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301 Moved Permanently - pyzyk.com
HTTP Status: 301
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; [email protected])
Age: 0
Content-Length: 0
Date: Fri, 23 May 2025 19:01:42 GMT
Location: https://www.pyzyk.com/
Server: Squarespace
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date: Sat, 24 May 2025 01:31:33 GMT
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HTTP Kodu 301 Kalıcı Olarak Taşındı
301 durum kodu, istenen kaynağın kalıcı olarak yeni bir URL'ye taşındığı anlamına gelir. Gelecekteki tüm istekler yeni adresi kullanmalıdır.
Kod 301 ne zaman kullanılır?
- Bir web sitesi alan adını değiştirirken
- URL yapılarını değiştirirken
- SEO için yönlendirmeleri ayarlarken
Kod 301 kullanıcı için ne anlama geliyor?
Tarayıcı kullanıcıyı otomatik olarak yeni adrese yönlendirecek ve arama motorları dizinlerini güncelleyecektir.
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<a href="/blog/2020/3/17/a-walk-to-remember" class="image-wrapper" data-animation-role="image">
<img data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1584475873829-Z1TTIJW3ZXMYRSKXOMKN/IMG_7036.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1584475873829-Z1TTIJW3ZXMYRSKXOMKN/IMG_7036.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x1875" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="A Walk to Remember" data-load="false" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1584475873829-Z1TTIJW3ZXMYRSKXOMKN/IMG_7036.JPG" width="2500" height="1875" alt="" sizes="100vw" class="image" style="display:block;position: absolute; height: 100%; width: 100%; object-fit: cover; object-position: 50% 50%;" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1584475873829-Z1TTIJW3ZXMYRSKXOMKN/IMG_7036.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1584475873829-Z1TTIJW3ZXMYRSKXOMKN/IMG_7036.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1584475873829-Z1TTIJW3ZXMYRSKXOMKN/IMG_7036.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1584475873829-Z1TTIJW3ZXMYRSKXOMKN/IMG_7036.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1584475873829-Z1TTIJW3ZXMYRSKXOMKN/IMG_7036.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1584475873829-Z1TTIJW3ZXMYRSKXOMKN/IMG_7036.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1584475873829-Z1TTIJW3ZXMYRSKXOMKN/IMG_7036.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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<a href="/blog/category/PCT" class="blog-categories">PCT</a><span class="blog-categories--comma">, </span>
<a href="/blog/category/travel" class="blog-categories">travel</a>
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<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">3/17/20</time>
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<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">3/17/20</time>
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<h1 class="blog-title">
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A Walk to Remember
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">“Sheeee’s as sweet aaaassss Tumalo Honey”, I sang for the approximately hundredth time in the past hour as we made our way toward Tumalo Falls. I was on a hike outside of Bend, OR with my best friend Alec, my friend/Alec’s girlfriend Nellie, and his parents. By this point, their amusement had turned to tolerance. The last 24 hours had been chock-full of repeated questions and jokes. The day before, according to witnesses, I had skied full speed into a poorly-marked catwalk and proceeded to tomahawk my way down the run, resulting in a nasty concussion and short-term memory loss. I didn’t lose consciousness and was safely escorted to the base of the resort, but my memories of the day and events therein are mostly gone. </p>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The most distinct memories I can conjure up of that day are moments of clarity where I would ask a question like, “did you talk to my mom?” or “is it ok for me to sleep?”, only for Nellie or Alec to sternly but patiently direct me to a cheat sheet in my pocket of answers to my most frequently-asked questions. “Oh, yeah”, I’d sheepishly respond as I’d pull out the sheet and skim to the answer I was looking for. I’d quickly follow up with, “This is just like Memento!”, only for Alec and Nellie to tell me to keep reading. I’d look further down the sheet to find “Yes, this is just like Memento.” Alec later told me that it was fascinating to watch my mind go through the process of rebooting and default to continually asking questions to determine if everything was alright.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">A day later, on our Tumalo Falls hike, I was no longer asking the same questions every five minutes, but the world still felt like a blur. I had to strain myself to remember anything outside of the present and felt forced into being a backseat passenger to everything going on around me. There were still outstanding bigger-picture questions like, “what will I do about work while I recover?”, “when will I fly home to Denver”, “is there a worldwide pandemic starting, or did I just imagine that?”, but whenever I tried to address these questions, I found my brain’s processing power still limited and was forced back to the present, where all I could do was keep walking.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">This wasn’t my first time hiking near Bend. I had hiked through on the PCT the previous summer. As I breathed in the spring Oregon air, memories of the PCT came rushing—not clear memories of events and stories but those more ethereal memories, the type that can’t be called forward on command, that only come from certain smells or weather to remind you of a distinct time and feeling.</p>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">While hiking the PCT, I was in a similar spot mentally, not because I had a brain injury (although some folks at home questioned whether I might) but because I was forced to only consider the present. I couldn’t ask myself how long it would take to get to Canada, what I would do for work when I was done, or (thankfully) how the world would be affected by a pandemic. All I could do was wake up everyday and keep walking. </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Since then, a lot of those answers came to me. I finished the trail, moved to Denver, and got a great job. The week before Oregon I had even thought to myself, <em>man, things really came together. I got it pretty well figured out. </em>Now, in my concussed state, I couldn’t even process the future, and I yearned for those PCT days, if only because the big outstanding questions that loomed over me then felt a lot less scary than the ones I was facing now. Still, all I could do was keep walking.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Finally, we came in view of the falls, and as we stared out on the view, all of the thoughts and emotions swirling in my head turned to thanks. I was alive and walking, surrounded by people that loved and cared for me. It was a wonderful day, and I remembered how staggeringly beautiful nature can be and how lucky I am to enjoy it.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">We posed for a photo, and as I stood in the middle of my caretakers, my second family, I started to sob. Jeff reminded the group that “mood disturbances” are one of the side effects of a concussion, and everyone laughed as we started making our way back to the car.</p>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The week following our Tumalo Falls hike I rested up in Portland for a few days before flying back to Denver. Day by day, my mental clarity came back in almost direct correlation to the escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although my mind had started to come back, I was still forced off my phone, TVs, and other screens. I couldn’t drive, read, or physically exert myself too much. I found one of the only things I could do while I recovered was go for a walk, so that’s what I did. Hours at a time I wandered off around the city, listening to music or podcasts or just silently taking it, and day by day, I got better.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">With the current pandemic, it’s hard not to feel hopeless, that all you can do is binge watch TV shows and absorb the news as it rolls in. It already feels hard to be separated from people, and cabin fever is setting in. Most of all, there’s a lot of scary questions that we don’t have the answer to. Now (and any time that the world feels out of control), I recommend going for a walk.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Breath fresh air. Bask in the sun (snow, rain, or whatever weather you have). Smile at your fellow walkers as you pass them (6 ft away). Relish in the fact that, right now, you are healthy, capable of letting your body take you places, and don’t need to know where it’s all going. Take in the strange and beautiful world around you as it slowly goes by and take solace in the fact that, even when there’s a lot more questions than answers, you can keep walking.</p>
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<a class="blog-more-link" href="/blog/2020/3/17/a-walk-to-remember" data-animation-role="content">Read More</a>
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<a href="/blog/2019/12/2/pctu" class="image-wrapper" data-animation-role="image">
<img data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1575656816746-ETCS74P6H7ZKQZJ7EK8R/IMG_3952.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1575656816746-ETCS74P6H7ZKQZJ7EK8R/IMG_3952.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x1875" data-image-focal-point="0.36,0.488031914893617" alt="PCTU" data-load="false" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1575656816746-ETCS74P6H7ZKQZJ7EK8R/IMG_3952.JPG" width="2500" height="1875" alt="" sizes="100vw" class="image" style="display:block;position: absolute; height: 100%; width: 100%; object-fit: cover; object-position: 36% 48.8031914893617%;" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1575656816746-ETCS74P6H7ZKQZJ7EK8R/IMG_3952.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1575656816746-ETCS74P6H7ZKQZJ7EK8R/IMG_3952.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1575656816746-ETCS74P6H7ZKQZJ7EK8R/IMG_3952.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1575656816746-ETCS74P6H7ZKQZJ7EK8R/IMG_3952.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1575656816746-ETCS74P6H7ZKQZJ7EK8R/IMG_3952.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1575656816746-ETCS74P6H7ZKQZJ7EK8R/IMG_3952.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1575656816746-ETCS74P6H7ZKQZJ7EK8R/IMG_3952.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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<span class="blog-categories-list">
<a href="/blog/category/PCT" class="blog-categories">PCT</a>
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<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">12/5/19</time>
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<a href="/blog/category/PCT" class="blog-categories">PCT</a>
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<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">12/5/19</time>
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<h1 class="blog-title">
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PCTU
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Before and after the Pacific Crest Trail, I’ve most often gotten the question, “are you hiking alone?” I always respond by saying, “you hike on your own, but you are never alone”. All along the way you are meeting people that are both strangely similar and incredibly different from you, but everyone is kind and caring. Inevitably, you come away from the hike with amazing relationships. The best comparison I can make is that hiking the PCT is a condensed version of college. </p><h1 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Freshman Year - The Desert</h1>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The same pervasive energy that exists in the first few months of college abounds for the first few weeks of trail. Everyone is new and excited. No one knows anyone or anything. Most people are coming from a life situation that they were less than enthused about, and many people are there to reinvent themselves. Even if you aren’t trying to restart life, you are there to experience new things and learn a lot about yourself in the process.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">So, everyone is incredibly open, looking for friends, and happy to be yours. Someone stops at a water source at the same time as you? New acquaintance. Someone camps at the same tent site as you? New friend. Someone hitches into town with you? New best friend.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">As you get to know all of these new people, it’s easy at first to fall back on the classic introductory questions of the “real world”: “What kind of work do you do?”, “Where are you from?”, “Where’d you go to college?”. But, you quickly realize no one is there to talk bout the past because someone asks you about it, and you realize you don’t want to talk about how much time you used to spend in Excel.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Conversation turns to the trail, what’s ahead (“Do you know anything about Idyllwild?”), gear (“What pack is that?”), and life after the trail (“Should I live in Bend or Denver?”).</p>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The trail is hard, not because the terrain or weather is exceptionally challenging, but because it’s new. Your body isn’t used to hiking 20 miles every day. Blisters bloom, aches arise, and hiker hunger haunts.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Just like freshman year of college, everyone is ready to party. Reaching each new town is a huge accomplishment, and zero days abound. You have all the time in the world, and it doesn’t seem like it matters much if your timeline gets pushed back—the Sierra is covered in snow anyway. You stick around town because you just met some new people, and they aren’t leaving until the next day.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Most of the trail angel homes are in the desert: Mike’s Place, Hiker Heaven, Casa De Luna. These places are the stuff of legend, and everyone wants a “full” experience. When you concentrate that many hikers in such a happy environment, everyone inevitably grabs a six pack or two and hunkers down for a fun night.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">By the time the desert comes to a close 700 miles later, you are confident. You’ve made some friends, probably got a trail name, and made it through some seriously shitty days. You know how to get in and out of town efficiently, getting done exactly what you need to get done but still having a good time in the process. You’re a PCT hiker. 20 miles doesn’t hurt the way it used to, and your daily mileage starts ticking up to 30. But, as you get closer, everyone starts asking, “what’s your plan for the Sierra?”. </p>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The conversation turns to snow, whether microspikes or crampons are better, and whether or not you are getting an ice axe. Some people are talking about “flipping” ahead to places like Ashland, OR; some are even heading to Canada. You panic, worry, and second guess yourself, but in the mean time, you can only keep moving forward. </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Once you get to Kennedy Meadows, there’s no more coasting. It’s time to get serious and figure out what’s important to you.</p>
