Pacific Crest Trail - Prehike Thoughts

It just seems time for another one of these. After all, people went to all the trouble to build and maintain these trail systems, so I figure the least we can do is to go walk on them.

My PCT hike begins May 16th at Campo, California.

The Pacific Crest Trail is probably the second most popular of the long distance hiking trails in the U.S. It spans more than 2,600 miles between the California/Mexico border and the Washington/Canada border. It crosses six different ecosystems, from deserts to 13,000 foot snowy mountain passes to rain forests. This makes planning a bit difficult, as far a what gear to bring along.

I don't pretend to think I can make it all the way, end to end. It's pretty late in the season to start, and I pushed back by more than six weeks from my original plan for one big reason... the Sierra Nevada. In case you haven't heard, the California drought is over. The mountains experienced the most snowfall in decades, and even into July, passing through them will be technically challenging. I've added gear that I had never heard of for mountaineering purposes, to be shipped to me after the first 700 miles, the desert section.

Ah, the desert. The good news about the desert is that the storms that socked the mountains have the seasonal creeks still running in the arid zones. So maybe it won't be necessary to carry 15 lbs. of water in my backpack. Still, this is going to be tough.

People often ask why I do this, and it's not easy to answer. It is no vacation; it's the hardest thing I've ever done. But I know that each time I complete a difficult hike, it gives a great sense of pride and accomplishment. It's that feeling when I get my trail legs, just waking up one day to start walking and realizing that things are feeling normal and I'm in the zone. I'm starting out solo, but I don't expect to stay that way for long. It's meeting interesting people, overcoming incredible obstacles together, standing in places where few people will ever stand and experiencing things that few people will ever experience, that's what makes it all worth while, for me anyway. It makes me feel alive.

I'm stepping up my photography game this time, with a new Sony a6000 and a little tripod. I'll mostly be figuring it out on the fly, but I am excited to see what happens with it. It adds to my pack weight significantly, but I'm sacrificing a few niceties to make room, like my camp stove and fuel.

Camera and electronics setup on point!

I'll try to update my blog as time, energy, and phone signals permit, as well as the twitter @FittyShrimp and instagram @FittyShrimp. Also, please follow my progress on my map page "Where Fitty At?", send me messages, and come join me for a section if the urge strikes!

So until next time, happy trails!

Fitty

Documentary of our 2015 PNT Thru-Hike

Congrats to my friend and hiking partner, Alex "Money Shot" Maier, on the completion of his documentary, "A Sense Of Direstion - A 1200 Mile Walk On The Pacific Northwest Trail." It is awesome! Check it out:

A backpacking podcast featured the film on a recent episode. Check out the interview here: n2backpacking episode 34 - Interview with "Money Shot"

Pacific Northwest Trail - Favorite Photos

My three-month trek along the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail was completed on September 29, 2015. It was truly an incredible experience!

There are many stories to share from this adventure, and I intend to do so here during the next few months. In the meantime, here are some of my favorite photos from the trip. Enjoy the scenery!

Beautiful wildflowers in peak bloom throughout Glacier National Park in Montana

Evening sky in Idaho

Lunch break at Lake Janet in Glacier National Park

Amazing late afternoon views of the Kettle Range from the Kettle Crest National Scenic Trail in Eastern Washington

Bubbling clouds in the valley, an eerie and surreal sunset in Olympic National Park

Approaching the majestic Olympic Mountains

Organic farming near Northport, Washington

A herd of mountain goats joined me for breakfast near Amphitheater Mountain in the North Cascade's Pasayten Wilderness

A side trip along the Chain Links Trail rewarded us with spectacular views of colorful wildflowers and Mt. Baker towering in the distance

The mountains surrounding the Okanogan Valley in Central Washington, the "high desert" - barren ridges, triple-digit temperatures, and the strong aroma of sage in the dusty air

Purple mountain majesty - Looking east toward Idaho's Selkirk range

Camping next to Upper Cathedral Lake in the Pasayten Wilderness in the pre-sunset glow

Hiking among the giant red cedar trees in North Cascades National Park

Pacific Northwest - Prehike Jitters, etc.

Just a few days before the train leaves the station, and in a week, I'll be hiking through the Rockies. Seriously going to do this!

Hope to camp the first night here - Stony Indian Lake
in Glacier National Park

A few pieces of gear, worn out by 205 days of Appalachian Trail, had to be replaced, but the main items are still hanging tough, the backpack, tent, sleeping bag and pad. I've added an inflatable camp pillow, a luxury item for sure, but the increase in comfort exceeds the cost, both in dollars and in grams.

