back, doing the High Sierra section of the PCT, and I strongly recommend you to do this since this section is so beautiful it will make you kneel down in awe, start slowly.
Stay at least two nights at Kennedy Meadows south, where the General Store is located, have a good relaxing time there. Then hinke short mileage days, like, just a little bit beyond Kern River at the first day. The next one as short as the first one - just to Chicken Spring Lake. The third day not beyond Crabtree Meadow Ranger Station, or, if the Ranger allows you to do that, then up to Guitar Lake, to try summiting Whitney the very next day. After summiting Whitney, again, either stay at Guitar Lake for the night, or hike back to the Crabtree Ranger Station. The day after this one you do Forester Pass - either you camp right before the steep climb, or, shortly after going over the pass.
After Forester, the other passes will give you a good daily hiking rhythm, when it is mainly one pass per day.
This should help getting you acclimated to the higher elevation in the Sierras.
Since you come from the AT, be prepared to welcome an entirely new concept of how to thruhike the PCT. It‘s not longer one mile after the next, following strictly the PCT markers like the white blazes on the AT, the way they unfurl from south to north. You will encounter sections you need to bypass and come back later, or circumnavigate altogether because of fire closures - as you experienced already.
When I did the PCT in 2017, I had several parts of the trail covered in deep snow - already as early as San Jacinto and Baden Powell in Southern California, which I both had to circumhike.
But that was nothing compared to the Sierras. And even north of Sierra City, and also Lassen Volcanic Park, there were still massive snow packs, when I hiked through.
So I got off the trail at Dunsmuir, North California, took a month to travel California by rental car, to see almost the entire coast up to San Diego and then went all the way back along the mountains to hike San Jacinto as well as Baden Powell which I had to pass two months earlier, and came back to the PCT in July, doing the rest of California, then Oregon and Washington.
After finishing at the border, I travelled back to Kennedy Meadows and did the High Sierra plus the last stretch to Sierra City, finishing altogether in mid October.
To put it short: be prepared to go back and forth along the trail by hitching or renting a car because of whatever issues might suddenly occur on your thruhike. Allow yourself to have extra funds for such occasions; also, be patient with your body to adjust to this trail. The PCT is different from the AT. Especially the heat, the sandy terrain and thus the constant sweating keep wearing down your body in a way you rarely experience on the AT. The AT is strenuous to hike, but, except for sections in PA and NY, water scarcity is rarely an issue, and you have the climate regulating canopy of the trees, as soon as you are hitting late spring while on the trail. The PCT will remain demanding on your constantly sweating feet even throughout Oregon as well as Washington. I had my last blister the day before I reached the Canadian Border - whereas on the AT, blisters weren‘t an issue at all for me. Every hiker I met along my PCT hike had issues with blistered feet. So be warned to take this seriously and take great care of your feet when out on the PCT.
To experience the Northern Cascades of Washington in a way a typical PCT thruhiker rarely does, I recommend to hike this section in August. The notoriously bad weather doesn‘t roll in yet, and you can experience the great scenery of this state to its fullest. The hiking is comparable to the NH and ME sections of the AT, only with way longer climbs and downhill sections, but it’s all so worth the sweat.
Doing the High Sierra section by the end of August, beginning September, will make you see the scenery the way Ansel Adams and John Muir experienced it, also, you will not be pestered by any mosquitoes any more since they will be gone, and the weather is more stabile on top, so you won’t encounter too many thunderstorms any more.
I strongly wish you all the very best and hope you will come back to the PCT one day, and this time have much more luck with the situations you can’t control by any means and once again experience the thruhiking appetite and joy you surely did experience on the AT, Just Mike! All the best to you!
I really appreciate you checking it out and leaving such a nice comment with great advice. I definitely want to give the PCT another shot, but I’ll likely do it in long sections…perhaps all of OR and WA at once, then come back another time and finish California. Your description of the North Cascades makes me really wish I skipped up there before returning home, but I had had enough by the time I called it quits. I definitely appreciate the perspective and advice from someone else who’s done it…it won’t take much convincing to get me back out there. Thanks for the heartfelt reply and cheers to the upcoming hiking season!