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<h1 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Sophomore Year - The Sierra</h1>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">You decide to go for it—you’re going into the Sierra. After all, how bad could it be? This isn’t your first rodeo. So, you depart Kennedy Meadows with a team, a collection of friends with aligned ambitions, risk-tolerance, and ability. The Sierra is one section you cannot do alone. There’s snow everywhere, tough river crossings, and constant way-finding.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Town doesn’t come every three days anymore—it comes every six to eight. You’re carrying way more weight, both in gear and food. Most nights are spent above 9,000 ft, and most days are spent climbing above 11,000 ft. Each day is a new challenge, inevitably doing something you’ve never done before. As obstacles arise, your team figures out everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. </p>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">You are reduced to a crawl. Just when you had gotten used to doing mileage in the high 20s everyday, you have to get comfortable with 10-15 miles per day. As a team, you learn to get up at 4am or earlier to start hiking on snow, get over a pass as the sun rises, get back down to tree line before the snow melts, and relax for the rest of the day before going to bed at 6pm, so you can start all over again. Where there isn’t snow, there’s water, and wet feet become the status quo.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Everything forces you to confront what you are doing and why. Is it really important to you to finish the trail? Do you need to follow one continuous path form Mexico to Canada? Should you just quit?</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Emotions run high. There’s yelling and crying, cuts and bruises. Gear fails and people leave. But, you draw nearer to the people that remain because they are the only thing getting you through it.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">For all of the danger and frustration, you are rewarded with stunning views on the tops of remote, snow-covered mountains and passes, separated by fertile, wooded valleys. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and it’s yours.</p>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Town is no longer just a periodic reward; it’s, sometimes literally, a dream. Days in Bishop and Mammoth are spent recounting the more perilous moments of the last stretch of trail before steeling nerves for the next section. Town meals become more than just eating “real” food; now they’re a time to commune with your people.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">By the time the elevation drops and the snow starts to melt, you are serious about this hike. You’ve gone through the most challenging weather and terrain you’ve ever encountered, and you kept going. The snow has made you strong physically and emotionally. You have a new family. You are an unstoppable, bad-ass hiking machine, and you’re sure as hell not going to quit now.</p>
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<h1 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Junior Year - Northern California/Oregon</h1>
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<div class="sqs-html-content">
<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The slippery, snowy, disappearing trail is replaced with beautiful, beautiful dirt. You never though you would be <strong>this</strong> excited just to hike on <strong>normal trail</strong>. There’s nothing to slow you down now. Yeah, you got up to 30 miles in the desert, but surely you can do better—you just did the Sierra, you’re strong and steely.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The big mile days start coming in, and you’re right, you can do 30 mile days everyday if you really want to. The days come easy, and the miles come easier. The Sierra made you realize what you truly need and what you can do without—weight is dropped, stoves are sent home. You’re in sunny, warm Northern California. Sure, the views aren’t nearly as scenic, but you’re just happy to be stress-free and have this whole thru-hiking thing seemingly figured out.</p>
</div>
</div></div><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="39.10149750415973" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1575651405582_196279"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">With passes and summits gone, the only challenges are the ones you and your friends create for yourselves, and usually those challenges are focused around getting to your next beer as soon as possible. Little towns and lodges abound in Northern California.. You find you’re able to string together daily town/lodge stops by hiking 40+ mile days. It’s a “work hard, play hard” environment because that’s the only way to keep it interesting.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">You start seeing South-Bound hikers or North-Bound hikers you’ve managed to never see before. You’re no longer open and eager. You have your friends, and they are enough. You don’t need to chat about what’s on the trail ahead or what gear you have—you already know what’s ahead, more trail, and the longer you sit there talking, the less of it you’ll get to today.</p>
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</div></div><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="27.620632279534107" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1575651405582_204945"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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<div class="sqs-html-content">
<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Finally, you get out of California and into Oregon. California feels like an eternity, but once you are out, the prospect of finishing finally starts to feel real. The dry sunshine of Northern California is replaced with mosquitoes and mist, but you come to appreciate the rain, the clouds, and lush forests because they are new and create a backdrop that makes the volcanic peaks of Oregon all the more striking. The trail is relatively flat in Oregon, bringing you to stunning views but never making you work for them.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">There’s nearly as many lodges and hamlets in Oregon as in Northern California, but pounding out mileage is getting old. You’ve powered through Northern California and are trying to hike Oregon in two weeks. You’ve tried to hike as much as you can in a day, maybe even hiked for 24 hours straight. You know your limits, and it’s not your strength—it’s just time. Days are allocated simply into hiking, breaks, and sleep. Want to hike more miles? Wake up earlier, make your breaks shorter, and when the sun goes down, bust out the headlamp.</p>
</div>
</div></div><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="51.24792013311148" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1575651405582_210845"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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</div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1575651405582_211132"><div class="sqs-block-content">
<div class="sqs-html-content">
<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Beneath your strength, the fatigue is building. It’s not aches and pains like at the start. You can’t even put your finger on it—your body is simply tired. It’s tired of the early mornings, the long days, and the junk food you’ve resorted to for simplicity and quick calories.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Oregon has some of the best big towns and cities on the trail, but town isn’t the same anymore. You’re almost as comfortable in your sleeping bag as in a hotel bed. As you fill yourself with beer, salad, and burgers, you can’t calm your mind and let go—there are still a lot of miles to hike, and you’re almost to Canada. Days are hiking, breaks, and sleep, and your breaks are adding up.</p>
</div>
</div></div><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="25.62396006655574" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1575651405582_218852"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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<h1 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Senior Year - Washington</h1>
</div>
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</div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1575651405582_225182"><div class="sqs-block-content">
<div class="sqs-html-content">
<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">As you cross over the Bridge of the Gods, you are so close, and you know it. The days of flat trail are over; Washington is a seesaw of climbs and descents. You know you can do it—all you need to is do it, but that’s what makes it hard.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Daydreams about life after trail intensify—where will you move? what will you do? who are you most excited to see? Jeans! You’ll get to wear blue jeans! You’ve grown and accomplished so much and are just ready to get back into the real world. But, everyday there are moments—moments that remind you of what you have right now, how nice it is to <strong>not</strong> be in the real world, and what you’ll miss when it’s over. It’s a nagging, somber time.</p>
</div>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Friends realize they have different timelines, and some have to speed up ahead of you or be left somewhere behind you. You know that this time is actually goodbye—there won’t be any more chance encounters somewhere hundreds of miles down the line because there are only a few hundred miles left.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">So much of you wants to just finish and get off trail—that’s the whole point, but before you started, your goal was just to be on trail. That’s the most frustrating part of a thru-hike; you’re doing what you love with the goal of ending it.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The North Cascades are there to comfort you. As you mull over the strange, awesome secret of your experience, the North Cascades are there with you, little known and solemnly beautiful. Everyday a new mountain tries to hold on to you with a staggering ascent, but as you summit, it relents and carries you down and forward.</p>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Passing day hikers feels like walking down a processional aisle. As you go by, they beam at you knowingly.—<em>“You’re almost there!”</em></p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Then, one morning, you’re there. You couldn’t hold off the end if you tried. You’re too strong, and the distance is too short. By sunset, you’ll be in Canada. It’s graduation day. </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">What had become the structure of your life for the last four, five, six months is gone. Miles no longer hang over your head. You’re free to go wherever and do whatever—but you quickly realize how nice you had it when the only direction was North.</p>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br></p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br></p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br></p>
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<a class="blog-more-link" href="/blog/2019/12/2/pctu" data-animation-role="content">Read More</a>
</div>
</article>
<article class="blog-single-column--container entry blog-item">
<div>
<a href="/blog/2019/5/17/pct-packing" class="image-wrapper" data-animation-role="image">
<img data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558632982146-G7W2IL0GO8FQWEHMZF5B/FullSizeRender.jpg" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558632982146-G7W2IL0GO8FQWEHMZF5B/FullSizeRender.jpg" data-image-dimensions="2500x2134" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="PCT - Packing" data-load="false" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558632982146-G7W2IL0GO8FQWEHMZF5B/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="2500" height="2134" alt="" sizes="100vw" class="image" style="display:block;position: absolute; height: 100%; width: 100%; object-fit: cover; object-position: 50% 50%;" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558632982146-G7W2IL0GO8FQWEHMZF5B/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558632982146-G7W2IL0GO8FQWEHMZF5B/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558632982146-G7W2IL0GO8FQWEHMZF5B/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558632982146-G7W2IL0GO8FQWEHMZF5B/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558632982146-G7W2IL0GO8FQWEHMZF5B/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558632982146-G7W2IL0GO8FQWEHMZF5B/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558632982146-G7W2IL0GO8FQWEHMZF5B/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
</a>
