After nearly six years of dreaming, planning, and seriously rearranging my life to do this, I’m launching this blog in anticipation of my attempt to hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail this year, starting in April! The Pacific Crest Trail runs 2,650 miles, traveling through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, notably through twenty-six National Forests and seven National Parks. The Mojave, the Sierra, the Cascades— these are some of the landscapes the National Scenic Trail passes through, among so many others.

BUT WHY?

If you know me, you might be familiar with how big of a fixture this trail has become in my life. It started through watching Elina Osbourne’s now-iconic docuseries of her 2019 attempt. When I came across this video series, it spawned an obsession with the idea of potentially hiking this trail. In 2020, I was just beginning to do outdoor activities in a serious way. That summer, alongside my partner Isabel, I logged over 100 miles on trails in the Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood, and the Oregon Coast— albeit anxiously, making all of the classic beginner mistakes and being scared of basically everything in the woods, including being alone with myself and my own thoughts. I was drawn to the idea that maybe, one day, I would be able to work up to a months-long adventure, all on my own. I wanted to see this trail and everything on it, and not be limited by my own fears or doubts.

So, with the PCT in the back of my mind, I started following a professional and personal path that strongly connected me to the outdoors. I wrote my undergraduate thesis about queer hiking history in California. I moved to LA and worked at REI for two years, accumulating discounted gear, outdoor experiences, and lifelong friends.

My first real backpacking expedition was in 2022 with NOLS, where I completed a 10-day backcountry exploration of the canyonlands of Southern Utah. That trip gave me the confidence that I could spend long, challenging stretches of time in the wilderness.

Shortly after, I joined the professional, office-bound conservation world for a bit, and fell in love with the work. I was still honing my outdoor skills through taking courses with the Sierra Club, and hiking mountains with my bestie Bryan on the weekends. But after a few years, the challenges of living in LA and the desire to work more seriously outside called to me. In 2025, I took the opportunity to move back to  Oregon with my partner, and made the decision to pursue seasonal outdoor employment until the next year, when I would finally be able to realize my dream of hiking the PCT.

Leading a crew of young adults completing trail work all summer was the final notch in my belt of gaining the confidence and experience I knew I needed to set off at the Southern Terminus—  I was away from home for 12 weeks, camped every day, and solved logistical challenges in the outdoors alongside my crew.

The last few months have been full of anticipation and preparation. Even before I got my permit, I focused intently on training hikes, and got to explore my local trails in Eugene and Corvallis to build my hiking endurance. I rounded out my training with many hours in the gym, strength training with Outdoor Adventure Training (recommend this program highly for training for hiking season!) and physical therapy for a previous ankle injury (shoutout to my PT David at Healing Motion!!!). Much of the preparation has consisted of the boring reality of not spending money and saving a great deal of my income for trail related expenses (resupplies, town food, hotel stays, emergencies, etc.). And of course, buying gear, organizing gear, agonizing about what gear I should bring and leave. Truthfully, the beginning of 2026 pre-trail has been a solid grind of trying to maintain consistency and keep my eye on the prize. I hope that the more boring, tedious, and mental parts of this preparation process will also serve as good prep for the less-than-fun days on the trail (of which there certainly will be many). I’m hoping that all of this preparation, both physical and mental, will help me have a safe, injury-free, and memorable thru-hike.

So after a long road, I finally have made it to the point where I can say that I’m starting the PCT in just about a month! I’d like to say it’s all been my own doing, as this retelling suggests, but I’ve had unwavering support from my partner Isabel, my friends, my supervisors and colleagues at work, and my family (especially my mom!) that would have simply made it impossible to embark on such an ambitious adventure. I’m incredibly grateful to them. They say the PCT is all about the people, and I can say with certainty that this is also true about everything that comes before your first day on trail. 

What’s next? And what’s the deal with this blog? 

The next month holds many training hikes and enjoying the remainder of my time at home. I leave late April to Southern California begin my journey back up north. I hope to use this blog to document my experiences on trail for my family and friends, and for myself. I’m aiming to post at least once a week, or whenever I’m in town. I’ll be posting from my iPhone with limited service, so expect some wonky formatting and technical bumps. If you sign up for email updates these posts should arrive directly in your inbox. 

Thanks for reading thus far, and I’m excited to share what happens out on the trail!