Hack Your Pack's video: PCT Ep 16 - Back on the Pacific Crest Trail Sonora Pass to South Lake Tahoe 2017 PCT Thru-Hike

One of the hardest things I did on my Thru-Hike was coming back to the trail. After taking ten days off to visit my friends in New York, I found it surprisingly hard to return. My body just didn't want to get back into the routine of walking all day and being in pain. I ended up pushing a bit too hard and wound up with some pretty severe knee pain. It got so bad I had to cut my days shorter and I risked running out of food. Of course, as they say... the trail provides. On the morning where I felt the lowest due to the injury and the fear of not making it to town with my dwindling food supplies, I came across the most epic trail magic I had yet experienced. I forget this trail angel's name, but he brought a pizza oven and a grill and was serving up pizza and burgers as well as a huge breakfast spread including quiche, pastries, and fresh fruit. Have I mentioned how much hikers love fresh produce? I was still limping and worried about my future when I pulled out of that spot, but at least my belly was full. This is the kind of amazing stuff that happens on thru-hikes. It feels like destiny... a need or crisis emerges and before you know it, a total stranger shows up willing to fix it for you. If only we could treat each other like this back in the real world. This section ended the morning after experiencing the most epic sunset I've ever seen. The sky looked like it was on fire. At the time, I was captivated by the beauty of the scene, but looking back after the entire adventure was over, I realized it was a turning point. I was leaving the snowy mountains and heading into the dry sections ahead. In a matter of weeks, multiple fires would spring up in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington and my dreams of a continuous footpath from Mexico to Canada would be crushed by the sheer challenge of the logistics involved in trying to connect sections of open trail. To be fair, I encountered folks who persevered, but it didn't work out that way for me. Subscribe and keep watching if you'd like to see how it all fell apart. Thanks for watching! I'm grateful for your support. If you enjoyed this video, smash the Like button so I know. If you have questions about the section, leave me a comment! 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