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<div class="blog-article-spacer"></div>
<div class="blog-single-column--text">
<div class="blog-meta-section">
<span class="blog-meta-primary">
<span class="blog-categories-list">
<a href="/blog/category/PCT" class="blog-categories">PCT</a>
</span>
<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">5/23/19</time>
</span>
<span class="blog-meta-delimiter"></span>
<span class="blog-meta-delimiter blog-category-delimiter"></span>
<span class="blog-meta-secondary">
<span class="blog-categories-list">
<a href="/blog/category/PCT" class="blog-categories">PCT</a>
</span>
<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">5/23/19</time>
</span>
</div>
<h1 class="blog-title">
<a href="/blog/2019/5/17/pct-packing" data-no-animation>
PCT - Packing
</a>
</h1>
<div class="blog-excerpt">
<div class="blog-excerpt-wrapper"></div>
<div class="blog-body-wrapper"><div class="sqs-layout sqs-grid-12 columns-12" data-layout-label="Post Body" data-type="item" data-updated-on="1575319172655" id="item-5cdf823bb4e0640001e28a43"><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-12 span-12"><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-1431b7225983b6de0140"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Packing for a thru-hike seems the most confusing or mysterious for those who have never thru-hiked. I plan to follow up with more in-depth posts explaining exactly what I picked and why for each category of item, but here is a general overview of what every hiker carries on a through hike. I took the photos before I left, and I've switched some things out, but generally, things are the same.</p>
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<img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631469094-SOCLSKB9L1WO8YRF53ST/FullSizeRender.jpg" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631469094-SOCLSKB9L1WO8YRF53ST/FullSizeRender.jpg" data-image-dimensions="2500x2134" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="FullSizeRender.jpg" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631469094-SOCLSKB9L1WO8YRF53ST/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="2500" height="2134" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631469094-SOCLSKB9L1WO8YRF53ST/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631469094-SOCLSKB9L1WO8YRF53ST/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631469094-SOCLSKB9L1WO8YRF53ST/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631469094-SOCLSKB9L1WO8YRF53ST/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631469094-SOCLSKB9L1WO8YRF53ST/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631469094-SOCLSKB9L1WO8YRF53ST/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631469094-SOCLSKB9L1WO8YRF53ST/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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</div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-yui_3_5_0_1_1558627586874_88759"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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<h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The Big Three</h2><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><em>Shelter. Sleep system. Pack</em>. </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">They are called the Big 3 because they 1) constitute the majority of the weight 2) are usually the most expensive 3) are all very necessary for backpacking.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Shelter</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Shelter for rain, wind, snow, animals, etc. Unless you have perfect knowledge of the weather or can take a reasonably safe bet on a 1 or 2 night trip (definitely not the case for a thruhike), you need some sort of shelter to protect you at night.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">For the vast majority of people, this will be a tent. There are a lot of nerdy options beyond a tent, and there are plenty of subcategories of tents. But, keeping it high level for now, you need to carry some sort of shelter, probably a tent.</p>
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<h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Sleep System</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">In your shelter, you have to stay warm while you sleep. The system for doing this is generally made up of two items: sleeping bag and sleeping pad. Most everyone has used a sleeping bag; they are fluffy and warm. </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Sleeping pads are for sleeping on top of and are generally either foam pads or inflatable. They serve two functions: comfort and warmth. The ground is cold, and your sleeping bag won't do a whole lot to keep your bottomside warm at night, so you need a sleeping pad. Of course, the ground isn't too comfy either, so the added padding is great, too.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Pack</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Pretty self-explanatory. You need a pack to carry everything in. Of course, like everything else, there are different subtleties and categories, but a typical backpacking backpack is 1) large enough to carry a lot of crap (40+ liters) and 2) has a load-bearing system (hip belts, straps, etc.) to help you carry the weight more evenly on your body.</p>
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<h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Wearable Items</h2>
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<h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Clothes</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">You got your hiking clothes and your sleeping clothes. You don't need any more than that. An old adage for backpacking is that you should be able to wear all of the clothes you are carrying at once.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Right now, I'm hiking in a polyester button-up hiking shirt, $15 Amazon running short shorts (netting included, so no underwear), and Darn Tough wool socks. At night, I put on Merino wool leggings and a Merino wool top (basically long johns), and a second pair of socks.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">None of your clothes should be cotton. Cotton doesn't dry easily and does not wick moisture well. It's not comfortable or practical when you start getting wet from rain, sweat, or whatever. It can also be dangerous if the temperature drops. "Cotton kills".</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">What does that leave? Polyester, nylon, wool, other synthetics, etc.</p>
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<h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Puffy</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">You'll often hear outdoor people talk about their "puffy". Usually, this is referring to a down jacket that can be easily compressed. On a more basic level while backpacking, you need to carry a warm layer for when you are not moving. Like I said, usually people opt for a down jacket, but it can be a synthetic material or even a wool sweater. At the end of the day, you need something to keep you warm while you are standing around your tent site or while you are taking a break in a cold section.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Rain Gear</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">In the same way that you need shelter for when the weather gets bad, you need something to keep you dry while hiking in wet conditions. Most often people opt for a rain jacket, ideally something waterproof but breathable. Sometimes people opt for ponchos. Sometimes people add on rain pants too, but the level of rain protection needed is really dictated by the time of climate you'll be hiking in.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Hats</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Hikers often have something on their head: baseball cap during the day to block the sun, beanie at night for warmth.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Gloves</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">It's usually best to carry gloves for cold or wet weather. Anything simple does the job more often than not. </p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Gaiters</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I've recently been converted to using gaiters. They cover the tops of your shoes, so rocks and dirt can't get in. It's great not having to stop to dig pebbles out. </p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Shoes</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">You need some sort of hiking shoes, boots, or trail runner. Once again, I'll discuss the reasoning for this in another post, but nearly everyone uses trail runners at this point. Unless you are doing serious mountaineering, you don't need big, leather, waterproof, high-top, boots.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Sunglasses</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">When you're walking mostly in the sun all day, you need to protect your eyes with polarized sunglasses. </p><h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Cooking/Food Items</h2>
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<img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631761677-YFXLKNXJ37I9CS5JLHVV/IMG_2608.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631761677-YFXLKNXJ37I9CS5JLHVV/IMG_2608.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x1875" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="IMG_2608.JPG" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631761677-YFXLKNXJ37I9CS5JLHVV/IMG_2608.JPG" width="2500" height="1875" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631761677-YFXLKNXJ37I9CS5JLHVV/IMG_2608.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631761677-YFXLKNXJ37I9CS5JLHVV/IMG_2608.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631761677-YFXLKNXJ37I9CS5JLHVV/IMG_2608.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631761677-YFXLKNXJ37I9CS5JLHVV/IMG_2608.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631761677-YFXLKNXJ37I9CS5JLHVV/IMG_2608.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631761677-YFXLKNXJ37I9CS5JLHVV/IMG_2608.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631761677-YFXLKNXJ37I9CS5JLHVV/IMG_2608.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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<h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Stove</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">It's becoming more popular to go "stoveless" on the PCT, but most people still carry a stove. A stove is used to cook or boil water in the evening. Most people opt for a small gas stove that uses a propane/butane blend canister. </p>
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</div></div><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="75.0" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_5_0_1_1558627586874_107452"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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<h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Pot </h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">If you have a stove, you have to have something to put on it. Most people opt for a 500ml to 1L titanium pot. There's a lot of relatively cheap options on Amazon. Your pot also is your bowl/cup.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Utensil</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">You arguably need something to eat with. Most people carry just a spoon. Plastic sporks tend to break after a while. I carry a long-handled (good for getting to the bottom of your pot) titanium spoon (also found cheaply on Amazon).</p><h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Water Treatment</h2><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">As you're collecting water while you hike, you need to treat it to make sure you aren't ingesting any nasty microbes or bacteria like <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/giardia/index.html">giardia</a>.</p><h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Electronics</h2>
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<img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631810865-NKB4CSG0HQIUZSKQNXPH/IMG_2604.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631810865-NKB4CSG0HQIUZSKQNXPH/IMG_2604.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x1875" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="IMG_2604.JPG" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631810865-NKB4CSG0HQIUZSKQNXPH/IMG_2604.JPG" width="2500" height="1875" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631810865-NKB4CSG0HQIUZSKQNXPH/IMG_2604.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631810865-NKB4CSG0HQIUZSKQNXPH/IMG_2604.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631810865-NKB4CSG0HQIUZSKQNXPH/IMG_2604.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631810865-NKB4CSG0HQIUZSKQNXPH/IMG_2604.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631810865-NKB4CSG0HQIUZSKQNXPH/IMG_2604.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631810865-NKB4CSG0HQIUZSKQNXPH/IMG_2604.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1558631810865-NKB4CSG0HQIUZSKQNXPH/IMG_2604.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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<h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Phone</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">On the trail, my phone is my camera, book, notebook, maps, and general source of information.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Battery Pack</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Since phones are used for so much on the trail, everyone carries battery packs to keep them charged. </p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">GPS Beacon/Emergency Device</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Most people have been carrying a Garmin In-Reach Mini. It sends my location every 10 minutes while I'm hiking, so people at home can see where I am. It lets me send text messages when I don't have service. It also has an SOS button in case of emergencies.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Headphones</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Most people carry headphones. It's nice to listen to audiobooks, podcasts, or music while hiking. They are also helpful for phonecalls in town. </p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Headlamp</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Most days are long enough where I don't need to use it, but it's helpful when I hike late or at night. </p><h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">First-Aid/Toiletries</h2>
