Oregon to California

7:23 AM

If you want to talk about sleeping badly—well, this was one of those nights where it just doesn’t work. I’m too much in my head and can’t clear it. Thoughts just keep circling. Even after watching three episodes, it still wouldn’t come.

So as soon as it gets a bit light, I pack up my things and continue on the PCT.

And of course—right away in the morning, another steep climb uphill.

8:29 AM

You get beautiful views, but you have to work so hard for them that by 8:30 AM I’m already exhausted. And then you still have the whole day ahead 🥵😮‍💨.

10:28 AM

The landscape slowly changes. There’s no grass anymore and the trees are spaced farther apart.

It’s warm, with a strong wind. The air is a bit hazy, but I don’t know if that’s due to nearby wildfires—I don’t smell any smoke.

11:47 AM

I leave Oregon and walk into California, the last state that stretches all the way to Mexico. It’s the largest state I’ll be crossing.

12:00 PM

STATE OREGON

Over the past 19 days I crossed the state of Oregon. I walked 670 kilometers, climbing 17,604 meters up and descending 16,017 meters. It was a challenging journey with very diverse nature.

Highlights for me were the impressive rhododendron forests, which must be stunning when in bloom. There were also fewer mosquitoes than in Washington, which was a relief. The flat sections were another plus, as they made it possible to walk long distances without much effort.

What I liked less were the wildfires that destroyed large parts of nature. The many fallen trees and burned landscapes were a major disappointment. In addition, I often felt lonely and hitchhiking into towns was challenging. Still, I consider this experience valuable.

12:16 PM

Water sources are scarce. There’s a hut where hikers can sleep inside, but I prefer sleeping in my own tent.

I smell cows 😮‍💨 and now I hear their bells too. That’s not great, because cows often trample through water sources, giving the water a sharp taste that I really can’t stand, to put it mildly. So now I’m looking for sources that flow directly out of the mountain, which makes finding water even harder.

1:13 PM

Haha, where cows in Switzerland usually just stand there, these ones here run around like crazy and even rile each other up. They’re really terrified—afraid they’ll end up as a hamburger between two buns. Now I have to make sure I don’t get caught in between.

3:31 PM

4:14 PM

I can’t go on anymore—my water is gone and there’s no campsite in sight. The trail is very quiet and I’m not meeting anyone. Do I even still want this? 🤔 Exhausting yourself, wrecking your feet, enduring pain in your neck, back, and shoulders, and no longer knowing how to adjust your pack so it doesn’t hurt?

7:36 PM

After 7 km I finally found a campsite. Quickly boil water, pitch the tent, eat, stash the canister and pack, inflate the pad, and lie down. Pfff, what a brutally hard day this was. The only fun part was entertaining myself at the border between Oregon and California.

Total: 38.40 km in 11:57 hours
1,179 m up · 1,119 m down