The Trek

Northbound hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail are once again able to reach the trail’s Northern Terminus. The Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) announced today, September 9, that the trail between Harts Pass and the Canadian border has officially reopened following its closure from the Ptarmigan fire.

Today was not nearly as flat as yesterday. I had over 4,000 feet of elevation and 18 miles between me and Timberline Lodge. We found out yesterday that Radio had booked the bunk room for 15 people. The lodge is running a 50% off deal right now making it affordable split between our group of 10. We thought we’d have to camp right next to the lodge, but having a bed is a welcome surprise. I hiked alone for most of the day. I had good cell reception again, so made a round of phone calls.

Well…currently I am taking a much needed Nero in Carratunk, ME after a crazy few weeks that have left my knees wobbly and my exhaustion at an all time high. I am proud to say I have crossed the 2000 mile mark and am currently 150 miles from the end of my Appalachian trail journey. I am laying on the outdoor porch at the lovely Sterling Inn wearing a Lorax t-shirt and some grey sweats I got out of the loaner clothes bin while my clothes are in the washer.

After my last post, I had an opportunity to summit my first 14er and took full advantage of it. With my truck broke down and my CDT hike delayed a bit again, I really needed something to do. This was it. Go do a 14er. It seemed like the best option because all I could do was day hike near home. Adapt and move on quickly as a wise man once said. That’s what I did and it gave me  a whole new perspective on setbacks. Maybe they’re just opportunities disguised as discouragement.

After hiking for 36 days with only one zero day, I made it to Santiam Pass early enough to earn myself nearly a week off trail. My dad flew in to Portland from North Carolina to visit me for a few days, then I went back to Bend and repeated the Elk Lake-McKenzie Pass section with my bestie. In total, I advanced up the trail only 10 new miles, but repeated about 30 of them across three days.

We woke up from the backyard of Levardi’s in Dalton. We went to gas station for a little appetizer breakfast and to the coffee shop for coffee and the real breakfast. Surprise! Dreamcatcher got us a hitch to Walmart for a resupply. After shopping, we needed a ride back and she asked me if I wanted to help with hitching. That’s weird, she usually does it on her own, oh well. We got one pretty fast! And it’s… Ruben!?

As I lay in my tent in the middle of the night listening to the howling, gusting winds that weren’t able to find their way into the secluded copse I was camped in, I couldn’t believe my luck. The rain eventually found me, but not having to endure 40mph gusts was such a treat. I got on trail about an hour later than I intended, mostly from waiting for the rain to ease, but once it stopped it didn’t return all day, which was nice.

Oh, hello again! Sorry for the brief hiatus. As one could imagine, service gets spotty when you’re in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t have enough of a buffer on my posts (at least not now that we’re in Washington), and all the WiFi has been slow, too! No worries, we are still alive and mostly well. Back to the daily posts, we go! Taking a zero day, yet again! Although, this one was planned at least. Boostie, Frodo, and I left camp set up while we completed the daily chores.

There is nothing I love more on this planet than a stongly-held opinion based on completely objective criteria. So, when I set out in 2021 to hike all of New Hampshire’s 4,000-foot peaks, I was stoked to come across this article by Rebecca Sperry ranking all 48. However—there was an issue. Rebecca Sperry and I did not share the same opinions. Gasp. The more I worked through the NH48, the more I found my personal spreadsheet rankings drastically diverging from Rebecca’s list.

Hiker hunger has officially entered the chat. Our 2026 Trail Correspondents dig into the realities of eating their way along the AT, PCT, and CDT, from relentless cravings and questionable trail snacks to discovering exactly what keeps their bodies fueled mile after mile. What sounded like a good idea before the hike doesn’t always survive contact with the trail—and sometimes, nothing tastes better than whatever you can get your hands on next.