Most PCT thruhikers start at the ADZPCTKO (annual day zero PCT kick off) which took place April 25-27. I started ten days early on April 16th. So it’s taken them until about mile 630 to catch and pass me. So far about a dozen have zoomed by. I can barely say hello and they are by me and gone. I’ll probably never see them again. This first group have taken a number of shortcuts by skipping road walks and hitching around them whereas I done them. Nevertheless, as we say on the trail HYOH – hike your own hike. So I’m going to continue doing what I’ve done which is to walk most all the trail including the detours.

Side note: I saw in a trail register (a book hikers sign into along the trail) that Root Beer Float (my friend Terry S.) passed me today between mile 624 (where I camped) to 630 (trail register location), but didn’t know it. Best wishes friend and safe journey.

Spoke too soon. I crested a hill and saw plenty of desert ahead.

Each day I need to be careful of my water usage. Today I filtered out of this tank in a nearby campground. I always filter unless I’m sure of the source. Since it might be many miles before the next source I drink as much as I can while I’m there. This is called “cameling up”, as in, Tartan cameled up as much water at the spring before he started to hike again.

The scenery is changing. I am now in central California after leaving Tehachapi. From dry desert to pine forests.

I’m now following a hiking plan to meet Justin at Tuolumne Meadows. This means I need to pace myself and do 18 miles a day – no more no less. I also need to take a zero day in Independence CA. All this so I can arrive on June 8th and we can hike together until Echo Lake near Tahoe.

I got to the trail at 5:30 AM and headed out. As always it was a climb. The wind was howling. With the very heavy pack and the gusting wind it was a real struggle to hike. Here is a picture looking back with Highway 58 where I started. It is now just a thin ribbon of a highway curving into the distance.

I’ve been on the trail since 4/16, so today marks my one month anniversary of beginning my hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.

During my preparation for the hike I carried at most 35 pounds. Well for my 7 day resupply and the need for plenty of water I think my pack is over 35 pounds. My pack base weight is around 15 pounds – that’s everything except the clothes I’m wearing and consumables (food and water) Typically food is 2 pounds per day and water is 2.2 pounds per liter. I have an enormous amount of food again. Probably 15 pounds of it. Will I ever learn? And 6.4 liters of water which is 14 pounds of water. So I’m hauling about 44 pounds – ouch!

My hiking buddy Terry S (Root Beer Float) left six days after me on 4/22. The man is an “animal” and has hiked like a super-hiker. He just arrived in Tehachapi at my hotel room covering what I did in about four weeks in just three week. Today alone he did 49 miles which is awesome!

Four weeks ago I had left my PCT bandana at his house. Instead of sending to me he’d chosen to carry it to me. Today the official exchange took place.

Tag I’m it (and there is no hope I’ll ever catch him).

Best wishes hiking buddy – May your trails be safe, smooth and beautiful.

A PCT hiker typically use a series of custom topological maps that are focused on the trail. Your typical topo map would show many areas off the trail that are not interesting to hikers. These custom hiking maps are produced on standard letter-size paper and take over 250 pages to show the entire 2650 mile trail. This is the work of a small team of volunteers headed by a hiker named Halfmile. To constantly improve the accuracy of his maps new GPS equipment is used. When I was in Agua Dulce I was fortunate to sit with the team and learn more about the behind-the-scenes of this work. I learned that Halfmile is on the trail taking GPS readings himself. Now in Tehachapi I stopped him in the hall and took a selfie with him. A big thank you from me and the hiking community goes out to Halfmile for all his work and dedication.