The Pacific Crest Trail
2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada
There are moments where feelings exist without language, and the veil between Heaven and Earth thins to almost nothing. For me, I experience this just before the sun rises, in the silence spent with those I love most, and when I’m humbled to a new realm of understanding. This was my experience on the Pacific Crest Trail.
To say the journey changed my life would be a beautiful paradox, both dramatic and understated. There is not a day that passes where I don’t think about the dirt, snow, people, milkshakes, and intangibles that make up the good ol’ PCT. It’s painful to see experiences slip further into memory, but they remain incredibly rich, each weighted with its own significance and impact on the trajectory of my life. What a gift memory is.
Time treated me like a friend, extending moments, repeating sunrises, and pushing me gently into growth as I continued North.
Water moved me towards discipline and wisdom in time of desert, flooding, and snow. She commanded respect and led me to humility.
Change was constant and reliable, revealing itself in weather, ecology, relationships, and personal character.
Creation danced in its own mysteries, and our maker gently whispered that I too reflect and embody wonder.
Community bloomed when I needed it most, from the desert homies to the Naked Suncups and crew. My dear trail family, I am proud to know you.
I relearned what it meant to love myself, and how to live in both pride and humility. I met the Cosmos in a new capacity and experienced Glory in ways beyond check-box small groups and white board prayer requests.
The desert brought the Superbloom. The Sierra gave us record-shattering snowfall, incredible vistas, and unnerving river crossings. In NorCal we experienced record heat, while in Oregon we viewed the eclipse at near-totality and dodged those damn wildfires. The logistical challenge of fires continued through Washington, one of my favorite stretches of trail. In the final state, we summited volcanos, ate our hearts out at bakeries, ditched our clothes to swim in lakes, and enjoyed an incredibly remote 10 days through the North Cascades. In our last miles, we got caught in a multi-day snow shower.
These five magical, exhausting months on that 18”x2650mi strip of dirt continues to be one of the greatest gifts. Every mile traveled is weighted with value. Each friendship made carries its own significance. I will always grieve and celebrate this completed journey in tandem with joys of growth, change, and a deeper connection to self.
There is nothing but gratitude.