Socal 524 Posted September 29, 2016 What a terrible experience that was From May 5th through September 18th I walked from the Mexican border to the Canadian border via the Pacific Crest Trail. I took lots of pictures along the way which can be seen below https://www.instagram.com/taylorsmatthews/ 17 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted September 29, 2016 Congrats on not getting mauled by a bear! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vin+ 3,121 Posted September 29, 2016 Pretty awesome pics. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barracuda 629 Posted September 29, 2016 That is a long fuckin walk man. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted September 29, 2016 Loved the pics, man. Especially the waterfalls and the clouds hanging over the mountains. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cherry 1,302 Posted September 29, 2016 Socal confirmed Donner Party 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014 Posted September 29, 2016 Was cool following your progress the entire way. So glad you made it through safely. Guys at work saw a bunch of your stuff and said you're a badass. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Socal 524 Posted September 29, 2016 Thanks, guys. It was a fun journey, although tiring and painful much of the time. I lost track of all the injuries that I had Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BJORN 679 Posted September 29, 2016 Nice man! That is pretty awesome. Do you mind going over some of the logistics? What did you pack? How did you get food while on the trip? I've been thinking of taking a few months off after grad school and hiking the Appalachian Trail. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Piggly Wiggly 960 Posted September 29, 2016 I was wondering recently how your thru-hike went... awesome jerb, socol. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JetsFan4Life 542 Posted September 30, 2016 This is awesome! Way to go! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ATL_Predator+ 1,196 Posted September 30, 2016 I've never been out West...those pictures seem like they are totally fake and from another country. Going through all of them made me feel like I was in a movie or something...I can only imagine how this was in person. Awesome, Socal. This is what life should be about. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241 Posted September 30, 2016 I was actually at Mt. Hood and Crater lake last week. Amazing pics! Did you hike around any of the sisters in central/south Oregon? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blotsfan 2,112 Posted September 30, 2016 4 months? What a loser. I could've driven that way faster That's a seriously awesome trip and I'm glad you had a good time doing it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bangy 19 Posted October 1, 2016 Damn man some of these pictures are incredible. Hats off 5 miles is about as far as I will walk. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theMileHighGuy 656 Posted October 2, 2016 Holy shit, that's awesome! I like.. watched TV and drank the last 4 months. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Socal 524 Posted October 3, 2016 Nice man! That is pretty awesome. Do you mind going over some of the logistics? What did you pack? How did you get food while on the trip? I've been thinking of taking a few months off after grad school and hiking the Appalachian Trail. There is a town or place to stop every 2-6 days while on trail. I personally just purchased food while I was in town for me next section but others prepackaged food and supplies beforehand and had a relative or friend send them. There were a decent amount of people on trail that have also completed the Appalachian Trail. The two trails are very different so they are hard to compare but the experience I can imagine would be quite similar. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted October 3, 2016 (edited) Ok, nobody has asked yet, so I will. You mentioned injuries. What was the worst moment of the trip? How did this hike make you feel physically? Obviously you were in great shape before, but what kinds of changes did you notice? Edited October 3, 2016 by Sarge Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Socal 524 Posted October 3, 2016 Ok, nobody has asked yet, so I will. You mentioned injuries. What was the worst moment of the trip? How did this hike make you feel physically? Obviously you were in great shape before, but what kinds of changes did you notice? The worst moment may have been on day 3 for me. I had actually injured my left knee on the first day, but I decided to push through it the next two days and try to tough it out. I ended up injuring my right knee on day 2 and then spraining my right ankle on day 3. I could hardly walk and my knees kept locking up on me the whole day. I eventually got close to town at mile 42 in the early afternoon and about a mile out my knees finally gave out and I collapsed to the ground. Right on cue it started to hail on me, May 8th in the Southern California desert lol. I sat there for about 10 minutes then limped into town. I took the next day to see if my condition would approve but I couldn't walk so I actually went home for 10 days. The hiking greatly improved my cardiovascular and muscular endurance. However, it also destroyed my feet, my joints, burned my muscle away and generally made me feel like shit. While obviously it's doable, hiking 25-30 miles a day, day after day is a really unhealthy practice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted October 3, 2016 What was your footwear like, out of curiosity? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Favre4Ever+ 4,476 Posted October 3, 2016 If you could turn back time, would you do it again, knowing what you do now? Would you do it a 2nd time? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Socal 524 Posted October 3, 2016 What was your footwear like, out of curiosity? I went through 8 pairs 1st pair Brooks Cascadia 10 trail runners 2nd pair Altra Olympus 2.5 trail runners 3rd pair Merrel Moab Mid hiking boots 4th pair Hoka One One Goat trail runners 5th pair Fila trail runners (found in a box because my Goats were stolen) 6th pair Brooks Cascadia 7 ( found in a hiker box) 7th pair Brooks Cascadia 10 8th pair Hoka One One trail runners Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Socal 524 Posted October 3, 2016 If you could turn back time, would you do it again, knowing what you do now? Would you do it a 2nd time? I'd do it differently. I'd do what's called section hiking and hike the best parts of the trail instead of forcing myself to walk all of it. The thru hiking aspect of it I learned is all just rooted in personal ego. People think they're brave or special for walking hundreds of miles through ugly desert with little water in 100+ degree weather. That's bullshit IMO, you're not special, you're irresponsible. Sure it's challenging but it doesn't take any special skill or intelligence, just stubbornness. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted October 4, 2016 Stubbornness is still a special skill. So when you section hike do you like go 40 km, and then like take a bus past the awful parts for another 40 km or something like that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Socal 524 Posted October 4, 2016 Stubbornness is still a special skill. So when you section hike do you like go 40 km, and then like take a bus past the awful parts for another 40 km or something like that? True section hiking is just doing one section (up to 500 miles) then just ending your trip. What you described is what most thru hikers end up doing, the difference being that most hikers that claim to have finished the whole trail actually hitched large sections of the trail Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
