Family First

7:58 AM

I woke up at 3:00 AM from the cold 🤔. It was only 3 degrees! I searched for a buff and gloves and hid under my quilt. Suddenly I didn’t wake up again until 7:30 🤣. I’m lying way too comfortably warm here, but I really do have to get up.

8:20 AM

The clouds are gathering and it’s a bit chilly. I feel good. What a wonderful day—such an energy boost. In no time I walk 15 km, but then the sky gets very dark.

9:09 AM

It’s raining, drizzling, and there’s wet snow falling, followed by more drizzle. Because it’s only 8 degrees, it’s actually perfect weather to finally walk for a long stretch without stopping.

10:18 AM

11:05 AM

🌈 There’s a rainbow 🥰, but it’s hard to capture in a photo 🤣. As long as I saw it!

1:56 PM

Water is scarce again, so I have to detour a bit. I come across a field full of these plants 🤔. They almost look like carnivorous plants—hopefully I won’t get eaten! In the middle there’s a tiny little spring with water.

4:27 PM

Autumn is arriving here as well. Because of the rain and wind, the trail is covered with large pine needles.

6:07 PM

It’s clearing up, and as I warm myself in the sun, it sets me thinking.

I’ve been worrying for a long time about a family member who isn’t doing well. That’s putting it mildly, but I won’t go into details.

On top of that, snow is expected in the High Sierra in October, and that’s still 500 km from here. In other words, I’d have to arrive there in the first or second week of October. I should already have been in that area by now, so I’m behind schedule. Hiking in snow is a sport in itself—and I absolutely f*ing hate it. It slows you down enormously, the trail disappears, it’s cold, and you slip everywhere.

On top of that, I’ve been walking almost a month now completely alone, without seeing other people. That makes you gloomy, and you want to share your story—but you can’t.

That’s why I choose to put family first and leave the High Sierra for what it is, at least for now.

Be continued 👏

7:41 PM

It’s another two days of hiking to Interstate 5, the highway where I can leave the PCT to figure out how I’m going to get back to the Netherlands.

That’s enough walking for today.

Tent setup
1. Find a sheltered spot.
2. Lay down the Tyvek groundsheet.
3. Place the Zpacks Solo tarp tent on top.
4. Stake out the five corners.
5. Set the trekking pole to 130 cm and put it in place.
6. Secure and tension the front guyline.
7. Then tighten all corners.
8. Optionally add four extra storm guylines.
9. Unpack.

In two minutes my little home is set up. No tent can be faster or lighter than this tarp tent, which weighs only 290 grams.

Total: 42.51 km in 11:28 hours
1,095 m up · 1,019 m down