The 1,200 mile Pacific Northwest Trail is not really a trail at all, but more like an idea. There are a few resources that have been pieced together by the handful of people who've hiked the PNT, and I've printed a bunch of maps, probably 150 pages, to lug along. I've divided the maps into ten sections, Section One entailing 147 miles through the Rockies to Section Ten, 63 miles along the Pacific beach. The maps illustrate lots of different options and alternative routes, just to make things super confusing. For my mates and me, there will be decisions to be made daily, with our chosen routes based on things like weather, snow pack, forest fires, resupply needs and mental/physical health. Unlike the Appalachian Trail, where we simply followed white trail blazes for 2,200 miles, the PNT is mostly unmarked. In some areas, there is not a real trail at all, and miles of bushwacking will hopefully land us in a desirable spot. I picked up a base compass and had to do some research to figure out how to navigate old school style, with compass and maps.

The start of the adventure, Chief Mountain
Customs Office at the Canada/U.S. border

With over 18 hours of daylight, we'll have an opportunity to hike big miles early on, as the days grow gradually shorter. But a freakish record-breaking heat wave in the Inland Northwest, 25F degrees above average, along with expected aches and pains, will likely limit us to a great extent, at least for the first couple of weeks.

Seriously? The average high is 78F and low is 49F.
Maybe hike in the morning/evening and nap/swim at mid-day.

I worry about about grizzly bears and mountain lions, about a missed step at an inopportune time, and the physical demands that will most certainly take a toll. But I heard something on a podcast at The Trail Show recently that sums things up pretty well. "When you set out to do something you're sure you can easily accomplish, then it's not really an adventure." No word of a lie!

Happy Trails!
Fitty Shrimp

Pacific Northwest Trail - Summer 2015

On July 1st, I will board a train from Baltimore to Chicago, where I will meet up with two fellow thru-hikers I met on the Appalachian Trail last year, Marathon and Spaceman Spiff. From there, we'll board another train to East Glacier Park Village, Montana. The 1,200 mile Pacific Northwest Trail connects the Rocky Mountains near the Canadian border with the Pacific Ocean in Olympic National Park. We plan to attempt a thru-hike of this rugged and isolated trail beginning on the 4th of July.

In the meantime, here are some video highlights from the 80-mile hike through Tennessee and Kentucky back in April. Stay tuned!

Fitty Shrimp

The End of the Trail

Mission Accomplished!

Well, I did it. On Friday, October 3rd, along with a big group of hiker buddies, I reached the summit of Mt. Katahdin. Backpacking nearly 2,200 miles through 14 states in 204 days, this has been simply the most amazing experience of my life. I hope that through my blog, photos, and videos, I have inspired others to get outside... you don't have to hike 2,000 miles, but just get out there and walk. It is awesome!

A beautiful day atop Katahdin with many friends

It was not an easy climb, a 4,000 foot gain over five miles

The views surpassed anything that we had experienced

Here are some video clips strung together from the last couple hundred miles and to the conclusion:

The last few weeks of the journey featured some beautiful scenery, and for those of us who chose to not rush to finish the trail in record time, we were rewarded by spectacular colors during the peak of fall foliage in Maine.

Life after the trail... for me, it's been several weeks of doing nothing, allowing overused joints and tendons to heal. I'm not sure my achilles tendons will ever be quite the same or if the numbness in the big toes will subside. It is still strange to be back in the city, to wake up in the morning and not have to hike anywhere. But I miss my trail family, and I will always treasure the very special experiences and all the struggles we shared.

I am forever grateful to all the wonderful people who helped and supported me along the way. Without the help of friends, family, and complete strangers, it would not be possible to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. My faith in mankind is restored! And thanks to all the generous donors, we were able to meet my fundraising goal to help out my cousin... A Kidney For My Cousin

I'm working on one last video upload, a compilation of my favorite clips and photos, to be posted in the next few weeks, while I figure out what the next adventure will be... Stay tuned!

Much love,
Fitty Shrimp

Of Moose and Maine

It's so hard to believe I've finally made it to Maine, and there are just 188 miles to the summit of Mount Katahdin! It has truly been an unbelievable journey, and I would not trade this experience for anything.

Saw my first moose the other day...

That's the mom, on the right, just coming out of the pond.

I came to the realization a couple weeks ago that I am tired, and my knees and feet hurt every day. It takes ten to twelve hours of sleep every night just to be able to get up and hike again the next day. In short, I believe I am ready for this to be over. I guess six months of living in the wilderness is enough.

The White Mountains of New Hampshire, while stunningly beautiful, were very hard on these old legs.

A Presidential Traverse from Mt. Washington over Jefferson, Adams, and Madison, not for the timid.

Looking back at Mt. Garfield... just, Wow!

Lakes of the Clouds Hut, one mile south of the Mt. Washington summit.

