Oregon PCT FKT Attempt Days 1-3

The first three days on trail were hot and heavy! It’s been quite challenging so far, but it’s great to be back on the PCT.

Day 0

This morning I finished packing my backpack, and then Tim and I started the 7+ hour drive to the CA-OR border (0.4 miles from the start on the Oregon side). We arrived at around 8:30pm, set up our tent, Tim made us freeze dried tater tot casserole for dinner, and we went to bed. I am pretty nervous, but very excited to be back on the Oregon section of the Pacific Crest Trail. Tim and I hiked the entire PCT from Mexico to Canada back in 2018–this is the trip that got us addicted to thruhiking!! The weather forecast is not looking good for the coming week… The highs are supposed to be over 100°F. Tomorrow we plan to wake up at 4am. I’ll head to the border to start my hike, and Tim will head home.

Day 1 – OR PCT Mile 24.8

Tim walked with me 0.4 miles to the border before saying goodbye. I started at 5:52am. My backpack weighed 38lb, including all my gear, food, and 1.5 liters of water. The day started with a climb with beautiful views. I made 10 miles by 10am. I chatted with two section hikers and saw some day hikers, but no thruhikers doing the whole PCT. The next climb started at 11am as it was heating up. It was challenging with the heavy backpack and heat. I took a break at the top. I started having some GI issues (I had to dig 4 cat holes), probably due to a combination of the heat, elevation, my period, and my exertion with the heavy pack. The heat was making it hard to eat, but I need to eat to lighten my load. I did not eat dinner. And I only finished half of my lunch.

Day 2 – OR PCT Mile 52.7

Today I woke up feeling slightly sick still. I started hiking at around 5:45. The beginning of today was overall uphill for about 10 miles with a long water carry. My pack felt heavy! I had to take a lot of short breaks on logs or rocks to relieve some of the pressure off my back. At the first water source after the uphill, I met Shannon. We realized we had met before in 2018 when we were both thruhiking the PCT. Small world. It was great to chat, and I braked for longer than I meant to, but she definitely boosted my mood. It started heating up at around 11, but the trail was mostly flat or downhill which helped. My sick feeling went away, and I was able to eat a bit more today than yesterday. I saw three other hikes on the trail today. One was wearing only his underwear and backpack, but I didn’t get a chance to ask him why. Maybe the heat? I hiked a bit longer than desired trying to find a campsite above Hyatt Reservoir. I finally found a mostly flat and mostly clear spot, but I could not escape the music and fireworks from the resorts below.

Day 3 – OR PCT Mile 78.4

Some deer woke me up this morning at 4am. I got up shortly after and my watch said I only got 4 hours of sleep. I had a hard time falling asleep last night with the heat and soreness. Most of the day was hiking through the forest, which was nice because it got hot again today. It was a hard day for me with the heat, heavy backpack, and low sleep. There have also been many 10+ mile water carries since I started. 10-miles might not sound too bad, but it’s been so hot and water weighs a lot. This evening I got to the lava fields. They were a great break from the forest and evening was the perfect time to get there because they are very exposed. From the lava fields I noticed the sun looked weird. As I kept watching I realized there is a fire burning to my west. Ash was even dropping on the trail. Kind of nerve wracking. (Note: I made it through safely before this fire closed part of the PCT. I am posting on a delay for my safety and due to battery life/limited cell service on trail.) I only saw two people all day—a trail runner this morning and a section hiker who is camped a few miles back from me.