This Unexpected Adventure

Thank you for following my journey! This StoryMap is an accumulation of reflections throughout the summer of 2021 where my attempt to hike the Pacific Crest Trail turned into much more. This is an interactive platform where you have the ability to scroll, click, zoom, and toggle through images and maps as you like. The panel above will get you to specific sections of my hike faster. Enjoy!

Love, Putt-Putt

Out of a handful of long trails in the US, I chose to hike the Pacific Crest Trail because it passes through such a wide range of landscapes. Over a span of 2,660 miles, or five months, you can experience the high alpine Cascades and Sierra Nevada mountains, the temperate rainforests of Oregon and Northern California, and the hot, dry Southern California desert. The map to the left shows many of the popular resupply town where hikers normally stock up on food for the next leg of their journey.

Roughly 800 people attempt to thru-hike the PCT each year, with a majority starting in April at the Mexican border and going Northward. To give my knee some more time to heal, I decided to start my hike Southbound, starting at the Canadian Boarder, allowing me start in late June.

It's June 28th, let's get hiking!

June 28th to August 4th (35 days hiking)

Traversing across the homelands of 11 indigenous nations: the Nlaka'pamux, Sauk Suiattle, Methow, Chelan, Wenatchi, Skykomish, Snoqualmie, Coast Salish, Yakama, Puyallup, and Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Sourced from  Native-Land .

August 7th to August 14th (7 days of hiking)

Traversing across the homelands of 6 indigenous nations: the Cascades, Cowlitz, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Molalla, and Klamath. Sourced from  Native-Land .

Cascade Locks, OR marks a new chapter of my hike. New obstacles challenge me in ways I never expected, which lead me to redefine my hike. You'll see below that the map shows a black dotted line (which marks the PCT), red lines (which are the sections I was able to hike), and orange areas that show the 2021 forest fire perimeters. As you'll see, the fires heavily impacted my route due to prior trail closures and harmful air quality from smoke. Zoom in for a better look.

August 18th to August 29th, 2021 (12 days of hiking)

Traversing across the homelands of 4 indigenous nations: the Nisenan, Washoe, Me-Wuk, and Western Mono-Monache. Sourced from  Native-Land .

The Colorado Trail (CT) is 567-miles long stretching across the homelands of the Pueblos, Ute, and Cheyenne Nations in Rocky Mountains from Denver to Durango (or vice versa). Due to it's high elevation and Colorado's harsh seasons, it's advisable to hike the CT between the months of July and mid-September. I was planning to start my northbound hike of the CT on September 6th, but yet another obstacle got in my way (I developed a mysterious full-body rash that pushed back my start date to September 16th). Because of this delay, and in consideration of the changing seasons, I decided to hike half of the CT, starting at Monarch Pass.

September 16th to October 4th (19 days hiking)

Traversing across the homelands of 2 indigenous nations: the Ute and Cheyenne. Sourced from  Native-Land .

A big shoutout to my fundraising team at Outward Bound California: Matt Patchell, Emily Ford, Erin Thacher, and Chelsea Knoren, as well as our outstanding and generous matching donor, Michael Whalen. Thank you, folks at the Venture Out Project for inviting me to write for your blog. And to Marjie Brown with  FireWriters  for allowing me access to the ArcGIS StoryMaps platform. Finally, a huge appreciation for all of the donors and sponsors that made this hike and this fundraiser such a success. 

And last but not least, THANK YOU trail angels, trail family (tramily), family-family, and friends for the logistical and emotional support that made my adventure unique and perfect.

Check out my Instagram account where I continue to share my latest projects and excursions:

And, lastly, see how far this fundraiser has come! I am humbled everyday anticipating the huge impact these scholarships will have for our future students. See our progress here: