Nothing is Off Limits – A Pacific Crest Trail Film

all right today I'm feeling empowered today I am feeling at peace today I'm feeling motivated exhausted in pain accomplished sleep deprived burned out I'm excited for what lies ahead today I'm feeling so so proud because it's Terminus day two years ago I got a phone call that changed my life forever she said you know that trail that stretches from Mexico to Canada through California Oregon and Washington 2653 miles Crest Trail I think we should hike it so that's exactly what we did [Music] hi my name is Julie but on trail I'm known as denim I got my name after finding a pair of jeans I couldn't say no to and carried them for 100 miles in 2022 I spent 168 days walking from Mexico to Canada with my best friend Emily but you can call her howdy that came from her extensive bandana collection Emily and I grew up backpacking together but the thought of the PCT was terrifying unknown and honestly outrageous but we took the leap and before we knew it there we were in the desert of Southern California [Music] I'm excited I'll be the first to say it the learning curve is steep the desert is hot dry water in the desert and my goodness it's windy with no choice but to head north or head home you're thrown into a new routine a new community a new diet and let's be honest I didn't really know how to use my gear before I left the mile markers definitely came slowly at first [Music] Sunrise hike to 200 miles today it's so beautiful but each one filled us with just enough confidence to keep on walking 300 [Music] other days though the questioning would come and the loneliness and the pain Misty's not so good I have 10 of them yeah I don't know it's been a lot I'm ready for a break it was the ultimate roller coaster but we hung on [Music] and I did something I didn't know I was capable of 700 miles later and it was time to take on the Sierras [Music] the Sierras turn up the intensity and under the weight of heavy packs and self-doubt we had our work cut out for us look at this massive food oh it's our biggest one on the trail yeah each morning we woke up and we chose to be brave to meditate on the power of one step at a time and before long we were climbing a high Sierra pass every day what are we doing tomorrow work like Forrester pass we made it to the top of Glen pass yeah there's no denying it it was epic then I can sense four and it's so worth it simply put the Sierras are a treacherous Paradise headed back up again because that's the Sears they stretch you they teach you and they ground you they demand respect how would you rate that I would write a scary out of pen yeah me too hmm it's about an hour in the wrong direction um and it's in those remote quiet Corners that you get lost in your insignificance but in the best way we measured our days in mountains climbed rather than Miles walked and slowly the granite playground gave way to a softer landscape we were so so proud but so worn out 12 miles left of the Sierra and I just peed myself and I welcome to Northern California with open arms NorCal the land of new friendship genuine human kindness and finally some tangible progress she's a boy baby oh my God up in the morning but I think we're all learning the pattern by now every section works over time to make that Northern Terminus feel near impossible to reach it's where the monotony sets in and it's no longer the choice to be brave but rather the choice to have grit as you go up yet another shoe size for your swollen and numb feet [Music] home is where the heart it's also where climate change stares you down and doesn't let go NorCal becomes a mosaic of green and black equal parts Lush forest and scorched Earth we wandered through the heat wave covered in soot and sweat shaken to the core knowing that something anything needs to change little did we know it was all foreshadowing for what was to come last full day in California and doing our biggest climb today out of side Valley which was like 111 degrees down there it's a little cooler up here it's manageable but so what is that an all-time high and it's hot also there is a fire of some sort that we can see back there so keeping an eye on that but a little scary just trying to get the heck out of California that fire of some sort was the start of the McKinney fire soon to be one of the largest most unpredictable wildfires of the summer there's the fire um still no evacuation um I did just see lightning strike and I can see the flames for the first time so totally spooky before we knew it we were surrounded by smoke and lightning racing to the border with our fingers hovering over our SOS buttons [Music] reaching Oregon was a feeble rushed celebration but in hindsight I'm so thankful because we were some of the last hikers to reach this milestone welcome to Oregon it's all smoke we soon caught word that the trail had closed and so with 10 miles left to Ashland we were evacuated and then everything changed with news of several more fires ahead we got in a car and drove North for the first time in four months forced to leave some trail for another time northern Oregon the fires took the wind out of my sails and breaking our footpath affected me more than I'd like to admit I could make videos that just make it look like a party make it look perfect but I cried a lot today um I wanted to quit today but it was time to remember my why [Music] to listen to my eight-year-old and 80 year old self cheering me on foreign [Music] Wilderness breathes life back into me and we did what we knew how to do best [Music] we walked right into Washington [Music] where are we [Applause] [Music] Washington where the pieces fell into place [Music] it was off to an itchy start in my mosquito uniform and they're still biting my fingers is the only part of me showing 80 degrees outside but soon we were in the flow it's her Sound of Music Moment [Music] pushing Big miles in big mountains with the pull of Canada growing stronger with each passing day the PCT had become our home but the body mind and soul are weathered there's eagerness for what is to come but fear of what comes after that in the midst of it all it's the choice to be present to appreciate the path beneath you and thank your body for all of the miles it has carried you through desert fire rivers and mountains the day had finally come I can't believe it so surreal it's so beautiful here look at the Sunrise behind me let's look at that timeless foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] everything I had hoped for but those missed miles were open again and something still felt incomplete so Against All Odds we drove back down to Oregon laced up our shoes and set out to finish what we started [Music] oh my gosh we're finally here [Laughter] five and a half days the southbound Oregon stroll turned out to be the closure that we needed before saying goodbye howdy and denim goodbye to a life that had shaped me into someone that I am deeply glad to be goodbye to a trail that asked for all of me but gave me everything in return five miles away from connecting our footsteps back to the fire closure that we evacuated from and then we'll be done with the PCT [Applause] [Music] [Music] early in the desert we started joking that on a through hike nothing is off limits waking up with six spider bites on my knee oh sleeping in the middle of a wind farm hiking a marathon on three hours of sleep I just uh slipped and fell just down this hill in between those moments is the deepest peace you've ever known in places you couldn't have dreamed up if you tried with people you love I realize now that when I started hiking I had a narrow view of what the experience might hold but the reality is that a through hike can look like this or this or this [Music] or this foreign hiking is just walking all day but it's also everything in between it's a microcosm of life and in the throes of it all we can ask of ourselves is to put one foot in front of the other a worthwhile and courageous Act nothing is off limits it's always true we'll never know what tomorrow holds but I think that's the most stunning part of it all [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music]

Channel: Julie Zweng

Views: 119,043

Keywords: Pacific Crest Trail, Thru hike, PCT, Hiking, Adventure Film, PCT 2022, Thru hiking, Appalachian Trail, Long distance hike, Women who hike, Outdoor Film, Inspirational, Backpacking, Backpacking Film, Pacific Crest Trail 2022, Wildfire, John Muir Trail, Walking, Female Adventure Film, Female Friendship, PCT 2023, Pacific Crest Trail 2023

Id: Is41XTwl1tM

Length: 18min 32sec (1112 seconds)

Published: Mon Dec 05 2022