I miss writing about the trail every day. I miss posting things on the Internet and having people read them. I'm not on a thru-hike right now, it's true, but there are still so many words inside me that are itching to get out. That's why I decided to start a newsletter! It's called Somewhere …
Continue reading I Made a Newsletter, and Here’s Why You Should Subscribe
One whole rotation of the sun ago, I stood at the monument in Campo, California, and started walking north on the Pacific Crest Trail. I wanted to write a long, meandering, weepy reflection on this day like I tend to do, but I don't think I have it in me. I really should be grading. …
I thought of it in the desert. I started it in September. I've been teasing it for months. And now it's finally available: Absolute Creatures: A Zine About Thru-Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.
Hi readers. Are you there? Are you still subscribed? Are you missing my PCT posts? I am too. Every single day. I'm meant to be grading papers right now, but that's clearly not what I'm doing. I'm drinking an IPA and listening to a Big Thief record and thinking about the trail. It's February in …
September 17-21, 2022 0 miles Seattle, Washington I wake up on the morning of September 17 in the ranger cabin feeling groggy. I don't know why, but the quality of sleep I've experienced on the PCT is far lower than on the AT. It could have something to do with the fact that my sleeping …
September 16, 2022 The alarm goes off and we set about packing up. It's still dark, and it's cloudy again today. If there was any doubt before that the seasons are changing and autumn is setting in, those doubts are gone. It's undeniable. We are at a crossroads. And today is the last day on …
September 15, 2022 Bridge Creek Campground at mile 2577.8 to Rainy Pass at mile 2592.1 14.3 miles I wake up slow. There’s no need to go fast, not anymore. I pack up my tent and move all my stuff over to the picnic table, where I eat breakfast: part of one of the cinnamon rolls …
September 14, 2022 Stehekin to Bridge Creek Campground at mile 2577.8 4.9 miles Today is an odd mix of relaxing and chaos. We think the shop opens at 9, so we sleep in way later than usual, which is pleasant. After we pack all our stuff up and go back down to the deck to …
Continue reading PCT Day 149: Chaotic Planning and the Last Night on the PCT
September 13, 2022 Campsite at mile 2558.1 to Stehekin 14.8 miles It’s not as damp as I expect it to be when I wake up. It’s still cloudy, but I don’t think it rained last night. I hear Jumbo rummaging around and, although I’m not ready to actually move yet, I rouse myself enough to …
September 12, 2022 Mile 2538.5 to campsite at mile 2558.1 19.6 miles It’s raining when we wake this morning. Usually, the sun wakes us up naturally, but today, we have to motivate ourselves a little harder than usual. This is what Washington is supposed to feel like, I think: cool, misty, mysterious. Once we’re packed …
Sarahmarie Specht-Bird 