Action.Adventure.Activator

I decided this year to practice expressing myself and my reflections. This is my platform.

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This was when the fires started to become a very real part of our experience on the trail this year. The massive tamarack fire to the south, the ever growing soon to be the 2nd largest fire in CA history, the Dixie Fire to the north (still burning 3 months later). We hiked almost exclusively with our solidified trail family since starting together at Echo Lake. We navigated every obstacle and town together till we broke up in NorCal. We joined the Tahoe Rim Trail for a bit and We skipped from Donner Pass (yes the famous one) to Burney Falls around the fire. Unfortunately we missed big chunks of the trail and hiking through Lassen Volcanic National Park. But we got to swing by park to see some of the sights, but it was too bad to hike. #desolationwilderness #pct #pct2021 #tahoe #lassenvolcanicnationalpark #burneyfalls (at Lake Aloha Desolation Wilderness) https://www.instagram.com/p/CU3EnOblaIX/?utm_medium=tumblr

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The High Sierra's actually found a special place in my heart. I wasn't expecting to love them as much as I did. But man, how can you not? Muir sure did. I typically prefer massive prominent mountains like the ones I grew up around in WA. Mt Whitney definitely didn't appear very prominent, but everything beyond it stood out for it's beauty. I'll never forget some of these sights. I do hope to return someday. We got to spend some time in Tahoe. My family even made it out to visit. However this is when the wild fires started to get out of hand. We made it to Tahoe without major fire concerns, but the rest of the hike was pretty much defined by them till WA. #pct #pct2021 #pacificcresttrail #riseandhike #backpacking #thruhike #hikertrash #dirtbagging #kingscanyonnationalpark #sierras #vvr (at Yosemite National Park, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUG0_pQM9Pv/?utm_medium=tumblr

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I wish I was able to accurately capture the beauty of the mountains, but photos never do it justice. It felt like we were in Switzerland valleys sometimes, Zelda: Breathe of the wild at others. Sometimes the mountains and scenery just didn't look like it could be real! I need more high altitude in my life. I was so stoked to be hitting some of the most iconic lakes, landscapes and features. Yosemite unfortunately was so rushed because we rode the bus in and back out, it made the desire to see the park that much more since I barely got a piece of it. Just driving by El Cap had me shook to the idea that Alex Honnold actually Free Solo'd that thing! WHAT THE HECK?!?! #pct #pct2021 #backpacking #yosemite #thousandislandlake #mountains #hiking (at Thousand Island Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness) https://www.instagram.com/p/CT0K7MclMlH/?utm_medium=tumblr

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It was the day after these sunsets that we were in the craziest thunder and hail storm I've ever seen in the mountains, it was also the day I broke my phone. This is the last leg of the High Sierra that the PCT does before it enters Yosemite. We pushed passes between thunder storms, finally had rain (pretty much the only rain we experienced before the fires rained ash on us). I LOVED the rivers and meeting all the people on the JMT. We finally started to develope a trail family that we navigated the storms and passes with. I discovered with the unleveling of the ground, it levels the people. We were surrounded by all kinds of people from others nations, careers and backgrounds. We had part time vagabonds, kids that just graduated highschool, retired doctors, a guy that develope microchips for satellites, and everything in-between. The biggest difference we had was the retired and well off folks had more expensive gear 🤷 But at the end of the day, we all walked just as far, got just as dirty and smelly, and we all slept in tents on the sides of mountains together. We looked out for each other and encouraged one another. I really like the trail community and the support we received along the way, so many people were so generous and hospitable. It was crazy. Even if the occasional city people assumed we were homeless, which they weren't entirely wrong... #pct #pct2021 #pacificcresttrail #riseandhike #backpacking #thruhike #hikertrash #dirtbagging #kingscanyonnationalpark #sierras #vvr (at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTxtWFtlLpj/?utm_medium=tumblr