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<h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Medication</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I carry a few days worth of different over the counter medications: ibuprofen, anti-diarrheal, Benadryl. Hikers call ibuprofen "Vitamin I".</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">First-Aid Kit</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Don't carry anything you don't know how to use. Most people end up grabbing a First-Aid Kit and don't know what half of it is. You can do a lot of First-Aid with less: Band-aids, bandages, disinfectant, tape. Super glue is great for cuts too big for a band-aid.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Sunscreen</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Sun protection is important, and I'll put on sunscreen on exposed areas everyday. </p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Toothpaste/Toothbrush</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Need to keep your teeth clean.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Body Glide</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Inevitably you'll end up with rubbing and chafing. I carry Body Glide to help with that.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Hand Sanitizer</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Important for after going Number 2.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">TP</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Don't need a whole roll. I'll grab some from a bathroom whenever I'm in town. </p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Trowel</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">For digging catholes for Number 2. </p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Other toiletries</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Don't need deodorant...just accept that you smell. Dont need much at all. </p><h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Overpacking</h2><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The quickest way to a lighter pack is packing less. A backpacking adage is "People pack their fears". The better you understand your gear and how to use it the more confident you will be, and you'll get comfortable with less. </p>
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<a href="/blog/2019/5/14/pct-town-daystrail-angels" class="image-wrapper" data-animation-role="image">
<img data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857681861-UH15JUY48S8IS1FC6UNY/IMG_3275.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857681861-UH15JUY48S8IS1FC6UNY/IMG_3275.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x1875" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="PCT - Town Days/Trail Angels" data-load="false" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857681861-UH15JUY48S8IS1FC6UNY/IMG_3275.JPG" width="2500" height="1875" alt="" sizes="100vw" class="image" style="display:block;position: absolute; height: 100%; width: 100%; object-fit: cover; object-position: 50% 50%;" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857681861-UH15JUY48S8IS1FC6UNY/IMG_3275.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857681861-UH15JUY48S8IS1FC6UNY/IMG_3275.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857681861-UH15JUY48S8IS1FC6UNY/IMG_3275.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857681861-UH15JUY48S8IS1FC6UNY/IMG_3275.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857681861-UH15JUY48S8IS1FC6UNY/IMG_3275.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857681861-UH15JUY48S8IS1FC6UNY/IMG_3275.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857681861-UH15JUY48S8IS1FC6UNY/IMG_3275.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">5/14/19</time>
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<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">5/14/19</time>
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<h1 class="blog-title">
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PCT - Town Days/Trail Angels
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<h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;"> "How do you get more food? Do you ever shower or clean your clothes? What if you need something mailed to you? How do you keep your electronics charged? Do you ever get to sleep in a bed?"</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The answer to all of these questions is town days. Every 3-6 days, the Pacific Crest Trail passes either through or close to a town, and hikers go into town to take care of a laundry list (pun intended) of items in town.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Are these towns really close to the trail?</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Usually, they are a few miles away. If the town is close enough, you just hike right in, but there is often a hitch involved. People living in these towns are often very familiar with the PCT and hikers and are friendly and happy to give you a ride. Still, I'll usually not hitch alone. Sometimes you can get a ride from known trail angels (more about that below).</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Zero Days and Nero Days</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">There are two types of town days, "zero" days and "nero" days. A zero day is a day in which you do not hike at all (zero miles) . The plus side of zero days is you get a full day of rest and have a lot of time to take care of things. The downside is that they are expense. It usually means paying for multiple nights of accomodation, and you inevitably end up spending a lot of money on food and beer.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Nero is a portmanteau for "near zero". These are days where you hike a shorter day to get into or out of town (10 or fewer miles, usually) . The plus side is you save money by camping. Plus, the food and beer tastes a lot better after hiking.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Usually, Zero days are preceded or followed by a Nero day. Or, you can do two Neros (hike in, stay the night, hang around town a bit in the morning, hike out that evening). To really keep costs down and to keep moving, some people will hike into town early, take care of their business, and hike out a few miles that evening, avoiding paying for a place to stay. </p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Town To-Dos</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Usually, the highest priority in town is eating and drinking real food at a restaurant. Burgers. Salads and other FRESH food. ICE CREAM. BEER. It's exciting and tasty and more expensive than the ramen you've been eating for the past 5 days.</p>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Showers and laundry are often in order (unless you are doing the Dirty 30, but that's for another post). Where you get those done varies by town, sometimes there's a really hiker-friendly resource in town that offers showers or laundry for free or a nominal price. Sometimes it's laundrymats. Sometimes it's bucket laundry and bucket showers.</p>
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<div class="image-caption"><p class="">Fancy shower</p></div>
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<div class="image-caption"><p class="">Loaner clothes and towels</p></div>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">One of the highest priority items is to resupply on food. Hikers only carry much food as is necessary to get to the next town. The best case scenario is a full on grocery store (Von's, Walmart, etc.), but sometimes you have to make a convenience store work. </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">People often have family or friends mail them gear or food, or they send themselves boxes for later on the trail, so a stop at the Post Office is usually in order.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Electric outlets are hot commodities in hiker towns, and hikers get charges to phones and battery packs whenever they can.</p>
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<div class="image-caption"><p class="">All of the batteries</p></div>
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<h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Accomodations</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Sometimes, there's a go-to hostel, or campground that caters to hikers (cheap, showers, laundry, rides to/from the trail, electrical outlets, etc.). Other times, it's a game of how many hikers you can fit into an AirBnb or hotel room. Sleeping on a carpeted floor is still more luxurious than on the ground outside of town. In these situations, it's a long wait for the shower, and clothes are washed in the bath tub.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Trail Angels</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Today, I am taking a Zero at <a href="https://hikerheaven.com">Hiker Heaven</a>. Hiker Heaven is the house of Jeff and Donna Saufley. Jeff and Donna are what hikers call "trail angels". Trail angels are people that offer up homes, rides, and other sorts of helps to hikers, usually asking for nothing (but accepting donations) in return.</p>
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<div class="image-caption"><p class="">Hiker Heaven</p></div>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Hiker Heaven is one of the better known trail angel homes along the Pacific Crest Trail. Every day during the peak PCT season, they host 30+ hikers in their backyard.</p>
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<img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857164074-Z9KX9EAG14IIFH76F2CC/IMG_3277.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857164074-Z9KX9EAG14IIFH76F2CC/IMG_3277.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x1875" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="Hiker Heaven" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857164074-Z9KX9EAG14IIFH76F2CC/IMG_3277.JPG" width="2500" height="1875" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857164074-Z9KX9EAG14IIFH76F2CC/IMG_3277.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857164074-Z9KX9EAG14IIFH76F2CC/IMG_3277.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857164074-Z9KX9EAG14IIFH76F2CC/IMG_3277.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857164074-Z9KX9EAG14IIFH76F2CC/IMG_3277.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857164074-Z9KX9EAG14IIFH76F2CC/IMG_3277.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857164074-Z9KX9EAG14IIFH76F2CC/IMG_3277.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557857164074-Z9KX9EAG14IIFH76F2CC/IMG_3277.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
</div>
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<figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper">
<div class="image-caption"><p class="">Hiker Heaven</p></div>
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
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<div class="sqs-html-content">
<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">There are portapotties, plenty of room for tents, showers, laundry, loaner clothes (something to wear while you do your laundry), outlets, restaurants nearby, beer, and hikers huddled around a TV trying to catch up on Game of Thrones.</p><h3 style="white-space:pre-wrap;"> "Why the hell would anyone do that?"</h3><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Trail angels are just another example of how the Pacific Crest Trail runs on goodwill. The organization that runs the trail and permits, the Pacific Crest Trail Association is funded largely off of donations. Technically, the permit to hike the trail is free. </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">People hike the trail or interact with hikers and have a good experience and want to pay it forward. So, they host hikers, give them rides, do trail magic (also to be explained in another post), and help out. Plus, hikers are generally a good-natured and fun group, so hanging out with them isn't a bad time. </p>
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</div>
<a class="blog-more-link" href="/blog/2019/5/14/pct-town-daystrail-angels" data-animation-role="content">Read More</a>
</div>
</article>
<article class="blog-single-column--container entry blog-item">
<div>
<a href="/blog/2019/5/4/pct-average-day" class="image-wrapper" data-animation-role="image">
<img data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086447498-GLFZ3PCURQWXOZX76F31/IMG_3012.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086447498-GLFZ3PCURQWXOZX76F31/IMG_3012.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x3333" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="PCT - Average Day" data-load="false" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086447498-GLFZ3PCURQWXOZX76F31/IMG_3012.JPG" width="2500" height="3333" alt="" sizes="100vw" class="image" style="display:block;position: absolute; height: 100%; width: 100%; object-fit: cover; object-position: 0% 0%;" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086447498-GLFZ3PCURQWXOZX76F31/IMG_3012.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086447498-GLFZ3PCURQWXOZX76F31/IMG_3012.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086447498-GLFZ3PCURQWXOZX76F31/IMG_3012.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086447498-GLFZ3PCURQWXOZX76F31/IMG_3012.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086447498-GLFZ3PCURQWXOZX76F31/IMG_3012.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086447498-GLFZ3PCURQWXOZX76F31/IMG_3012.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086447498-GLFZ3PCURQWXOZX76F31/IMG_3012.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
</a>
</div>
<div class="blog-article-spacer"></div>
<div class="blog-single-column--text">