Well done, Just Mike. I don’t see any failure in that story. Keep hiking and sharing!
Thanks man! I really appreciate it. Cheers to adventures in 2022!
What a wonderful PCT video. Enjoyed watching. Looks like you had a great hike. Thanks for sharing.Have a great day
Thanks for checking it out! 😎
Loved your story! Thank you for sharing. You didn’t fail at telling your story or hiking sections of the PCT.
Great documentary. I liked that you did not add music like the other ones do. I'm thru hiking the PCT in late March and this has helped me get a visualisation.
Thanks man, I really appreciate it. Late March is a great time to start. I started May 10th so the desert will likely be much cooler for you. Best of luck out there!
March 31st here! Cya there
@walking home - late March is a good start depending on snow in the sierras. I started Mar 28 last year and that timing ended up perfect - cooler desert with more water, sierras open, and managed to hit oregon just before fires kicked up.
Excited for you man! You're about to have an awesome adventure!
@@MB-be6xw Thanks man! I actually changed my date to April 13th. Happy with it. Sounds like you had a great journey. Looking forward to tracing the steps of thousands who hiked this trail.
Be ready for a high snow year! You guys are gonna be feeling it for sure! Embrace the suck!
Great video. Really enjoyed your honesty and reflections. also actually laughed out loud a few times. hope you recovered well and are doing well!
Thanks for checking it out! All recovered now...back at it in the real world working and saving money...planning another hike/travel trip soon hopefully! Again, thanks for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed it!
This is by fare, the best documentary I've ever seen. Thank you, Just Mike. Lots of good vibes from Denmark.
Wow, thanks Helene, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Cheers to the open trails!
i'm so glad you got to see yosemite
It can’t be easy making this video. I do appreciated it bc it shows the reality for many people.
Dude - thanks for compiling this and sharing! I have total respect for how you handled yourself and your hike. You’re also the first person I’ve seen grab shots of the rock slide on San Jacinto which scares the crap out of me a bit. I have a lot to research up on before I start my hike. I’m thinking my preferred time to leave would be a month earlier than you had.
Thanks for the kind words! I'm pretty sure they took out the rock slide with dynamite so you should be all set there. I would definitely hope for an early start date if I were you...or just plan on skipping ahead as soon as you feel like it's too hot for you. My last 2 weeks in the desert were pretty miserable because of the heat. Best of luck out there!
That skunk though! 😂 Loved this video. Thanks for making it. I'm planning my first PCT thru in 2023. I'm not looking forward to the desert but your video helped to give me a good feel for what most of it may be like. Hoping for zero record heatwaves next year!
Hey, thanks for checking it out! Hope you can get an earlier start date than I did! (I started on May 10th by the way). I hope my video didn’t make you dread the desert…I really did have some great days out there. The desert sunsets and sunrises are incredible and hiking at night under the stars is other worldly and something you should definitely experience on the PCT. Anyways, thanks again for watching and best of luck on your thru hike!
Appreciate your sharing the dificulties on the PCT. And all those snakes!
Thanks for checking it out!
Good for for sharing your "fail". 600+ miles is nothing to scoff at. Watching this gave me a Stand by Me vibe. (You narrating from your car...)
Fellow PCT c/o 21 here! I started early April, so I was lucky to just miss a lot of those fires. The heat waves were nuts! I remember freezing my ass in the 40 degree rain at Snoqualmie pass in Washington and a few days later it was back up to the high 90s.
Well hello my fellow 2021'er!! April sounds like a great time to start a traditional NOBO thru...I just didn't get a good draw on permit day. I'm likely giving this trail another go, but probably just a long section hike. Early April is ideal for a traditional NOBO for sure and 40 degree rain is sneakily dangerous...that hypothermia can be a silent killer. Sounds like you had a good trip....hike on!