And then, once crossing into Maine, the terrain is no more forgiving than in the Whites.

Mahoosuc Notch, one full mile of crawling over, under, and between scrambled boulders.

Quick rest break by Ethan Pond.

Many of my fellow hikers have been skipping sections of the trail (yellow blazing), and some have determined that they cannot make it to the end of the trail before the closure of Baxter State Park on October 15th, so they've gone to Mt. Katahdin and are now hiking southbound to the point they left off (flip-flopping). Another common practice is "slackpacking," where the hiker's things are shuttled to a point forward on the trail to be picked up, or the hiker is shuttled to a point forward on the trail and hikes back to the point where the backpack was left. Sure, this makes things much easier, but I decided early on that I am BACKPACKING to Katahdin, carrying my 35-pound pack all the way, no matter if it takes a bit longer. I'm proud to say I have remained true to my hike!

At this point, it looks like I'll get to summit Katahdin during the first week of October with many good friends I've met along the way, which will be very special to me.

Knights of the Order of the White Blaze

I'm not sure what emotions I'll feel when I finally reach the conclusion of this journey; I'm sure there will be many. In a few days, the trail will take me into what is known as the 100-mile wilderness, a stretch just before the end where there are no towns or even road crossings. So this is likely my last update here until I get home. Thanks again to everyone who has supported me along the way and offered words of encouragement.

I'm still a few dollars shy of my fundraising effort to assist my cousin Rich with his medical expenses, so if you'd like to participate, please check out the fundraising site,

A Kidney For My Cousin.

One thing the trail has taught me is that no goal is too great. If you have a crazy dream, just go make it happen! Here are some links to my most recent two Youtube video updates (there will be one or two more at the end of the hike!).

Video #18 - Killington, Moosilauke

Video #19 - Presidential Traverse

And, finally, a few more pictures of the amazing scenery. Happy trails, everyone!

Fitty Shrimp

In The Homestretch!

Last night, I spent a rainy evening in a Rutland, Vermont hiker hostel. As the day progressed, more and more hikers came off the trail, hitched the nine miles into town and checked in. In all, about 40 of us stayed, way too many to get a good night's sleep. But many familiar faces appeared, making it all well worth while. I had not seen Smurf and Smokey the Beard since Kent, CT. And others friends I lost touch with over three months ago, Sloth, Southbound, and Marathon, finally caught up after apparently having been on my heels for several weeks. It would be great to summit Mt. Katahdin with these folks in a few weeks, but it's tough to predict who will be there when that magical day arrives.

          View from Baker's Peak

My best sleep happens in my tent in the still of the forest, and I love finding a secluded spot with a scenic overlook or a rushing brook nearby. A couple nights ago,I set up camp late near a stream and elected to keep my food bag in my tent. It was getting dark and I was feeling tired and lazy. I went right to sleep. An hour later, I awoke startled as something scurried across my face. I found my headlamp and shined it on a mouse running all about the inside of my tent in a panic. I unzipped the mesh opening and chased the critter out. Then I found the hole chewed through the mesh. As a light sleeper, I normally would have heard this going on, but the sound of the rushing water allowed the mouse to do its work without being noticed. I found the patch kit I'd bought for just this occasion and affixed the clear adhesive over the hole on the inside and outside and went back to sleep, no big deal. 

My hiking experience, for the most part, is unplugged and disconnected, just me and the mountains. But many of the younger hikers like to listen to IPod tunes and even watch downloaded movies and programming on smart phones at camp. I have noticed that upon reaching a spot with a stunning view high on a mountain, some of us older coots just stop to take it all in, while the twenty-somethings check to see if they have a phone signal, 3G or 4G or whatever G. Such is the case with a young lady named Simba. She and Bluebird have been hiking together for a while now, and both have been in my "hiker bubble" since the Smokey Mountains. When I reached the summit of Killington Peak this week, Simba was fiddling around on her phone. I offered up, and she accepted, the "Simba No-Tech Challenge." For one week, she will put all of her gadgets away and hike like it's 1980. In exchange, if she succeeds, she wins a pizza party on her 20th birthday next week in Lincoln, NH. It will be fun to see how she deals with this and whether or not she can do it. I personally like it this way, but I am from a much different era.

          Bluebird and Simba

With less than 500 miles remaining on this incredible journey, many of us are struggling with the reality that we will soon be thrown back into civilization. But there is still plenty of time for many more memories to be made, and the most amazing parts of the Appalchian Trail still await us.

Thanks again to everybody who has been following along. Your words of encouragement are much appreciated!

Happy Trails!

Fitty Shrimp

P.S. A few pics. Enjoy!

       Beautiful pond by Mt. Greylock, MA

          Loving Vermont!

          Mosquito-chusetts

          Hiker break