The Pacific Crest Trail
The PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail that runs from the U.S.-Mexico border in California to the U.S.-Canada border in Washington. It stretches about 2,650 miles through California, Oregon, and Washington, passing through deserts, forests, and high mountain ranges, including the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades.
It’s one of the “Triple Crown” long-distance trails in the U.S. along with the Appalachian Trail (AT) and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT).
The PCT is also a National Scenic Trail, it reveals the beauty of the desert, unfolds the glaciated expanses of the Sierra Nevada, travels deep forests, and provides commanding vistas of volcanic peaks in the Cascade Range. The trail symbolizes everything there is to love—and protect—in the Western United States.
So why the PCT?
Why hike the PCT this year? Well I guess this year was really just the perfect timing of everything falling apart and coming back together. I spent 2024 completely upside down, I was head hunted by a company in New Zealand to bring their new technology to the US market and found my self flying 30 hours and spending a few months there to potentially fully move there. I had just gotten out of a 10 year relationship, moved back into my parents house at 35 and really had nothing going on but work work work.
New Zealand was absolutely amazing, I mean an absolute highlight to my life… but ultimately, visas, finances, politics, economy, the company that wanted me being a start up, it just didn’t pan out fully. So I road out the remainder of 2024 with one goal, save as much money as I could to make up for 2023.
When the holidays started approaching I really didn’t have a plan, the PCT was an option, but it was one of 6 options. The #2 was going to backpack through Vietnam, but the language barrier, the physical distance, my mom’s cancer, and the food pushed me to stay local.
I walked into work one morning, honestly flat out unhappy working there and just found my self saying this business is not for me. My employer and my self came to an agreement and I was officially unemployed the following Monday.
One big why I keep in the back of my mind is this is my year. I always joke that I want to try things before they get ruined. I’ve been told that’s a very negative comment. And right now politically we are at risk of losing our ability to use these trails, so it’s actually true. Red or Blue aside. I want to keep our trails pristine.
With that. What better time than now?
The Pacific Crest Trail 