<div class="blog-meta-section">
<span class="blog-meta-primary">
<span class="blog-categories-list">
<a href="/blog/category/PCT" class="blog-categories">PCT</a>
</span>
<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">5/5/19</time>
</span>
<span class="blog-meta-delimiter"></span>
<span class="blog-meta-delimiter blog-category-delimiter"></span>
<span class="blog-meta-secondary">
<span class="blog-categories-list">
<a href="/blog/category/PCT" class="blog-categories">PCT</a>
</span>
<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">5/5/19</time>
</span>
</div>
<h1 class="blog-title">
<a href="/blog/2019/5/4/pct-average-day" data-no-animation>
PCT - Average Day
</a>
</h1>
<div class="blog-excerpt">
<div class="blog-excerpt-wrapper"></div>
<div class="blog-body-wrapper"><div class="sqs-layout sqs-grid-12 columns-12" data-layout-label="Post Body" data-type="item" id="item-5cce239f0d9297770eaf0a9f"><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-12 span-12"><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-d7cb0f1101c6e608ad42"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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<p>A lot of people seem confused or to have misconceptions about what my days look like on the trail. Even if they get the general idea of what my day may look like, other things confuse them like food, water, or number of times I would get mauled by an animal. So, here is how my day usual goes:</p><h3>Sometime between 5am and 6:30am</h3><p>Wake up from either alarm on my phone, the sun, or other hikers. </p>
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<img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557012711083-8NOB2ULNBUO08QAHKJJ6/IMG_3012.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557012711083-8NOB2ULNBUO08QAHKJJ6/IMG_3012.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x3333" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="My view when I get up. " data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557012711083-8NOB2ULNBUO08QAHKJJ6/IMG_3012.JPG" width="2500" height="3333" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557012711083-8NOB2ULNBUO08QAHKJJ6/IMG_3012.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557012711083-8NOB2ULNBUO08QAHKJJ6/IMG_3012.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557012711083-8NOB2ULNBUO08QAHKJJ6/IMG_3012.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557012711083-8NOB2ULNBUO08QAHKJJ6/IMG_3012.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557012711083-8NOB2ULNBUO08QAHKJJ6/IMG_3012.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557012711083-8NOB2ULNBUO08QAHKJJ6/IMG_3012.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557012711083-8NOB2ULNBUO08QAHKJJ6/IMG_3012.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
</div>
</div>
<figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper">
<div class="image-caption"><p>My view when I get up. </p></div>
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
</div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-yui_3_5_0_1_1557012504042_10079"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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<h3 id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_91976">Time I get up until I start hiking (between 6:30am and 8:00am, depending on how aggressive I want to be)</h3><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_2161"><span style="font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal;" id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_2160">Put in contacts (I carry a small thing of contact solution and a contact case), brush teeth (small tooth brush and tooth paste), floss (thrown away in my ziplock bag of garbage), drink some water (I'm mildly dehydrated because I avoid drinking water immediately before bed because nothing is worse than getting out of your sleeping bag to pee at 2am), eat a poptart or a cliff bar (or some other processed bar thing), pack some easily-accessible snacks in my hipbelt or fanny pack, work up the courage to take off my jacket and change into my hiking shirt (not because I am afraid to show my body but because it is cold), take off sleeping pants (exposing my short shorts and now very cold legs), change from sleeping socks to hiking socks (clean and soft to smelly snd dingy), put on hiking shoes and gaiters (the worst step because, until now, I’ve been in my sleeping bag), stand up, pack everything into my pack, go number 1, probably go number 2 (usually in a cat hole).</span></p><h3 id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_2276">First few hours hiking the day</h3><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_2477">Move left foot. Move right foot. Move left foot. Move right foot. </p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_5106">Usually it is chilly in the morning, so I'll start hiking with my windshirt (light, breathable, windproof jacket). Eventually, I heat up and will have to stop to take my jacket off. At that point, since I'm stopped anyway, I'll usually have a snack (probably the bar I packed that morning for easy access). All the while, I'm drinking a good amount of water. Hydrate or dydrate. When I get to a water source, I'll usually have to stop at a water source to filter more water.</p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_16586">The day pretty much repeats this way.</p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_17760"><em id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_17846">Hike. Snack. Drink water. Filter water.</em></p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_18635">On and off through the day, to keep myself preoccupied, I'll listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks.</p>
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</div></div><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="75.0" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_99124"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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<img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085933407-M7975V783IQFZ6HJWO7Z/IMG_3029.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085933407-M7975V783IQFZ6HJWO7Z/IMG_3029.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x1875" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="IMG_3029.JPG" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085933407-M7975V783IQFZ6HJWO7Z/IMG_3029.JPG" width="2500" height="1875" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085933407-M7975V783IQFZ6HJWO7Z/IMG_3029.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085933407-M7975V783IQFZ6HJWO7Z/IMG_3029.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085933407-M7975V783IQFZ6HJWO7Z/IMG_3029.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085933407-M7975V783IQFZ6HJWO7Z/IMG_3029.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085933407-M7975V783IQFZ6HJWO7Z/IMG_3029.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085933407-M7975V783IQFZ6HJWO7Z/IMG_3029.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085933407-M7975V783IQFZ6HJWO7Z/IMG_3029.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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<div class="sqs-html-content">
<p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_21909">Usually, I'll take a longer break around lunch time to eat something that is harder to manage while moving, like packaged tuna in a tortilla. <em id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_28480">Mmmmmmm. </em>Lunch breaks are usually with other people that I've happened upon at a water source.</p>
</div>
</div></div><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="133.33333333333331" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_107646"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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<img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086120096-Z7GYU7RCVQQTL3LJU9ZO/IMG_3035.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086120096-Z7GYU7RCVQQTL3LJU9ZO/IMG_3035.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x3333" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="Lunch." data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086120096-Z7GYU7RCVQQTL3LJU9ZO/IMG_3035.JPG" width="2500" height="3333" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086120096-Z7GYU7RCVQQTL3LJU9ZO/IMG_3035.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086120096-Z7GYU7RCVQQTL3LJU9ZO/IMG_3035.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086120096-Z7GYU7RCVQQTL3LJU9ZO/IMG_3035.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086120096-Z7GYU7RCVQQTL3LJU9ZO/IMG_3035.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086120096-Z7GYU7RCVQQTL3LJU9ZO/IMG_3035.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086120096-Z7GYU7RCVQQTL3LJU9ZO/IMG_3035.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086120096-Z7GYU7RCVQQTL3LJU9ZO/IMG_3035.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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<figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper">
<div class="image-caption"><p>Lunch.</p></div>
</figcaption>
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<p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_30349">If it's the desert and hot (which it often is during the first 700 miles), I'll take a longer lunch break to avoid the heat. On hot days, people tend to wake up very early and hike as much as possible before it gets unbareably hot and continue hiking in the evening. Some people will even night hike to avoid the heat.</p>
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<img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086051395-Z4RIXLHKS3Y26LAV86R9/IMG_2726.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086051395-Z4RIXLHKS3Y26LAV86R9/IMG_2726.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x1875" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="IMG_2726.JPG" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086051395-Z4RIXLHKS3Y26LAV86R9/IMG_2726.JPG" width="2500" height="1875" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086051395-Z4RIXLHKS3Y26LAV86R9/IMG_2726.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086051395-Z4RIXLHKS3Y26LAV86R9/IMG_2726.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086051395-Z4RIXLHKS3Y26LAV86R9/IMG_2726.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086051395-Z4RIXLHKS3Y26LAV86R9/IMG_2726.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086051395-Z4RIXLHKS3Y26LAV86R9/IMG_2726.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086051395-Z4RIXLHKS3Y26LAV86R9/IMG_2726.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086051395-Z4RIXLHKS3Y26LAV86R9/IMG_2726.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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</figure>
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</div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_107112"><div class="sqs-block-content">
<div class="sqs-html-content">
<p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_37297">All through the day I am also checking Guthooks (phone app that has trail maps, elevation, waypoints and landmarks. It's basically your life and guide as a hiker). To see what lies ahead, when I'll come across water again, etc.</p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_42998">Once it gets to be late afternoon, I'll set my sights on a campground that is hopefully a manageable distance away and hopefully next to water. Generally, people shoot for around 20 miles in a full hiking day. Apparently that increases later on as people get more hiker fit.</p><h3 id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_47759">Evening/Post Hiking (5:00pm or 6:00pm and onward)</h3><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_50124">When I get to a tent site, I first find a good spot to set up my stuff. Flat. Surrounded by objects to block the wind. Dry. I basically do every morning activity in reverse. Unpack everything. Change into PJs. Put on my down puffy jacket. Change to sleep socks. Take out contacts. Lay out sleeping bag and bivy. If it looks like rain, set up my tarp.</p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_67631">I also like to filter water and get it out of the way at this point, so I have enough to drink in the evening, cook with, and hike to the next water source the next day.</p>
</div>
</div></div><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="133.33333333333331" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_113891"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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<img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086260065-YV8I8PACED4R6J3YN8OC/IMG_3036.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086260065-YV8I8PACED4R6J3YN8OC/IMG_3036.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x3333" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="Water filter." data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086260065-YV8I8PACED4R6J3YN8OC/IMG_3036.JPG" width="2500" height="3333" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086260065-YV8I8PACED4R6J3YN8OC/IMG_3036.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086260065-YV8I8PACED4R6J3YN8OC/IMG_3036.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086260065-YV8I8PACED4R6J3YN8OC/IMG_3036.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086260065-YV8I8PACED4R6J3YN8OC/IMG_3036.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086260065-YV8I8PACED4R6J3YN8OC/IMG_3036.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086260065-YV8I8PACED4R6J3YN8OC/IMG_3036.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086260065-YV8I8PACED4R6J3YN8OC/IMG_3036.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
</div>
</div>
<figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper">
<div class="image-caption"><p>Water filter.</p></div>
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
</div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_117458"><div class="sqs-block-content">
<div class="sqs-html-content">
