Hack Your Pack's video: PCT Ep 03 - Struggle Bus Warner Springs to Idyllwild 2017 PCT Thru Hike Hack Your Pack

Three weeks into the PCT and getting cocky, I ramped mileage too fast and began to just fall apart. My troubles culminate about 20 miles South of Idyllwild when I bonked trying to hike back-to-back 20’s. I later figured out that I let myself get dehydrated, which caused me to lose my appetite, which caused me to lose my energy, which made the next day pure torture. Eventually, I made it out of the mountains and into Hemet Store where I had a feast ‘thru-hiker style’ and got some badly needed sugars into the system. The super-sugar-high was enough to get me into town, but once I was in my hotel room, the misery kicked in. This was a dark time for me on the trail. My biggest fear was quitting the Pacific Crest Trail in the first month. For me, the challenge of the thru-hike is whether or not I could complete such a long, and strenuous task. I had told so many people about this grand adventure. I was terrified I might re-injure my knee and have to quit early. I was only three weeks in. My knees were starting to hurt. This was it. Losing the purity of an unbroken footpath was also weighing on my mind in my fatigued state. I considered myself to be a pragmatic purist and put this into practice when I took a ride from Hemet Store to Idyllwild on the advice of a local who explained the road to town was very windy and dangerous. He was right. Cars whip around it with very little clearance for hikers. There is a trail to town for a true on-trail unbroken footpath, but this was before I was savvy at linking alternate trails on Guthooks navigation app. Do you need to filter your water on the PCT? https://hackyourpack.com/all-posts/2018/4/15/do-i-need-to-filter-water-on-the-pct My recommended water treatment option: https://hackyourpack.com/all-posts/2018/4/15/best-water-treatment-system-for-the-pct Should you train for the PCT? https://hackyourpack.com/all-posts/2017/10/10/should-i-train-for-the-pct Thanks for watching! I'm grateful for your support. For more adventures in ultralight backpacking: Website: https://www.hackyourpack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hackyourpack Twitter: https://twitter.com/hackyourpack Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hackyourpack Let's be adults and play nice with copyright (both yours and mine). Video is shot and edited by myself. Music is licensed from Artlist.io