Awesome video man! How did you skip the last 200 miles of the desert & parts of the Sierra's (Uber, airplane, etc??) I'm super new to this hiking culture and want to know what are the common ways to skip ahead, if an area becomes "unpleasant." Thanks!
I got a ride from a trail angel after posting on one of the PCT Facebook group pages...there are pages for thru hikers looking to get rides to/from certain places. Hitchhiking is also common although, you definitely want to use caution doing this, but it's very common near the well-known "trail towns" near the PCT (and the AT). I took a bus from Tehachapi to Ridgecrest and then a "trail angel" drove me from Ridgecrest to the General Store at Kennedy Meadows. The PCT has an incredible community of people that help hikers - no thru hiker really goes the distance without assistance.
Just Mike - was literally that for much of the time. Well done for continuing for so much of it when you could have quit. You made choices based on what you knew and how you were feeling. I’m sooty that the late start meant fire closes were more likely / frequent. You could try going earlier and get a high winter snowfall and then get closures due to unsafe snow conditions in the San Jacinto mts.
Don’t beat yourself up over not completing this time. 3/4 hikers do the same. But some of them come back and then do complete using their tough experiences to strengthen their resolve and knowledge from which to make decisions. All the best 👍🙏
Thanks for the kind words! I’d likely tackle a long section if I were to get back out there (and I very likely will at some point in the future)…thanks for checking it out!
Dude, Well done! You did what your body allowed you to do and there's so much to be appreciated for how the mind and body are linked. Leaving the trail was wise! It wasn't meant to be, I wouldn't consider it a fail. Even had you pushed forward, the fires would have made it a regrettable misery. Thanks for sharing the trip, Keep doing what you do, and being you. Peace
Thanks for checking it out and thanks for the kind words!
Great video! I watch a lot of hiking videos and the lightning bits gave me the chills! GREAT VIDEO!!
Being "Just Mike" great video thanks for sharing your experience and being real outstanding. Lots of thru hike videos but not much reality most feel manufactured and un realistic. I will trying PCT 2023 flip flop most likely as I will be hiking with my dog so try to get desert out of the way as best I can doing sections weather dependent. Anyways just want tyo say thanks for taking the time to share your experience!
Thank you so much! I hope there’s some helpful info in there. The PCT is an incredible trail and I’ve only experienced the southern 1,000-ish miles of it. Best of luck with your hike and thanks again!
Just Mike you did the best you could with what the PCT threw at you that year. Thanks for being honest and showing the ups and downs of the journey. Most just show the amazing landscape and stunning vistas. My start date is May 27 this year and the heat will be a huge factor to contend with. and I live in a swamp so the 10K+ elevation is something I have no idea how my body will handle. Thanks again for putting this together and sharing your adventure. Reddmage AT'17
Thanks man, I’m glad you enjoyed it! If I had that start date this year, I’d likely just go ahead and plan on flipping up to Kennedy Meadows after knocking out San Jacinto (probably around 2 weeks or so after you start), provided the Sierra isn’t completely snowed in still. Definitely go slow to start the Sierra and consider your 1st exit point at Cottonwood Pass as your first resupply point…I regret trying to push to Kearsarge Pass from Kennedy Meadows. Anyways, best of luck to you! You’re in for one hell of a summer, cheers to that!
Hey how did it go?
Very watchable video -- thanks! About that mountain sickness -- some hikers don't know many of the symptoms align with those of severe dehydration, so a good choice in addition to descending is to push water and see what happens. Although I've never used it, I understand Diamox is used both to treat and prevent/mitigate the condition.
I'm not sure about the push water thing (I'll have to look into it more), however, I did meet several hikers that were carrying Diamox, but I've never used it either. At the very least, I will be way more cautious, less cocky, and more educated the next time I hike at altitude. Thanks for checking out the documentary!
I agree! I don't see failure here. I see an adventure. Thanks for making this great film!
Thank you!
Thanks for putting this together! Watched the whole thing tonight
Thanks man! I really enjoy your videos as well. Cheers to adventures in 2022!