<p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_67621">After everything is squared away, I'll start making dinner. This is my one cooked meal of the day. Ramen. <em id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_63739">Oooohhhh</em>. Knorr Pasta Sides. <em id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_64699">Ahhhhh</em>. Couscous. <em id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_65317">Wowww</em>. Basically any dehydrated noodle, rice, or similar. I cook it with a little gas stove with a little titanium pot. My little titanium pot is also my bowl and cup. If I am really fancy that day, I'll make some hot chocolate, tea, or cider.</p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_75123">I have yet to camp solo on the PCT. You almost always camp with hikers you've been playing leapfrog with all day. Dinner is when/where everyone sits together and socializes.</p>
</div>
</div></div><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="75.0" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_93016"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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<img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085800269-98Z8SR56KKR2X0CTZOIO/IMG_3021.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085800269-98Z8SR56KKR2X0CTZOIO/IMG_3021.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x1875" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="Punsalot, Jon-Kyle, Oracle, and Me, Vox" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085800269-98Z8SR56KKR2X0CTZOIO/IMG_3021.JPG" width="2500" height="1875" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085800269-98Z8SR56KKR2X0CTZOIO/IMG_3021.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085800269-98Z8SR56KKR2X0CTZOIO/IMG_3021.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085800269-98Z8SR56KKR2X0CTZOIO/IMG_3021.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085800269-98Z8SR56KKR2X0CTZOIO/IMG_3021.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085800269-98Z8SR56KKR2X0CTZOIO/IMG_3021.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085800269-98Z8SR56KKR2X0CTZOIO/IMG_3021.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085800269-98Z8SR56KKR2X0CTZOIO/IMG_3021.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
</div>
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<figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper">
<div class="image-caption"><p>Punsalot, Jon-Kyle, Oracle, and Me, Vox</p></div>
</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
</div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_95242"><div class="sqs-block-content">
<div class="sqs-html-content">
<p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_78865">If I'm at an official campsite with an official fire ring, we'll make a fire. Otherwise, it's off to bed around 7:00pm or 8:00pm. Hiker midnight is 9:00 pm. </p>
</div>
</div></div><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="75.0" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_90075"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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<img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085755381-ILD8KNCT1T3VE1H2KW7R/IMG_2960.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085755381-ILD8KNCT1T3VE1H2KW7R/IMG_2960.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x1875" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="IMG_2960.JPG" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085755381-ILD8KNCT1T3VE1H2KW7R/IMG_2960.JPG" width="2500" height="1875" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085755381-ILD8KNCT1T3VE1H2KW7R/IMG_2960.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085755381-ILD8KNCT1T3VE1H2KW7R/IMG_2960.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085755381-ILD8KNCT1T3VE1H2KW7R/IMG_2960.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085755381-ILD8KNCT1T3VE1H2KW7R/IMG_2960.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085755381-ILD8KNCT1T3VE1H2KW7R/IMG_2960.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085755381-ILD8KNCT1T3VE1H2KW7R/IMG_2960.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085755381-ILD8KNCT1T3VE1H2KW7R/IMG_2960.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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</figure>
</div>
</div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_92532"><div class="sqs-block-content">
<div class="sqs-html-content">
<p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_82849">In my sleeping bag, I'll read on the Kindle app on my phone, look at Guthooks to get an idea of the day tomorrow, and get ready to do it all over again.</p>
</div>
</div></div><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="133.33333333333331" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_5_0_1_1557084303399_96788"><div class="sqs-block-content">
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<img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085874690-EMFNASV0HIHZBU8FMNDK/IMG_2890.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085874690-EMFNASV0HIHZBU8FMNDK/IMG_2890.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x3333" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="IMG_2890.JPG" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085874690-EMFNASV0HIHZBU8FMNDK/IMG_2890.JPG" width="2500" height="3333" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085874690-EMFNASV0HIHZBU8FMNDK/IMG_2890.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085874690-EMFNASV0HIHZBU8FMNDK/IMG_2890.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085874690-EMFNASV0HIHZBU8FMNDK/IMG_2890.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085874690-EMFNASV0HIHZBU8FMNDK/IMG_2890.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085874690-EMFNASV0HIHZBU8FMNDK/IMG_2890.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085874690-EMFNASV0HIHZBU8FMNDK/IMG_2890.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557085874690-EMFNASV0HIHZBU8FMNDK/IMG_2890.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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</figure>
</div>
</div></div></div></div></div></div>
</div>
<a class="blog-more-link" href="/blog/2019/5/4/pct-average-day" data-animation-role="content">Read More</a>
</div>
</article>
<article class="blog-single-column--container entry blog-item">
<div>
<a href="/blog/2019/5/4/pct-memory" class="image-wrapper" data-animation-role="image">
<img data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086389010-151NGRSVCAPHD3L8FIYL/IMG_2958.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086389010-151NGRSVCAPHD3L8FIYL/IMG_2958.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x1875" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="PCT - Memory" data-load="false" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086389010-151NGRSVCAPHD3L8FIYL/IMG_2958.JPG" width="2500" height="1875" alt="" sizes="100vw" class="image" style="display:block;position: absolute; height: 100%; width: 100%; object-fit: cover; object-position: 50% 50%;" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086389010-151NGRSVCAPHD3L8FIYL/IMG_2958.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086389010-151NGRSVCAPHD3L8FIYL/IMG_2958.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086389010-151NGRSVCAPHD3L8FIYL/IMG_2958.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086389010-151NGRSVCAPHD3L8FIYL/IMG_2958.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086389010-151NGRSVCAPHD3L8FIYL/IMG_2958.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086389010-151NGRSVCAPHD3L8FIYL/IMG_2958.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1557086389010-151NGRSVCAPHD3L8FIYL/IMG_2958.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
</a>
</div>
<div class="blog-article-spacer"></div>
<div class="blog-single-column--text">
<div class="blog-meta-section">
<span class="blog-meta-primary">
<span class="blog-categories-list">
<a href="/blog/category/PCT" class="blog-categories">PCT</a>
</span>
<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">5/4/19</time>
</span>
<span class="blog-meta-delimiter"></span>
<span class="blog-meta-delimiter blog-category-delimiter"></span>
<span class="blog-meta-secondary">
<span class="blog-categories-list">
<a href="/blog/category/PCT" class="blog-categories">PCT</a>
</span>
<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">5/4/19</time>
</span>
</div>
<h1 class="blog-title">
<a href="/blog/2019/5/4/pct-memory" data-no-animation>
PCT - Memory
</a>
</h1>
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<p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">When your life revolves around steps forward on a trail, your memory becomes hyperlinear. You don't remember things as happening X number of days ago or even X number of miles ago. You become intimately acquainted with the order of events in your life. You can start at an event and follow a string forward or backward, the same way you can trace a digressed conversation. Put another way, your life becomes laid out on a timeline. Events, whether mundane or exceptional, become inextricably linked to those that sandwich it.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Another reason for this shift in memory might be that no two days are the same. The outline of each day is of course the same: <em>Wake up with the sun. Hike. Go to bed with the sun. </em>But spatially, it is never the same. You are never hiking over the same trail. The scenery is different. The elevation gains and losses are different. The turns are different. The fauna and flora are different. No two places on Earth are exactly the same, and you are moving step by step from new, unique spot to new, unique spot. Not to mention weather! You can stand in the same spot twice, but the weather can be completely different, and when you are outside 95% of your life, you start noticing the weather a helluva lot more.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">How is this different than life off the trail? How is this different than, say, working in an office? Tasks around a house or at work may vary, and some may never be the same, but the human mind didn't develop by looking at different numbers every day on a screen. It developed spatially, needing to remember unique places based on small details and the significance of those places.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">There are so many elements of a routine life that are easy to do without thinking because they are exactly that, routine. As a result, they don't truly engage your brain (I'm not a doctor and never claimed to be). When nature, weather, the trail and other people are constantly throwing new things at you, you can't run on autopilot. Sure you can zone out while you're hiking for an hour or so--it can be very meditative, but your lizard-brain is still processing and calculating: <em>rock. rock. branch. hill. downhill. rock. fallen tree. wind. </em>Time slows down because your mind is constantly engaged on its most basic level.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I think it's, in part, why meditation has become such an important part of modern life and why meditation takes so much practice. It's hard to train your mind to think: <em>same florescent light. flat carpet. 70 degree temperature. screen. paper. </em>without completely tuning out and later wondering where your day went.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">All of this is to say, on the trail, I feel very much in touch with my memory and time. It feels weird to say I've only been on the PCT for two weeks because it feels a lot longer. I forget how short of time it's been, get into town, and call a friend thinking, "IT'S BEEN SO LONG!". Only to find they feel time has barely passed at all.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Also, my notes and journal are hyperlinear and don't make for very engaging stories (<em>rock. hill. new friend. pretty vista. pizza in town. campsite.),</em> so instead of spewing out a timeline of many events, places, and people, all of which mean very little to you (and I'm not concise or eloquent enough to make you know or care about them in a short amount of time), I am going to try to summarize the feelings and thoughts I have on the trail with some photos of the pretty places where I had those thoughts or feelings.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"> </p>
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<div class="image-caption"><p class="">Pretty place.</p></div>
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<a class="blog-more-link" href="/blog/2019/5/4/pct-memory" data-animation-role="content">Read More</a>
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<a href="/blog/2019/4/29/never-a-runner-part-4" class="image-wrapper" data-animation-role="image">
<img data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556578477207-9Y3F9EIACMW79Z3J3SPJ/IMG_1140.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556578477207-9Y3F9EIACMW79Z3J3SPJ/IMG_1140.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x3333" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="Never a Runner - Part 4" data-load="false" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556578477207-9Y3F9EIACMW79Z3J3SPJ/IMG_1140.JPG" width="2500" height="3333" alt="" sizes="100vw" class="image" style="display:block;position: absolute; height: 100%; width: 100%; object-fit: cover; object-position: 0% 0%;" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556578477207-9Y3F9EIACMW79Z3J3SPJ/IMG_1140.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556578477207-9Y3F9EIACMW79Z3J3SPJ/IMG_1140.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556578477207-9Y3F9EIACMW79Z3J3SPJ/IMG_1140.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556578477207-9Y3F9EIACMW79Z3J3SPJ/IMG_1140.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556578477207-9Y3F9EIACMW79Z3J3SPJ/IMG_1140.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556578477207-9Y3F9EIACMW79Z3J3SPJ/IMG_1140.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556578477207-9Y3F9EIACMW79Z3J3SPJ/IMG_1140.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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<a href="/blog/category/running" class="blog-categories">running</a>
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<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">4/29/19</time>
