Six months & 2,650 miles on foot; TD grad tackles Pacific Crest Trail

Emily Peterson touches the southern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail on April 29 after years of planning. Now, the epic thru-hike is underway.

We all have to start somewhere - so celebrate the little wins like milepost 1. Just 2649 to go.

After six months of teaching 3-year olds how to ski at Copper Mountain in Colorado, Emily Peterson decided it was time to take a break.

Kind of. 

The 23-year-old set out to tackle a goal that has been stirring her for years.

Walking from Mexico to Canada.

She intended to have a hiking buddy. But sometimes things don’t work out, and finding someone willing to take on that kind of challenge?

No dice. 

So, she started alone at the southern terminus of the trail at Campo, California. 

She hit the trail on Friday, April 29th and has covered some 52 miles as of Tuesday, May 3. 

The Pacific Crest Trail starts in the Southern California desert. But elevation challenges abound as the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range awaits further north along with Mount Whitney with an elevation of 14,494 feet. It is the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states.

On Monday, Emily ventured into Mt. Laguna and was happy to report that she and three new friends were renting a tiny house for the night.

“Every day is completely different,” she said. “Terrain, weather. It’s not an out and back. You never see anything twice. It’s way more relaxing.”

And getting back to civilization every couple of days … that feels good too. 

“It has a shower, bathroom, tiny kitchen and a loft with two beds,” she said of the tiny house excitedly.  “We almost don’t fit. It’s going to be tight.”

But the price was right.

Split four ways, $40 a night each. Given the budget, frugality is almost as important as efficient packing and taking care of your body.

So, score!

“People are telling me that if I can finish the first three weeks, I can finish the whole thing,” she said. “Most people drop out in the first couple of weeks.” So, her plan is to ease into the miles with the hopes of eventually averaging 17 a day.

When she started the trail, she said she ran into a hiker who was intending to do the 50 some odd miles but heat exhaustion took him out early. She said they arrived at Lake Moreno, some 20 miles in on Saturday, April 30. 

Temperatures were in the 80s turning her five liters of water to the temperature of tea.

Trail Angels - people who offer food and drinks to hikers along the way - had set up at the camp and were cooking spaghetti for all the hikers. They had also brought ice-cold Gatorade. 

“I drank two liters. I could not get enough of it,” she said. “I don’t even like Gatorade, but it was the best thing I ever had.” 

Trail Angels appear magically throughout the trail. Here, hikers and Emily- front, right - were treated to a feast of spaghetti, salad and ice-cold Gatorade. Trail angels even paid for campsites. Did you hear that bell? An angel just got its wings.

She hopes to finish the hike at the end of September at the  U.S./Canada border.

But if it takes longer, college can wait another term. She is not real fond of online classes which have been plaguing some colleges of late.

So far, her feet are holding up, but it will be weeks before she gets her trail legs, she said. 

“Some hikers are just booking,” she said, noting she will not likely see them again. But the semblance of a trail family, who are on her pace, was already emerging around her. She has met some 25 hikers thus far and is now trekking miles with three 20-somethings from Squim, Washington, Boston and Tahoe.

A tiny bit of civilization. Peterson with her new trail buddies rented this tiny house in the small town of Mt. Laguna, after three days of hiking.

“They’re chill,” she said of new friends. “More quiet. No big personalities like at the ski hill.”

“I have aches and pain in my shoulders from the backpack,” she said. “I overpacked my food.”

She was carrying about 32 pounds at the outset of her journey, but she is aiming to get that weight down in the 20s when distances between towns and or watering holes are shorter.

“The first two days felt odd,” Emily said of getting going. “It was just weird.”

But after four days the dust was settling from her footsteps.

“We came upon this creek today,” she said. “It was hot, and we all just looked at each other and said what’s the rush. So, we just said let’s relax for a while. We put our feet in the water.”

And they all had a collective epiphany…

“Wow, this is going to be our life,” Emily said.

This creek served as a turning point in the mindset of several PCT hikers as they shed the world behind them and fell into the pace of the trail.