I am so incredibly frustrated with myself for not finding the time to blog about my Hayduke Hike, as I have already set out on yet another adventure. You see, I'm in Alaska now, sitting behind a computer at a hostel trying to quickly summarize my experience from several months before. Last fall, I hiked all but one brutal section of this 850ish mile route. This was probably the most beautiful experience of my life so far. Sure, I say that often, but I am telling you the truth. I am forever changed after spending a few months alone in Utah and Arizona.

Luckily, I kept a daily journal (now safely stored with Dad back in California) and will one day write a better account of this journey. For now, here are some of my favorite memories. I only pitched my tarp twice in over a two month stretch since the weather was so good... no issues with snakes or spiders, thank you. I saw my first narrow, shimmied up and down my first chimney, maneuvered through some tough rock climbing moves alone and learned how NOT to lower a 50lbs pack with shoe string size rope because it will slice your hand skin wide open. I carried 20 lbs of water at one time, and luckily never went dry. I thought the desert would be desolate, but found it full of life. I studied the stars each night with my little astronomy text book and can identify almost all the constellations in the November Utah sky. Hippie Longstockings, Bug and Mud all joined me for short parts of this journey. I met each of them on the PCT back in 2014 and was honored to reunite.

Here are some of my favorite photos that I hope will inspire you to explore this amazing region.