So at 37-40 minutes you look like you are near my neck of the woods, Palmdale CA. I sometimes hike at Mill Creek where I see through hikers and also at Lake Hughes at that portion of the PCT where I rarely encounter thru hikers. Love your video. At 42 minutes you are in Acton!! I am so sorry you hit Palmdale at the height of our heat wave.
Sounds like you’re close to some really gorgeous hiking. It won’t be long until you start seeing the class of 2022 PCT hikers roll through there. Thanks for checking out the film!
Love the stories! Come back to Tahoe and hike the PCT as it is AWESOME through here. If you need a place to stay I have a loft for ya!
Hey thanks for the offer! I'm hoping to get out there again soon...not sure if it'll be this year or not, but I really do appreciate the offer! Thanks for checking it out!
You didn’t finish the hike, but you made a great video. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
First of all thanks for sharing. Super nice insight! I got a question: So about getting "rescued" - Does this come with a bill? Like did you have to pay anything afterwards for pressing the SOS button? Im just curious
I’m curious as well.
Thanks for the great work. You are really awesome and talented with movie making. Your voice is great for the comments you give just at the right time. Are you pursuing a career in reporting or movie/broadcast relate? That vid was very refreshing to watch.
Thanks, I really appreciate that! I went to school for video production and actually worked professionally as a video editor for about 3 year before hitting the AT in 2015. I’ve been focusing a lot of my video efforts on this channel since then. Ideally, I can do RUclips on a full time basis at some point in the future. This was the hardest I’ve ever worked on a video. I spent a lot of time going through all my footage and editing it together, but I really enjoy the creative process in film-making. I release weekly episodes here, but this definitely won’t be my last documentary. Thanks for watching!
Jupiter hikes was saying the first thru hike was probably the one that added most to him even though it was very difficult and he learned a lot.
I can imagine how the isolation would be great for some but not others. In Nepal I hiked hut to hut and carried 16 kg due to double packing heavy layers. There was nobody there being off season. It was okay but a three week hike I found it okay. Desert though is so wide and alone that's hard. You got to experience something that a tiny number of people do. Great views and that section you did you got that in the bag.
I got that blister for a different reason and yuk on a easy hike walked for a week on it and it healed but it was painful.
Glad the ranger got you out big help being with someone. Horrible feeling getting your pack carried I'd say but you did the right thing to let them.
Great highlights and compilation! Definitely not a fail. It Left me wanting to hike the pct!
Thanks for checking it out Ridgerunner Jay! It's definitely an incredible trail! Are you planning to be a Ridgerunner out on the AT again this year?
@@SensatiousHiatus not this year. The past year I’ve been with ATC and this year am working with the New England National Scenic Trail. If your ever in the northeast again look me up.
@@Who1yo Nice man! I was fortunate enough to stay a night on the New England Trail at the Richardson-Zlogar
Cabin one night while working at the AMC...gorgeous out there! Great to hear from you Jay...will definitely give you a shout next time I'm in New England. Cheers to adventures in 2022!
Really enjoyed your video, man. I 'only' hiked 1,100 miles in 2019 (year of snow rather than fires), so guess that could count as another PCT failed attempt. I grapple with my decision to leave the trail (albeit coerced to some extent due to the snow) from to time, but time lends a kinder perspective and a greater appreciation for the miles I did, rather than the ones i didn't. I'll head back there some year, maybe see you out there. Happy trails.
Thanks man, I really appreciate it. 1,100 miles is a long way to hike in one go. Congrats on that! I heard about that legendary year and it sounds like you made the right choice as well. Again, thanks for watching and cheers to us and all the other “failers” out there haha!
What was the start date and when did you hit the Sierras?
@@Justintime246 I started May 10th and hit the Sierra around June 27th or so
This was awesome! I followed your vlogs but still watched the whole thing. Great production.
Thanks man, I really appreciate it. Hope you can get out on the PCT sometime...it is an incredible place to be!
