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Sarahmarie Specht-Bird

tales, trails, and travels

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Author: Sarahmarie Specht-Bird

Hi! I’m Sarahmarie (trail name: Passport). I like walking. I have thru-hiked the Camino Francés in Spain (2015) and the John Muir Trail in California (2017). In the summer of 2018 I traveled to England to explore, be a tourist, and hike, and then I returned Spain to hike the gorgeous Camino del Norte from Irún to Santiago. From March to September 2019 I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Hiking and travel are my main subjects here, but I love a lot of other things, like reading, crocheting, dreaming, and climbing. So occasionally those and other subjects might pop up on this site as well. Thank you for joining me! To the world!

PCT Day 22: Crab Walk

On May 13, 2022May 13, 2022 By Sarahmarie Specht-BirdIn Pacific Crest Trail, Thru-HikeLeave a comment

May 10, 2022 Deep Creek Hot Springs at mile 307.9 to dirt road at mile 324.8 16.9 miles It’s another slow morning. When I sit up, Andy is coming back from an early dip in the springs. I go get water upstream, then slowly start to pack up. I can’t decide whether to have my …

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PCT Day 21: The Luxury

On May 13, 2022May 13, 2022 By Sarahmarie Specht-BirdIn Pacific Crest Trail, Thru-HikeLeave a comment

May 9, 2022 Little Bear Springs Camp at mile 285.6 to Deep Creek Hot Springs at mile 307.9 22.3 miles When I asked Andy last night what time he thought we should leave this morning, he shrugged and said, “It’s a wake up whenever you want kind of morning.” Knowing him, I thought this meant …

Continue reading PCT Day 21: The Luxury

PCT Day 20: Vibing With My Cucumber

On May 11, 2022May 11, 2022 By Sarahmarie Specht-BirdIn Pacific Crest Trail, Thru-HikeLeave a comment

May 8, 2022 Big Bear Lake to Highway 18 at mile 266.1 to Little Bear Springs Camp at mile 285.6 19.5 miles I’m the first one up in my room. Despite sleeping in a bed, I didn’t sleep well. Curse this pattern of falling asleep and then waking up! Oh, well. It was still nice …

Continue reading PCT Day 20: Vibing With My Cucumber

PCT Day 19: Zero in Big Bear

On May 10, 2022May 10, 2022 By Sarahmarie Specht-BirdIn Thru-Hike, TravelLeave a comment

May 7, 2022 0 miles I thrash around all night. I’m warm from the sweatpants and sleeping quilt and the being inside, and I don’t sleep well. It doesn’t seem like anyone has slept well though, to be fair. We’re all doing that thing where it’s fairly easy to fall asleep but not easy to …

Continue reading PCT Day 19: Zero in Big Bear

PCT Day 18: DMCs with DLT

On May 8, 2022May 8, 2022 By Sarahmarie Specht-BirdIn Pacific Crest Trail, Thru-HikeLeave a comment

May 6, 2022 Campsite at mile 245.3 to Highway 18 and Big Bear Lake at mile 266.1 20.8 miles I do not want to get up. My alarm rings and I smack it into snooze. I’m cold. I don’t want to hike at 5:30. We’re at a high elevation, so why do we have to …

Continue reading PCT Day 18: DMCs with DLT

PCT Day 17: What is this, the Amazon?

On May 7, 2022May 7, 2022 By Sarahmarie Specht-BirdIn Pacific Crest Trail, Thru-HikeLeave a comment

May 5, 2022 Mission Creek at mile 226.2 to campsite at mile 245.3 19.1 miles My alarm jolts me awake at 3:55. Finally, a complete night of sleep! Turns out, cowboy camping on a warm night next to a gurgling frog-filled stream with a blanket of stars overhead is great for relaxation. I sit up …

Continue reading PCT Day 17: What is this, the Amazon?

PCT Day 16: Beach Day

On May 7, 2022May 7, 2022 By Sarahmarie Specht-BirdIn Pacific Crest Trail, Thru-HikeLeave a comment

May 4, 2022 I-10 underpass to Mission Creek at mile 226.2 16.7 miles Freight trains woke me up at a few points last night. They blared their horns and rumbled past like huge strange animals. Other than those few times, though, I slept surprisingly well through the night. I wake up ready to hike. We …

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PCT Day 14: San Jacinto

On May 4, 2022May 4, 2022 By Sarahmarie Specht-BirdIn Pacific Crest Trail, Thru-HikeLeave a comment

May 2, 2022 Idyllwild to Saddle Junction via Devil’s Slide Trail, San Jacinto Peak trail to PCT, PCT to campsite at mile 190.5 6.6 PCT miles +8.8 non-PCT miles on Devil’s Slide and San Jacinto Peak Trails 15.4 miles We start rustling much earlier than yesterday. We’re going back to the PCT today! Within an …

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PCT Day 15: What Goes Up Must Come Down

On May 4, 2022May 7, 2022 By Sarahmarie Specht-BirdIn Pacific Crest Trail, Thru-HikeLeave a comment

May 3, 2022 Campsite at mile 190.5 to I-10 near Cabazon 19 miles It’s not as cold this morning as it was last night, and it seems like my packing routine might be turning a corner: I’m ready in close to half an hour. Andy still isn’t moving by the time I’m nearly ready, though, …

Continue reading PCT Day 15: What Goes Up Must Come Down

PCT Day 13: Zero in Idyllwild

On May 3, 2022May 2, 2022 By Sarahmarie Specht-BirdIn Pacific Crest Trail, Thru-HikeLeave a comment

May 1, 2022 0 PCT miles Idyllwild, California I am oddly comfortable when I wake up. I stretch out and remember that I am in a bed in a hotel room instead of on my crinkly potato chip sleeping pad in my tent in the woods. 6:00 comes and goes, then 7. It’s close to …

Continue reading PCT Day 13: Zero in Idyllwild

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Sunrise on Baden-Powell, 400 miles, so much lupine and snow plants, and a road walk to avoid a section of trail closed due to endangered frogs. What’s next? Love this wild, hot, dusty trail!
Highlights from the past week on the PCT:
Zero day in Idyllwild with my big wacky tramily ❤️
Alexa, play “Wildflowers” by Tom Petty
Yesterday was probably the best day on the PCT so far. After a refreshing unplanned zero, we went back onto the trail. There were views all day. There was trail magic. There were flowers and laughs and cacti. We cruised our first 20-mile day, much earlier than I thought we would. We found a beautiful campsite, and I stared at the stars. Life is good out here.
Some scenes from the early PCT, including, but not limited to: wildflowers, ridiculously beautiful landscapes, new friends, neat rocks, and very, very cold wind. Swipe all the way to see how hikers ward off hypothermia when it hails in the desert.

Recent Posts

  • PCT Day 32: I Would Walk 500 Miles May 24, 2022
  • PCT Day 31: One Month May 23, 2022
  • PCT Day 30: Green Glass Door May 21, 2022
  • PCT Day 29: Zero in LA May 19, 2022
  • PCT Day 28: Reunited! May 18, 2022

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