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All ten of these were Muir Pass and Muir Shelter, literally no editing required because the sunset and sunrise was SO AMAZING! I've been wanting to go here since I was a teen. #bucketlist The approach from the south was one of our hardest climbs we did, but it was much rewarded with the freezing and beautiful lakes and the ridiculous beauty that surrounded us! Many of you would assume I had to convince my wife to do this ridiculous adventure with me. However, this was her wish to tackle such a mammoth of an adventure. It didn't take much convincing me, but I did push back at first because I wasn't sure either one of us would enjoy that level of dirty, hard, uncomfortable, strenuous, lengthy commitment that such a thru hike demands. We decided to do it as my sabbatical and I'm so glad that we did this and did it when we did. Wow, much joy, so stoke, many happy, very adventure. #pct #pct2021 #pacificcresttrail #riseandhike #backpacking #thruhike #hikertrash #dirtbagging #kingscanyonnationalpark #sierras #muirpass #muirshelter (at Muir Pass) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTsEZFrlZpM/?utm_medium=tumblr

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Today is day seven. We started on Thursday last week. We started 50+ miles back. We're 64.7 miles down the trail but our route was a little bit shorter due to a closure and road walk. We arrived at Hiker Town almost 24 hours ago and stayed the night, we're waiting for the heat of the Mojave desert to die down this evening before our 17-18 Mile stretch without any water. We need our blisters and Kira's Achilles to heal up (pun intended) before our nights journey to water the other side of the desert.

A few things I've learned so far.

-there is A LOT of interesting characters on the trail. Some of which are going super humanly fast. I heard there's people behind us attempting to do the whole trail up and back down in 150 days. What?!?!!

-it's hard hearing bad news while in trail and not having enough reception for phone calls for a few days

-it seems like everyone is racing this year, starting out with 20+ Mile days at the border. What happened to taking it easy and not abusing your body? I thought 2020 might teach people to slow down but it seems it made them more competitive 🤷 hopefully we speed up and they slow down by time we get to the Sierra so we can travel with a group. Everyone's leaving us in the dust right now which is understandable.

-you need to be super diligent to pay attention to your body. The heavier carry days wear down your body faster, it's best to go farther and lighter, but that's unachievable when starting if you're nurturing blisters and stained muscles.

-Stop every hour of hiking to let your feet breath, and swap socks to keep feet as dry as possible.

- IMMEDIATELY tape any hotspots or they become blisters, even blisters under blisters if you're not carefully enough.

- there's a lot of thinking of what the trail is ahead, did we carry to much food, are we going to slow, can we go further in a day?

-heard some stories of cougars, snakes, hard water carries, getting lost in the snow and destroying their bodies in an attempt to do big miles to soon

Though I've never done something like this to this extent, so many things feel similar to outreach: The foreigners we meet, the crazy and some consider sketchy places we stay, being dirty and smelly for a week or more at a time, the uncomfortable chairs or lack of, living out of a pack, having early bed times, the lack of phone coverage and internet and getting to meet and talk to new people every day, then possibly never seeing them again.

We typically get going early and meet our milage cut off point fairly early in the day. It's nice that we get to choose the best camp spots, but it's quite uneventful hiding from the sun and dust kicked up by the wind by the early afternoon or maybe even before lunch. Then waiting around and going to sleep at "hiker midnight" aka 9pm.

But so far so good. Just got to remain disciplined, not influenced or intimidated by the groups passing us up. Remember- Hike your own hike.

[actionadventureactivator]

Hiking the PCT 2021 Announcement

Did you know that Kira and I started dating by leading an outreach where we backpacked to villages in Nepal to rebuild homes after the earthquake?

Maybe you saw my wife’s post in Feb, maybe you didn’t. She expands on how in the simpler world of pre-2020 we “set a goal to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in 2021. A 2,650 mile trail spanning from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon, and Washington. Hiking this trail has been a dream of mine for the last 4 years or so and I convinced Brook that we HAD TO DO IT SOMEDAY. ”

Well, its now 2021 and we’ve hit some big milestones. Big birthdays, anniversary, yadda yadda yadda. Also I have been doing ministry in the same Org since 2012 in WI (that means next year could be 10 years in the Midwest 🤯). And though it has been overall good to or for me, I still desire more. I want to live a radical life, at least the way I live: live it with a radical emphasis. Whether its the international trips with my ministry, evenings at the skate park or BBQing, radically loving and caring for the family we create soon enough, or radically being present to God and others at a simple beach town or rural mountain town. One way to keep this emphasis in my life was agreeing to pursue a radical dream of Kira’s while it was still more attainable. They say “it’s best to act it out and understand it” - so I’m acting it out. Additionally it happens to be a good time to take a step back to:

Rest and recover physically (well, maybe), emotionally and spiritually

Reflect and refocus for the future

Realign to the vision God has given us

We will not be doing the whole thing, but we do hope to do at least half of it, maybe over 2,000 miles! We will be going from LA through the High Sierra and into the Cascades and as far north as we can accomplish within the time frame, budget and physical ability. Possibly walking all the way back to our car we’ll be leaving with my parents in WA.

