Valerie
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Lessons learned on my first hot days and reaching mile 100!
Mount Laguna – ~Warner Springs. Mile 41 – 109. Days 3 – 5. The section of the PCT between Mount Laguna and Warner Springs features long walks across treeless chaparral ridges. It is breathtakingly beautiful on a cool day but… Continue reading
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Day 2: Easy walking and my first resupply stop on the PCT
~Lake Morena – Mount Laguna. Mile 22 – 41. Day 2. I camped with a few other Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) thru-hikers last night. It was a bit chilly overnight but I kept warm enough. This morning, I stayed in… Continue reading
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Day one on the Pacific Crest Trail!
Campo – ~Lake Morena. Mile 0 – 22. Day 1. It’s official! As of this morning, I am thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Today was the first day of my 2650-mile journey which will take me from the Mexican border… Continue reading
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From NoCo to NoBo: traveling to the PCT’s southern terminus
Well, this is it. My last pre-trail post about my preparations for thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) – a 2,650-mile long backpacking route in the western United States. Each year, many people thru-hike this entire trail. Tomorrow, I will… Continue reading
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Training to walk from Mexico to Canada
I’m about to embark on a 2,650-mile walk from Mexico to Canada, also known as thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). But this journey really began long before my start date. For the last few months, I’ve prepared resupply boxes,… Continue reading
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Preparing resupply boxes for the PCT
What does 200,000 calories of food look like? Recently, I found out, thanks to the project that temporarily took over my entire basement. As you may know, I am preparing to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). For me, this… Continue reading
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Packing for a 2,650-mile long backpacking trip
The countdown is on: in less than 3 weeks I’ll be thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), a ~2,650-mile footpath across California, Oregon, and Washington. I can’t wait to set foot on the trail and share this journey with you… Continue reading
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Practice Trip 2: walking in circles with 15 pounds of water, playing desert make-believe
One of the more daunting aspects of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail is the long water carries in the desert. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) begins with ~700 miles through the desert in Southern California. Water is scarce. Sources may… Continue reading
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Trip Report: Pre-PCT Practice Hike
At 5:45 am Friday morning, I hit snooze on my alarm, cursing my past self for my excessive ambition. Twenty minutes later, I actually got up and started getting ready. Today, was the day I planned to do my first… Continue reading
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Part 2 – My recovery from a patella dislocation: returning to running and hiking (weeks 6-12)
I dislocated my kneecap at the end of 2024. Ouch! A patella dislocation is when the kneecap bone is fully forced out of the groove it normally sits in atop the femur (thigh bone). This type of injury sometimes causes… Continue reading
Adventures with Val 