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<a href="/blog/category/running" class="blog-categories">running</a>
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<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">4/29/19</time>
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<h1 class="blog-title">
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Never a Runner - Part 4
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<p>I was running regularly now. When I ran out of the audiobooks already in my library, I decided to give running books a try. After all, what better motivation while running than books about how great running is? My first choice was the now classic Born To Run. I just knew it was popular with runners and talked about running barefoot or something; however, as I got deeper into the book, I realized it was about running on a much more fundamental and moving level.</p><p>Given the name of the book, it seems silly to say the biggest take away was just how innately tied running is to being human. I had been bumbling through my 20s, a time of minimal commitments and stifling possibilities. I was asking myself everyday, am I in the right place? Am I doing what I should be doing? As I ran and listened to Born to Run, I realized that I found one thing where I didn't have to question its worth or whether it was right. If I was running, I was doing something that I was meant to do on my most basic level. Hit with this realization, I found myself starting to cry in the middle of a 10 mile long run.</p><p>Once I got through Born to Run, I moved on to Scott Jurek's books. Scott comes up in Born to Run, and his book Eat & Run proved to be moving and another source of inspiration. The book sold me on veganism, and I started changing my diet to be whole foods and plant based. Over the next few weeks, my mileage continued to rise. I went out to drink less because drinks meant late nights and not being able to get up to run at 5am before work. Between my shifting diet, lower alcohol consumption, and running schedule, I felt better than I ever had. The pounds started to come off as well. Diet and exercise, who knew?</p><p>For better or for worse, my social life took a hit from not going out as much. Friends wondered where I went and why I was radio silent. But, having always been a large extrovert, especially in college, it was refreshing to feel this move towards introversion. I was becoming more self-reliant.</p><p>My breakthrough run came during a visit to Madison a few weeks before the half marathon. It was my favorite time and place, Fall in Madison, and on the Sunday morning of my visit, I was bent on making up for lost time. I had a short list of places I wanted to run through: the Terrace, Picnic Point, the Arboretum, the Capital. I wanted to finish with breakfast at Colectivo on the Square. I briefly tried to figure out the mileage ahead of time but decided it didn't matter. As the sun rose, I steadily made my way from checkpoint to checkpoint.</p>
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<p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1556577558882_4528">I saw the sun rise over Mendota and the settled mist in the parks around Winga. In all my time in college, I never saw this beautiful side of Madison. I regretted not taking advantage while I was living there but felt thankful I could experience it now.</p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1556577558882_1449"> By the time I was out of the Arboretum, I was at 13 miles, the furthest I had ever run. It was 2 miles to Colectivo and my breakfast burrito, and I sure as hell wasn't going to Uber.</p>
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<p><br></p><p>All said and done, I ran just over 15 miles. Not only was I ready for the half marathon, but I was ready for a new challenge. I signed up for the Madison Marathon before I even ran the Chicago Half. It was about 2 months after the Half, and I found and started following Hal Higdon's 50k training plan, which had a half marathon, marathon, and 50k spaced out in 8 week increments.</p><p>By this time, I had made my way through all of the big memoirs of ultramarathon runners. I was afraid to tell anyone, but in my head, I had decided I was going to run an ultra.</p><p>The half marathon came, and I ran well enough beneath my goal of 2 hours with a time of 1:52. I was a runner.</p>
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<img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556577706217-ARDSHB9WO7YOOR983N4M/FullSizeRender.jpg" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556577706217-ARDSHB9WO7YOOR983N4M/FullSizeRender.jpg" data-image-dimensions="2500x3333" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="Me looking hot after the half marathon" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556577706217-ARDSHB9WO7YOOR983N4M/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="2500" height="3333" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556577706217-ARDSHB9WO7YOOR983N4M/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556577706217-ARDSHB9WO7YOOR983N4M/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556577706217-ARDSHB9WO7YOOR983N4M/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556577706217-ARDSHB9WO7YOOR983N4M/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556577706217-ARDSHB9WO7YOOR983N4M/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556577706217-ARDSHB9WO7YOOR983N4M/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1556577706217-ARDSHB9WO7YOOR983N4M/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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<a class="blog-more-link" href="/blog/2019/4/29/never-a-runner-part-4" data-animation-role="content">Read More</a>
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</article>
<article class="blog-single-column--container entry blog-item">
<div>
<a href="/blog/2019/4/14/never" class="image-wrapper" data-animation-role="image">
<img data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555337198408-ZV8G8YLY227TSPCARX58/5A536846-3A8E-473E-90F4-F9640EBAF832.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555337198408-ZV8G8YLY227TSPCARX58/5A536846-3A8E-473E-90F4-F9640EBAF832.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2500x3333" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="Never a Runner - Part 3" data-load="false" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555337198408-ZV8G8YLY227TSPCARX58/5A536846-3A8E-473E-90F4-F9640EBAF832.JPG" width="2500" height="3333" alt="" sizes="100vw" class="image" style="display:block;position: absolute; height: 100%; width: 100%; object-fit: cover; object-position: 50% 50%;" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555337198408-ZV8G8YLY227TSPCARX58/5A536846-3A8E-473E-90F4-F9640EBAF832.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555337198408-ZV8G8YLY227TSPCARX58/5A536846-3A8E-473E-90F4-F9640EBAF832.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555337198408-ZV8G8YLY227TSPCARX58/5A536846-3A8E-473E-90F4-F9640EBAF832.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555337198408-ZV8G8YLY227TSPCARX58/5A536846-3A8E-473E-90F4-F9640EBAF832.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555337198408-ZV8G8YLY227TSPCARX58/5A536846-3A8E-473E-90F4-F9640EBAF832.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555337198408-ZV8G8YLY227TSPCARX58/5A536846-3A8E-473E-90F4-F9640EBAF832.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555337198408-ZV8G8YLY227TSPCARX58/5A536846-3A8E-473E-90F4-F9640EBAF832.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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<div class="blog-article-spacer"></div>
<div class="blog-single-column--text">
<div class="blog-meta-section">
<span class="blog-meta-primary">
<span class="blog-categories-list">
<a href="/blog/category/running" class="blog-categories">running</a>
</span>
<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">4/15/19</time>
</span>
<span class="blog-meta-delimiter"></span>
<span class="blog-meta-delimiter blog-category-delimiter"></span>
<span class="blog-meta-secondary">
<span class="blog-categories-list">
<a href="/blog/category/running" class="blog-categories">running</a>
</span>
<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">4/15/19</time>
</span>
</div>
<h1 class="blog-title">
<a href="/blog/2019/4/14/never" data-no-animation>
Never a Runner - Part 3
</a>
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<p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1555335839626_39876">There I was again, a few years out of school, not working out, not a runner, and coping with the brutal Chicago winter by eating and drinking with friends as many nights a week as I could. To build up a more consistent stream of nights out, I started a newsletter. It was called "TJ Time", and I would send it to all of my friends in Chicago every week. It outlined events, restaurants, and activities that I was interested in that week. If a friend was interested as well, they could text me and know I was up for it.</p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1555335839626_2303">It kept me busy and distracted and was a lot of fun, but eventually I became (as my friends had speculated would happen when I first described the idea to them) exhausted. I also was spending a lot of money. </p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1555335839626_2304">To save money and to enjoy the recently turned-spring Chicago weather, I started walking or biking to meet friends as much as possible. I figured if I was meeting friends in an hour, and it was an hour walk away, why would I sit at home for 40 minutes waiting to take a $10 Uber? It didn't hurt that walking a few miles would offset a beer or two.</p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1555335839626_1442">But still, I found myself stewing at my desk at work, feeling burnt out from a combination of work and a self-inflicted onslaught of social activity. The only time during the day I was finding peace was when I walked. I would listen to a podcast or music and soak in the city for an hour or more at a time. I felt like the influx of socializing wasn't making me happier, just more stressed and out of shape, and I got that familiar urge to stir up my life and make a rash decision at my desk.</p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1555335839626_1611">A group of my friends do the Chicago half marathon every year, and it was 8 weeks away. 13 miles. 8 weeks. Based on my cross country days of steadily building up mileage, I figured it was possible, if just barely, but I had to start that day.</p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1555335839626_1965">I put down the $75 (what I get for signing up last minute) and told a few friends (to add to the social pressure). I got home and laced up. I told myself that I just needed to finish the distance. It didn't matter how fast or slow I did it; I just wanted to finish. The same went for my training runs. Every time I had started running before, I found myself panting and hating it, so I told myself to take it slow. I admitted to myself that I no longer was a freshman in high school, and I had put on a pound or two since then. It was ok if I didn't run an 8 minute mile so long as I ran the distance.</p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1555335839626_2305">I got advice from my brother who had finished an Iron Man in the last year. He told me to not run every day at first. Your body needs time to adapt and that includes recovery time. I was all too familiar with starting to run only to find myself with shin splints days later. </p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1555335839626_2306">So, I started running slow, where I could still breath easy. Since I wasn't panting and struggling, I brought headphones with me and listened to a podcast as I ran. This time it felt different. Slowing down let me enjoy the feeling of using my body, taking in the city around me, and enjoying the conversation in the podcast. Instead of wondering when I would be done, I was enjoying the present.</p><p id="yui_3_5_0_1_1555335839626_2307">All that being said, I still was pretty pooped after 2.5 miles, and I stopped to reward myself with High-Five Ramen (a promise I made myself before the run). The 1,000+ calories in my bowl of ramen definitely outweighed the 200-300 calories I had burned on my run, but I didn't worry about it. I knew I would be burning a lot more.</p>
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<img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555336949566-YF5NGOCSVYURWHZB2747/FullSizeRender.jpg" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555336949566-YF5NGOCSVYURWHZB2747/FullSizeRender.jpg" data-image-dimensions="1125x1560" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="My first run after signing up for the half marathon" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555336949566-YF5NGOCSVYURWHZB2747/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="1125" height="1560" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555336949566-YF5NGOCSVYURWHZB2747/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555336949566-YF5NGOCSVYURWHZB2747/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555336949566-YF5NGOCSVYURWHZB2747/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555336949566-YF5NGOCSVYURWHZB2747/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555336949566-YF5NGOCSVYURWHZB2747/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555336949566-YF5NGOCSVYURWHZB2747/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555336949566-YF5NGOCSVYURWHZB2747/FullSizeRender.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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<div class="image-caption"><p>My first run after signing up for the half marathon</p></div>
