Heyyyo! First blog post. Skipping the first blog jitters and just diving on in. I already gave this post a cliché title AND a selfie, sooooo *whew* pressure's off! Let's do this.

Doin' It

As you may know, on April 25th I will be setting out to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Affectionately known as the PCT, this is a 2,650+ mile long scenic trail spanning from the Mexican border into Canada. The trail winds through southern California’s Mojave Desert, through the High Sierras and into the Cascades of the Pacific Northwest.

As a northbound (NOBO) thru-hiker, I will start at the wall in Campo, California and hike into Manning Park, British Columbia, covering nearly 2700 miles in 5 months.

To visualize, here's a map of the trail!

If you're familiar with the PCT, you might know it as the "Wild" trail, or the trail Lorelai determinedly sets off to do in the Gilmore Girls: Year in the Life ("I'm doing Wild!"). Orrrrr you might know it simply as the Pacific Crest Trail and, if so, please accept my virtual high-five, because I love that.

Anyway, while the trail has just recently made its way into the spotlight, the territory the trail snuggles* through was the footprint of MANY Glenn family adventures. I have clear memories of driving through the Mojave Desert, camping in Sequoia, getting plagued with explosive sickness on Mt. Lassen (altitude will always be my #1 frienemy), and weaving through the misty west coast into British Columbia. The summers spent National Park hopping with my parents and three sisters will always be my favorite memories.

Before getting too far into this, here's a massive shoutout to my parents for getting their kiddos OUTSIDE and in some of the coolest places on earth. To share the mems, below are a few images from our time out west. Also, next blog post will be a petition to bring back only 90s clothes because #buckethats.

There are PLENTY of other photos to share, but they are spread across floppy disks, hard drives and burnt CDs (ohhhh the pains of growing up post-film, pre-dropbox).

What's Next

Alright, Andrew... what will I be seeing from this blog?

Great question! Honestly, a bit of everything. As I continue to prep for the trek, I'll be sharing my experience of gathering gear, anticipating a record snow year, and addressing the pros/cons of leaving the routine. In the next few posts, my goal is to communicate what a thru-hike really is. On the trail, I will be storytelling through PLENTY of photos** and experiences, doing my best to parallel it to life outside the PCT. Additionally, I would love for this blog to be a resource for any current/future long-distance hikers.

I will probably post some of my favorite tunes ATM (that's cooltalk for at the moment) and really whatever I'm feeling. Please give me a shout if you have any ideas! Also, I am going to post on here as often as possible, but let's be honest... Instagram is the place you'll want to follow along for the more candid things.

LAST THING: I'm not the best writer. Please forgive any typos/grammar mistakes... unless I use your/you're incorrectly. That's unforgivable and should be addressed immediately.

Cheers, AG

*If you're following along, be prepared for interestingly used verbs/adjectives/all the things.

**All photos are mine unless otherwise credited!