This page has posts from our trip. We’ll try to keep them short and fun. I expect we will do this during resupplies, so roughly every 4-5 days. If you want to get an email with each update (some emails include videos, which can’t be posted here), just send an email to ken-jenna-pct+subscribe@googlegroups.com to subscribe to our Google Group mailing list. And there’s this page with our tentative schedule. Finally, if you want daily location updates from our InReach device, you can send an email to ken-jenna-pct-inreach+subscribe@googlegroups.com.
Note! You can also follow our progress on a topographic map:
Gaia Track – 5 June 2024
At the Gates of Hell
June 3, 2024
OK, maybe not hell, but we’re about to start a long, hot, and very dry stretch of the trail between here and Tehachapi. Jenna has handcrafted a hiking plan that only has two ridiculous days in it. One of these is a 26 mile night hike, starting at 4 PM. Followed by another 26 mile day. I can’t wait.
I’ve started introducing us as the dad, daughter duo, just to forestall any awkward questions about our relationship on the trail.
Did I mention we ran into a hiker in Big Bear named Liam? He grew up in Camptonville, probably worked on my bike at Tour of Nevada City bike shop, knows one of Jenna’s best friends, and had actually heard of us via the daughter of a guy I work out with at Fit Culture. So random.
The trail after Big Bear Lake was beautiful. Before arriving in Wrightwood we ran into some locals, who are very generous with their grapes, their chicken, and their charging station. They also kept offering us their illegal drugs, which we politely declined. I think they were armed.
Our resupply in Wrightwood was amazing. An old high school friend drove up and provided great food (homemade breakfast burritos and tamales), plus shuttle service all over town. Thanks Cindy! And Jenna got some amazing news, more on that later.
It’s a good thing we had all that food, because we then had to power our way up Mt Baden Powell. After the trail disappeared under snow drifts, a 1200ft snow slog straight up the face sounded so much easier when fellow hiker Schmootie said “I guess we’ll just have to send it.
I never thought I’d be almost running to get to McDonald’s in time for the sausage egg McMuffin breakfast, but…trail life.
The wildflowers we encounter continue to impress. Especially in the recently burned areas, where there are vast fields of yellow, purple and pink flowers.
There was crazy hiker magic courtesy of John (previous PCT through hiker) and another guy. It’s something they do once a year, and we hit the special day. Unlimited beer and Gatorade and snacks and nuts and fruit and pretty much anything else you can imagine a hiker wanting.
We just pounded out a 27.5 mile day, so we could enjoy celebratory margaritas in Agua Dulce. And get a shower and do laundry, my shirt is hard to put on in the mornings, it’s so stiff from dried sweat. We’re now celebrating clean clothes by resting for the challenge to come. Wish us luck.
Greetings from Big Bear Lake
May 23, 2024
Sorry for the long break between updates, we’ve been busy beating our feet into submission.
We are taking a short break in Big Bear Lake today, doing all the fun off trail things like laundry, and re-supply and showering. We managed to find a room on a Memorial Day weekend, so that was kind of magical.
Serious trail magic at the Big Bear coffee roasting company this morning. Free coffee and snacks and dental hygiene products. Plus a guy playing his alphorn.
I’ve got facial hair again, for the first time in more than 20 years. Don’t call me Pappy.
We’ve met three Japanese hikers so far. Ken got to abuse two of them with his non-functional Japanese. Yoshihiro, “natto”, and Fumio (“flying fish”) pictured below.
Fewer rattlesnake sightings, though one guy kept circling us as we got water from funky Mike’s tank.
We survived the Mission Creek no-longer-a-trail section. Spring time flash floods completely wiped out the PCT. 15 miles of slogging up a rocky sandy blown out river bed in the baking sun. “caveman” was our inspiration, he’s a hiker who did the Pct barefoot in 2016.
Ken is slowly learning the true meaning of “hike your own hike“. Jenna has quickly mastered the morning fast start, and is now up and ready to go before Ken. Who thought she’d be voluntarily waking up at 5:15 AM?
No trail nicknames yet, though I’ve proposed Bean Queen for Jenna.
An amazing trail magic was the random cooler filled with ice-cold Gatorades in the middle of the desert. All due to some guy named “Jim”. All he wants is a selfie taken at his cooler.
Greetings from Manchita Bodega
May 16, 2024
At the end of our fifth day on the trail, we crossed the 100 mile mark [1]. So far the biggest excitement has been rattlesnakes on the trail [2], which is why Jenna walks in front. We did have to survive the attack of the killer caterpillars. No really, there were billions of them. [6]
The start of the trip was uneventful, with yet another classic father daughter bonding experience [3]. Finding space to sign our names at the start of the trail was challenging. [7] and we got the obligatory photo from the southern terminus. [8]
Walking through the chaparral can be hot and dusty, but vibrant flowers [4] and interesting animal life [5] are around every corner.
We have experienced our fair share of trail magic (a free ride from the airport to the trail head, snacks & drinks at random locations, and even replacement clothing found in the hiker box). All of this is due to trail angels and fellow through hikers.
Sorry for the typos and the out of order photos, I’m doing this on my phone at night.
May 9, 2024
Trail Magic
A common saying on PCT social media groups is “the trail provides”. Or sometimes “trail magic”. Which sounds a lot like people who don’t have their act together relying on strangers to bail them out. So…no thanks.
But yesterday I got an email out of left field, where a woman whose husband graduated from MIT in 1981 was wondering if we’d like a ride from the airport to the trailhead. Our previous plan involved Lyft, walking, more walking, long bus ride, and more walking. So, yes, thanks!
I’m not certain how she found out about us, but feels like trail magic to me.
T-Minus 5 Days
May 4, 2024
I keep getting asked if I’m excited about the trip. So far, it’s mostly mild anxiety about not forgetting to do something that I really need to do before I leave for 4+ months. Exciting things like preparing estimated tax payments, and sewer bills.
Also food. Lots of food.
But yes, it’s getting real, and I’ve got a bit of the same moon shot feeling I had when Schmed & I tried to climb Aconcagua. Lots of moving parts, and then suddenly it’ll be just the two of us and our backpacks, at the Mexican border looking north.
T-Minus Three Weeks
The Plan
We’ll be flying to San Diego on May 10th, and using Lyft/bus to get to Campo, CA where we’ll spend the night. The next morning we start walking north on the Pacific Crest Trail. Hopefully we arrive at the Canadian border around September 15th, having completed a 2,660 mile adventure.
Then There’s Reality
Jenna is confident she’ll make it all the way. Me, I’m not sure how far I’ll get. The warranty on my body has expired, so I could have a joint failure after four days. Which would be a serious bummer, but I’m trying to be realistic. Regardless of the outcome, planning for this adventure has been a welcome and all-consuming distraction from dealing with life in the here-and-now.
In The Meantime
I’ve bought every trail snack I could find at Costco, done a taste test, and analyzed their caloric and nutritional content. The clear winner is the Paleo Bar, with 230 calories in a tiny 26 gram package. Eating these has helped with my bulk-up plan (I’m at +5 pounds so far). I also bought 60 freeze-dried dinners. Jenna is dehydrating mushrooms and preparing a powder mix for Thai soup. Already our paths have diverged.
The Big Map
Here’s a nice overview of the entire route, from Mexico to Canada (north-bound, or NOBO if you’re a hip through-hiker).
Ken's Techno Tidbits 