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<p>Over the next few weeks, I continued to take it slow. I started off running every other day. Beyond keeping me injury-free, it took the pressure off of running each day. Other times that I had tried to become a "runner", I couldn't get over feeling that meant that I needed to run every day for the rest of my life.<br></p><p>I also continued to run slow. I was a lot more relaxed, and it made me dread running less and less. I continued with my podcasts and started delving into audiobooks. I wouldn't let myself listen to an audiobook outside of runs. I surprised myself by being starting to be bummed out on days I couldn't run. I even started looking forward to running because it meant more of my audiobook and because my days started to not feel complete without that increasingly familiar strange feeling of invigoration, exhaustion, looseness, and relaxation that comes from a run.</p><p>I also slowly began to increase my mileage. After a week of running 2 miles on average, I upped it to 3. By the end of the second week, I surprised myself by pushing myself to a long run of 6. I don't remember it feeling easy, but I know it felt rewarding when I was done. I finished it at the Art Institute and sat and had a coffee in the garden. It was summer in Chicago, the sun was out, my body felt good, and everything was beautiful.</p>
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<a class="blog-more-link" href="/blog/2019/4/14/never" data-animation-role="content">Read More</a>
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</article>
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<div>
<a href="/blog/2019/3/12/never-a-runner-part-2" class="image-wrapper" data-animation-role="image">
<img data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555269700508-SI9S3IG6J432JM6VWWP6/IMG_2540.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555269700508-SI9S3IG6J432JM6VWWP6/IMG_2540.JPG" data-image-dimensions="2436x1624" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="Never a Runner - Part 2" data-load="false" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555269700508-SI9S3IG6J432JM6VWWP6/IMG_2540.JPG" width="2436" height="1624" alt="" sizes="100vw" class="image" style="display:block;position: absolute; height: 100%; width: 100%; object-fit: cover; object-position: 50% 50%;" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555269700508-SI9S3IG6J432JM6VWWP6/IMG_2540.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555269700508-SI9S3IG6J432JM6VWWP6/IMG_2540.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555269700508-SI9S3IG6J432JM6VWWP6/IMG_2540.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555269700508-SI9S3IG6J432JM6VWWP6/IMG_2540.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555269700508-SI9S3IG6J432JM6VWWP6/IMG_2540.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555269700508-SI9S3IG6J432JM6VWWP6/IMG_2540.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53835ceee4b02ca8a936754d/1555269700508-SI9S3IG6J432JM6VWWP6/IMG_2540.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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<a href="/blog/category/running" class="blog-categories">running</a>
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<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">4/14/19</time>
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<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">4/14/19</time>
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Never a Runner - Part 2
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<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I moved to Chicago, and after two years living there, I had never ventured onto the 606 Trail or covered more than 10% of the Lakefront Path. I had a pair of running shoes from Fleet Feet that never left my closet. I carried them from apartment to apartment, not because I planned to use them but because of the hefty price the salesman had pressured me into paying for them. They simultaneously served as an hopeful agent of change and as an increasingly potent reminder that I hadn’t and should stop trying.</p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I wasn’t without hobbies—I got involved in the famous Chicago improv comedy scene. I’d have class once a week, followed by drinks with my classmates after. Our teachers would encourage us to go see shows, and we got in for free as students, so we would. Three or four times a week, I would meet up with friends and see two or three improv shows and drink five or six beers in the process. Rarely going to bed before midnight, I would wake up for work as late as possible. I was having fun, but I didn’t feel good. </p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">As the months wore on, I felt like my life was stagnating while my waistline was expanding. Since starting to work full time, I developed the habit of building up a mix of frustration, energy, and ambition while sitting at my desk. Why am I not spending energy on making myself better the way that I am spending energy on work? Why am I spending my most precious hours at a desk? Why do I live in Chicago where there’s little nature but plenty of drinking?</p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">These fits would often manifest themselves in buying gear or booking trips. I couldn’t go backpacking on the weekend in Chicago, but I could stockpile backpacking gear and use vacation days. Sometimes, instead of buying something, I signed up for something: improv classes, a climbing gym I never went to, a normal gym I never went to.</p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The trips I booked would often be to some ecotourism destination. I would arrive with a fast-paced itinerary, trying to get in as much nature and sights as possible into as short of a time as possible, all in an attempt to restore myself while conserving those precious vacation days. </p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">When I switched to my second job in Chicago, I managed to sneak in a week to travel. A friend had often told me about the Haute Route in Switzerland/France and its hiking variation, and I thought hiking a portion of this trail from Chamonix to Zermatt would be an ideal respite before I started my new job. Shortly after setting out hiking from Chamonix, I quickly became aware of the staggering grade and elevation of the Alps and just how physically ill prepared I was to hike at the speed I had planned for.</p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">As I hiked from town to town in the Alps and met other hikers staying at the hostels and refuges, I realized the much more popular hike in the area was the Tour du Mont Blanc, a 105.7 mile loop around the base of Mont Blanc passing through France, Switzerland, and Italy in the process. Most of the hikers were doing this loop over a 10-day period. Passing through towns, I also saw signs for something called the “UTMB”, which had apparently just happened.</p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I did not learn what the UTMB was until I had finished hiking and was back in Chamonix, staying at a hostel for the night before heading back to Geneva on a bus in the morning. When I arrived in my four-bunk hostel room, there was only one other person. He was taller and lanky with a beard and long curly hair. All of the clothes he was wearing (and his bag) were Black Diamond.</p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I started to make casual conversation with him and soon figured out his name was Joe Grant, and he was there for the UTMB. He informed me that the UTMB was a race on the path of the Tour du Mont Blanc—all 105.6 miles in one push, with the winner doing in it in less than 24 hours. I had heard of ultra running in passing, but I had never heard of anything like this. I could barely imagine doing the hike in a week, much less in a day.</p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I also learned that Joe wasn’t there to race the UTMB—he had already done that before, multiple times—he was there to provide commentary. He was also there to do a photo shoot in the mountains around Chamonix because he had recently become Black Diamond’s first and only sponsored runner. Joe and I also figured out that we were on the same early-morning bus back to Geneva.</p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The next morning, Joe and I got croissants and coffee before sitting together for the 2+ hour bus ride. As a result, I was fortunate enough to learn more about Joe and pick his brain. Joe had run in, placed, or won many of the most prestigious ultra-marathons in the US (and the world). The previous year, Joe had set the fastest known time (“FKT”) for self-powered, self-supported ascent of all (53+) of Colorado’s “fourteeners” (peaks over 14,000 ft). He started ultra-running because he loves nature, and running through the mountains is one of the purest (and most efficient) ways to soak in nature and its beauty. He didn’t set out on bike from Gold Hill, CO and climb 53 peaks because he wanted to conquer nature—he did it because he wanted to challenge himself and fully appreciate Colorado’s mountains.</p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">To me, Joe ran for reasons I could get behind, reasons that made sense to me. I parted ways with Joe, inspired to start running when I got back to Chicago. Back in Chicago, I laced up the same running shoes I had purchased when I moved to the city, and I went out to run 2 miles. I swore to myself that it would be different this time. This time I was inspired--I would start running every day and become a "runner". I started off as I had many times before, pushing my speed to match my mile times from high school cross country, refusing to believe I had lost a modicum of fitness from nearly a decade of minimal exercise and excessive eating and drinking.</p><p>This time wasn't different. I huffed and puffed for 2 miles, got myself out of bed a few more times after that, and gave it up after about a week. </p><p> </p>
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<a href="/blog/category/running" class="blog-categories">running</a><span class="blog-categories--comma">, </span>
<a href="/blog/category/UTMB" class="blog-categories">UTMB</a>
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<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">3/12/19</time>
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<a href="/blog/category/running" class="blog-categories">running</a><span class="blog-categories--comma">, </span>
<a href="/blog/category/UTMB" class="blog-categories">UTMB</a>
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<span class="blog-author">TJ Pyzyk</span>
<time class="blog-date" pubdate data-animation-role="date">3/12/19</time>
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<h1 class="blog-title">
<a href="/blog/2019/3/12/utmb" data-no-animation>
UTMB
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<h1 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I’ve decide that I want to run the UTMB</h1>
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<h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">What is the UTMB?</h2>
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<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">UTMB stands for “Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc”. It’s an ultramarathon that covers the entirety of the Tour du Mont Blanc, a hiking trail that circumnavigates Mont Blanc. The trail is 106 miles long with elevation gain of 32,940 ft and travels through Switzerland, Italy, and France. The Tour du Mont Blanc is normally hiked in 10-14 days. During the UTMB, runners cover the distance in less than a day.</p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">“Ok, that’s absurd and cool, but why does this matter?” </p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Well, as I just said, I want to run the damn thing.</p>
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<h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">So Sign Up…?</h2><p data-rte-preserve-empty="true" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"></p><p data-rte-preserve-empty="true" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"></p><h2 data-rte-preserve-empty="true" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"></h2>
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<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">It’s not so easy. due to a limited number of spots, the UTMB sign up runs on a lottery system. But in order to even enter the lottery, you need to have 15 UTMB qualifying points from a maximum of 3 races. You get UTMB points from finishing a race, and the number of points is based on the difficulty of the race. So, in order to join the lottery, you need one of the following combos of race points: 5 x 5 x 5 — 6 x 5 x 3—6 x 6 x 3. All of these races must be completed during the two calendar years preceding the UTMB.</p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">To give you an idea, a 4-point race is a hard 50-mile race, a 100-point race is an “easy” 100-mile race, and a 6-point race is a hard 100-mile race. Difficulty is mainly based on distance, elevation gain, and the environmental difficulty (heat, altitude, etc.)</p>
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<p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Running….a lot…and trying to trail run as much as I can, which is not easy to do in Chicago. I’ve also already done/signed up for some of those point races…</p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I just did the Marin Ultra Challenge 50 mile on March 9th. This was a big step (pun intended), partially because it’s 50 freaking miles but also because it has 10,000+ ft of elevation gain. Since I finished just shy of 11 hours, I will get 4 points. Boom.</p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">The next one is the Mines of Spain 100 in October. This is one of those “easy” 100-milers that in no way will be easy. If I can run around a big loop in Iowa 5 times, I will get 5 points. Over half way there.</p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">If I successfully complete those races, I’ll just need one hard-ass 100-miler in 2020 (TBD), and I can submit for the 2021 UTMB (in order to likely not get a spot in the lottery). AND if I do all of that and get a spot, I’ll have the privilege of running 106 miles through some of the most beautiful and dramatic mountains in the world.</p><p style="white-space:pre-wrap;">It all sounds ridiculous and fun.</p>
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<h2 style="white-space:pre-wrap;">So how are you going to get in?</h2>
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