I have only seen 20 minutes so far, but I like the way you started.
Not in a constant rush like many hikers. Enjoy the surroundings and the nature of the track you are walking. And maybe another section another time - who cares? It's nog a contest and I like your footage. I cannot walk very far myself, but I enjoy the sounds of your foodsteps on the gravel. (Like I am walking it myself).
No stress in life and being in nature is nice 💖
Greetings from Holland 🙋🏼♀️
Hey thanks for the kind words and for checking it out! I definitely want to tackle another section at some point in the future. It’s so cool someone from Holland is watching! I would love to visit there someday. Cheers!
The rattlesnake by your tent. I have this thought of a rattler getting underneath my tent during the night and me rolling on top of it in the morning. I wonder if that ever happens. You do make very good videos. Great commentary.
Thanks! Yea that was a crazy day...I think you'll be ok at night most likely
Great documentation of ones journey and troubles hikers can get into. I did pct in 2016. and it was a perfect year to do it. I guess you need to have a certain amount of luck.....
Yea, I think so, but there were several hikers I met that went the distance (minus the fire closures)…congrats on your thru! Hope I can patch mine together over the years.
@@SensatiousHiatus I am sure you will and if not it'sgood also. Live the best life you can and want. Take care.
Good insight thank you . Great video
Job well done. I couldn't do it but sure would be fun to try. Thanks for your view.
Enjoyed watching your trek through the desert. You hiked some miles I skipped & plan to do this spring (Whitewater, Deep Creek...), can't walt to do it myself. Good job on your documentary, thanks for sharing. Macgyver
Macguyver! Thanks for checking it out! I really enjoyed the Deep Creek stretch (lots of naked people and people parting near the hot spring though haha)…cheers to getting back on the PCT this year!
Outstanding!
I can’t believe you had to do the rock slide solo. The was sketchy doing it with 3 people. Glad you enjoyed your trip
I thought there were people at the rock slide going north when I passed, but maybe I'm remembering incorrectly. I do remember being a bit shaken after doing it...it would've been much easier with a smaller pack. Anyways, I'm glad it's been cleared. Thanks for checking it out!
@@SensatiousHiatus yeah man. Great job on the video. It’s definitely different from the rest which is nice. Look forward to more in the future
Great film and greetings from Finland.
Thanks! I’d love to visit Finland some time! Looks like a beautiful country!
Good to hear.
LOVE YOUR DEDICATION😊 TO THE HIKING OF THE PCTRAIL❤THANKS FOR THE BEAUTIFUL & PANORAMIC VIEWS!!! TAKE CARE & BE ADVENTUREOUS❤❤❤ 6:10 6:17
Amazing film .. great job!!!! Glad your lungs did not have to go through the smoke
Me too! Thanks for checking it out and glad you enjoyed it!
Great video, thanks for sharing!
Loved the honest!
I really enjoyed your hike!
You were authentic and real…
It irks me when i watch youtube tru hikes and a major front is put up 😏
I mean i get psych yourself up.. being pumped up etc.
I did a tru hike in northern michigan at Pictured rocks.. it kicked my ass!!
i’m in my 40s and pretty fit, i over packed big time, wrong shoes 👟 ( went with my new balance 🤦🏻♂️ against my daughters warnings 😆)
i had MAJOR blisters 3rd day in!
i think i cussed out every little thing along my path ( in my head )
After i finished i seen a lot of my mistakes, even so i really cherish the whole thing.. the good, the bad, and the ugly
keep hiking 🥾 🫡
~little legs lake Erie Michigan-Ohio
@Just Mike: great documentary. Hiking completely alone for so many miles it will take a toll on anybody. Altitude is a sneaky bastard. I have seen hikers who were super strong at lower altitudes, suddenly being hit by like lightning over 11-12k ft. Nothing to do with trainning. I am a 62 year old retiree, thinking of doing at least part of the PCT. Any suggestions? (Love your honest remarks and hesitations, by the way(
If you do Whitney I advise you to follow the sunrise crew or at least get up there before noon as there are thunderstorms nearly every day around that time up there. That won't help you with altitude sickness, but maybe you could try using altitude pills if you decide to do it again. I ended up getting off trail in Truckee this year due to a number of reasons. I am hoping to do the trail again one day though or at least finish it. However, I am currently planning a hike of the CDT at the moment for 2023, but we will see if that actually happens, lol.
