PCT: Reflections

I meant to get this out months ago, but it seems fitting to look back at our time on trail on the 1 year anniversary of our start date. We’ve been back home since October and are mostly adjusted to life off trail. I’m back at work and Angela and the kids are busy with homeschooling. Living in our own house felt strange at first after being gone for over half a year. We’ve all had some time to reflect on the adventure, and here are at least some of my thoughts looking back on it.

I am 100% happy we took the time off from “normal” life, whatever that means, to head out into the woods as a family. Being on trail felt more normal and natural than the everyday grind of life at home. It was certainly nice to get home, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little empty not being on trail anymore. Between the increased family time, the extended time in nature, the simplicity of trail life, and the company of the great friends we made, it was an incredible experience. I’ll always cherish the time we had, and we all look forward to the next opportunity we have to get back out and hit the trail again.

We learned a lot about ourselves and a lot about others along the way. The kids have learned that tough times are temporary and good days can follow bad. I learned that I’d rather spend time with my family than chase personal goals that take me away for long periods of time. I might have gained a little more patience and learned how to hike slower…maybe, kind of. We learned that there is a lot more kindness in others than what we see on a daily basis.

The most common question I’ve answered since returning is what the highlight of the trip was. Without hesitation I can say it was the people we met. We’re still amazed at the kindness of strangers along the trail. From Kenny in Big Bear to Brian in Wrightwood to Cheshire Cat with his traveling trail magic and everyone we met along the way, we had the opportunity to meet some truly kind and amazing people.

We also made some lifelong friends along the way, as cliché as that may sound. We’ve stayed in touch with our closest trail friends and already have plans to meet up with some of them this year.

As for what’s next for us, we spent some time over the long, gray Ohio winter planning ways to get back into the trail community. We’ll spend a week in the spring providing trail magic on the CDT and will be picking up more PCT miles in Oregon and Washington this summer. Even though we won’t be on trail as long as last year, we’re all excited to get back into trail life when we can.

We hope everyone enjoyed our ramblings over the last year. There will be more to come this year as we get back out and hit the trails again.