I have been thinking about how this hike is not only a physical pilgrimage from Southern California into Oregon, but how it also feels like a special Pilgrimage with God. This trip feels pretty symbolic in a lot of ways.

Let me get a little philosophical. When preparing for a backpacking trip, you have to sort through a lot of gear and decide what you are bringing and what you are leaving behind. You can’t bring everything, your backpack is only so big and your legs and feet so strong. You really have to PRIORITIZE and MINIMIZE EVERYTHING. Everything you bring needs a purpose, or else it gets left behind. The items that I choose to bring had to be carefully considered, weighed, or modified. I cut down my toothbrush not to only save half an ounce, but make it fit better in a zip lock bag. The items, food, and water I choose to carry with me will be a burden on my shoulders, hips, and feet. I'm contemplating not only what gear I choose to leave behind, but also what aspects of life now will I cut off or leave behind? I will leave behind the burden of my car and it’s expenses. I won't have the distractions of Netflix or Youtube in the evening. Communication will be minimal as we will not have service for days at a time. I will only have Kira, the wilderness, and its creator. Kind of like Eden….just my wife, God and creation. I need to carefully consider every piece of gear that I will bring or leave behind, and I need to do the same to my mind and heart. What is good to carry with me? What is not? What is a burden? What will I learn to embrace or re-embrace? What will I let go of? What will I learn in packing and unpacking myself and my things? What all will I bring with me on trail, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually? How will I protect this journey with God? We want to disconnect from the internet, media, pandemic life, emails, work and be intentional to declutter and prioritize not only our backpacks but also our minds, hopes, dreams, and goals as we prepare for and go on this long hike. As I prioritize and minimize my gear and my mind, I also look forward to simplifying. My meals, joys, daily activity, and routine will be really simple. Wake up, eat something, pack up camp, hike, snack, siesta, take pictures, enjoy beauty, get really cold, really wet, really hot and dirty for days on end before I walk into town and get a motel for a night. This will be a fun outdoor adventure, but I think God has so much more for us than just that. I believe it will be a significant pilgrimage with God on many fronts.

I believe God is inviting the two of us to get out, be inspired, lay everything down, and unpack stuff in our relationship with him, with each other, and with our lives. I like how Matthew 11:28-30 in The Message captures this thought:

“Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.  I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. This is a time to quiet the noise of life and hear the voice of Jesus.”

It's crazy to consider how even God himself in the form of man, went out and would spend time alone in the wilderness, even for 40 days at a time. That's a lot of time with your thoughts and God. God invites us to go out with him, to learn what real rest looks like and to show us the unforced rhythms of grace. He doesn't have for us heavy burdens or loads, but a light and free way of life. And in spending this time with him, we quiet the noise of life and hear his voice. It's lot of time to clear the cobwebs out of your head and heart. I really am looking forward to this trail.

We will fly to LA on May 19th, start the trail on May 20th, and see how far north we make it. We are aiming for Crater Lake (1,300 miles) or Bend, Oregon (1,500 miles) or all the way into WA. Who knows?

In dreaming about and preparing for this trip over the last 2 years, we have been working extra hard to make it happen. We have been blessed by the generosity of others as well as different job opportunities that will help us cover the cost of the trail and bills back home.  If you would like to contribute to our trip there are a few different ways you can do so:

Care packages: we will be able to receive mail as we pass through the towns along the trail. If you want to send us a package, let us know and we can give you more details of where to direct it!

Finances: like we shared above, we have worked hard to cover our trail costs! However, finances are always helpful and appreciated!

Meet up with us: if you live nearby or happen to be passing through the areas we are hiking in, we would love to meet up and grab lunch and tell you all about our adventures 😉