All the way to Truckee is a long way man, that’s awesome! My first stint in the Sierra was from KM to Kearsarge Pass and that was probably way too much especially trying to add the side trail of hiking Mt. Whitney in there which adds another day. I definitely want to give the Sierra and Mt. Whitney another go. I’ll have to look into some altitude pills although I think if I just went slower I would be fine. Thanks for checking out the film, congrats on your PCT hike, and best of luck on the CDT!
How cool that the lizard would go to the edge of a cliff to take in the views. We don't give our animal or reptile friends enough credit.
I definitely enjoyed watching your journey my fried, I really hope you get to try again and complete the whole trail don’t give up on it, good luck 👍🏼
Thanks man! I’ll likely give another section of the PCT a go here again in the next few years. Also, I watch your videos as well man, you have some really good stuff. Makes me want to pick up a mountain bike at some point. Cheers to adventures in 2022!
Finished watching your PCT video. I guess the only thing you didn't run into is a blizzard. Just a rough hike. Do you think you'll ever try it again or is that enough PCT?
Haha yea I’ll pass on a blizzard. As for trying it again, it’s just a question of when. Not this year, and probably not next year, but I’m definitely giving this trail another go at some point. I’ll likely try to bite it off in long sections at a time that way I can pick optimal seasons. I’d love to do WA and OR together and then patch in the rest of CA that I missed on another trip.
@@SensatiousHiatus 1 more question if you have time. In sections, you can probably get around a heat wave, but how are you going to deal with altitude sickness? I know there is medication for it. Is that something you might try? Too bad for your viewers it might be 2 years. Your video was very interesting.
@@waynekriegel535 I need to look more into the medication for altitude, but I would focus more on properly acclimatizing next time. I definitely hit the Sierra way too hard at first and it ended up humbling me. 2 years is a while, but if I rush it again, I feel like I’ll just be setting myself up for another failed attempt. Anyways, thanks for checking it out!
Great video man! And you seem like a great guy too! Im sorry you didnt get to hike the whole trail, but it seems like you made the right decision. Im Planning to hike the PCT next year and also starting mid May… so my faith might be similar 😅
Can u do anything to prevent altitude sickness
I would love to go for a hike but I don’t know if I could do for weeks and go that far. Maybe a week at a time.
I was in a town generally every 5-7 days on this trail…you could do it if you wanted to!
Hannah you don’t need to go for weeks, you can start by doing overnight trips and as you get comfortable go for a few days!
Great video
It looks like you showed the rock slide in reverse; when you approached it was on your left. They dynamited it a little later in the season.
I was wondering if anyone would catch that haha! I actually did a weird thing for Mt. San Jacinto. I basically "down-hilled" the whole mountain if that makes any sense. Before I got to the base of Mt. San Jacinto a storm came in and in order to avoid it, I decided to go in to Idyllwild early from the Paradise Valley Cafe. It was easier to get back on the trail from Idyllwild at a point further North on the PCT so to make up those miles; I hiked Southbound for that stretch and hitchhiked back in to Idyllwild again from the same location a couple days later. I then went back up the same side trail and picked up the PCT where I left off heading North. Anyways, it all worked out, but definitely did all of Mt. San Jacinto...one of the most beautiful mountains I've ever been on - would love to go back again. I do remember being quite shaken at that Rock Slide portion though! Thanks for watching Linda!
Is it hard to see the signs in the dark
Creamy chicken. We meet again. - You’re too funny.
Great adventure, not a failure at all! great effort to persevere, nature is unforgiving and you were wise to know and heed your limits...
Thanks for checking it out! ...nature definitely has a way of humbling people.
Its Mike the movie! Ill watch over the next 3 days
Wish we could have hooked up while you were near San Jasento, I’m not far.
Can u go into town to resupply
Did plane drop u off in mexico
Altitude sickness is no joke, you made a wise decision to get off trail.
Thanks for checking it out! It definitely is and it affects everyone differently...the 2 guys I was hiking with did the same miles per day, we stayed at the same campsites, etc., but it didn't affect them like it did me. Hopefully, other PCT thru-hikers (and those going in the Sierra) will see this video and take the altitude more seriously. Thanks again for watching!
When did you start??
May 10th 🤘
What were the scariest parts of the trail from a hiking standpoint? At about 25 minutes you say you don't know if you are cut out for it but maybe it is ok to change your expectations. For example, maybe just decide you are going to hike the portions you want or are going to hike for a set time period. I live near two separate sections of the PCT and just do day hiking. I think about making hiking for a week and that is it. Think about the fact that you are doing something that others only wish they could do but you took action.
The rock slide was kind of nerve racking, but the heat, in my opinion, was much scarier. I don’t fair well in the heat so for others, it may not be as scary. If you’re diligent and plan ahead properly, the risk can be mitigated though. Also, the rock slide has now been dynamited away so it will be a non-issue for future PCT’ers. I definitely agree that it is 100% ok to change what you want to get out of your hike during your hike. Anyways, I hope you can get out on the beautiful PCT sometime soon since you live so close…thanks for watching and happy trails!
Yes u r!
Ever think about hiking w a companion.i kno I dont like to hike alone
Try again...... The PCT is EPIC.
Excellent video! Thoroughly appreciate the swearing, too many videos omit things like the "fuck you heat", this feels refreshingly honest.
Hey! It's Just Mike!
Hey Kelly! I think I last saw you in Yosemite…I’m curious how the rest of your hike went??
@@SensatiousHiatus I hitched from Kennedy Meadows North to South Lake Tahoe due to the fire closure. After a week of resting there Vicki and I hiked most of the Tahoe Rim Trail before getting smoked out. She went home and I went off to Oregon Coast to enjoy the ocean and clear blue skies. Beginning of September I skipped up ahead to Harts Pass tagging the Northern Terminus and began hiking SOBO. I was 60 miles away from Steven's Pass when I decided to turn back to Stehekin at 47 miles away to end my hike due to nearly freezing and also there being snow in the weather forecast. My shoes and sleeping bag were both completely shot. Once I returned to Stehekin I got hired at the bakery which came with an apartment($200). The cool part about flipping was crossing paths with a lot of the people we met along the way going NOBO like "The Blob"(part of the blob at that point). We got caught up in a 6 hour rainstorm one afternoon and happened to stop under the same boulder with a very noticeable dry patch beneath it. We bunched up into two tents that night keeping each other warm then the next day we hiked into Stehekin together where we said our final goodbyes. Even though I'm considered a quitter since I didn't hike the whole PCT I'm very happy with how my hike turned out. It was an amazing experience and I feel blessed to have had that opportunity. To me it's not important to finish because I learned that it was ALL about the adventure.😄
@@Kelly-uv9bt That’s awesome! Sounds like you had quite the year on the PCT and the Pacific Northwest! That’s great that you met up with some of “the Blob,” they are good people! You’ve got a great outlook on how it all went down for you. Congrats on your hike and hope you’ll keep living the dream! Cheers Kelly!
Better not to pack so many onions in your pack
Was enjoying your hike until you started with the foul language. Can't watch anymore.
I just recently started watching RUclips and didn't realize how many hiking shows .I'm not going to subscribe because I don't want to get shows shoved at me.your rn at those slanted rock wich I've seen my friends lived in Santa Clarita,it was also in Star Trek .anyway se like really sincere guy and am hoping u get everything your looking for
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Thanks for checking it out it definitely was a fun adventure…the PCT is an incredible trail and I highly recommend a walk on it if you find yourself in the area again 😎