The Long Way Home: A Pacific Crest Trail story

[Music] I kept going I kept moving forward lost Into the Wild in the darkness of the night where every step is a dance with the unknown I kept going [Music] anyway not because I wanted to but because I needed to know what it felt like to not give up on [Music] [Music] myself I look around the room while I prepare my gear for the last time in a few days I will embark on the greatest journey of my life yet hiking the Pacific chra a path that stretches from Mexico to Canada through the scorching deserts of California the snowy mountains of the Sierra Nevada and the large Forest of the Pacific Northwest many would start at the southern Terminus but only a few would make it all the way to Canada I wanted to be one of them something about the Mind buggering idea of walking 2650 Mi had laid A Fire Inside Me which never stopped growing up all I wanted to do was to be a football player but nothing in life ever happens according to the plan my short career know behind me I was searching for a new Direction a new purpose I wanted to prove myself that I was capable of doing something uncommon that would force me to go beyond my limits I needed a new goal A new challenge a big adventure so that I could look back on my life with no regrets and as I stood in front of that Monument I knew that my only purpose and Direction right now was to walk [Music] North in the beginning everything was new everything was beautiful life on the trail was simple I followed the routine of eat walk sleep repeat while navigating through Southern California the land of the first the first Camp the first Sunrise the first friend the first views the first TR magic my trail name is Bad Santa and I help hikers out here because I was helped out when I hiked in 2016 and so I'm just giving back to the hikers what I got back then leaving the Border World Behind I reach Julian the first town on the [Music] PCT the opportunity for me to resupply food do laundry and hang out with FAL FR hikers friendships here wor differently from complete strangers to best friends in the spam of one day everybody comes from different places and backgrounds but everybody has the same goal in mind to make it to [Music] Canada back on the trail I continued my journey North the desert continued proving not to be one as rain and strong winds welcomed us the next [Music] morning [Music] like a free elran attach myself to a group of people eager to learn more about those who were as crazy as me to go on such [Music] Adventure in the distance sanino Rose above the Horizon with its snowy head this would be my first challenge [Music] in otherwi everybody's priority was to get information on the current snow conditions aache is fine especially if you take the The Settle across a Pache instead of the trail and then from aache to uh the saddle Junction is done to it the tra comes up here and then went down there this is very steep if you sleep here you're done sounds kind of fun actually how about you be F RA in most years you wouldn't hear about these names but in an unprecedented snow year like this one they haunted the minds of every hiker tomorrow I would go climb the sanino mountains but before that I enjoyed a little visit from the mayor who had come out to give us some motivation sister vice mayor pleased to meet you oh that's soet wait which one is the on the [Music] left armed with our eyes sacks in our cramp pants we started the long Ascent toward San jinto personally I wanted to go up there and see for myself I didn't want to bail on my first test one of you two SN last night the wind was strong moving the clouds above us at a fast speed I wondered if it was the Mountain's way of telling us it didn't want us here slowly we carefully progressed through Steep traverses and big Pro Downs little by little we got used to living on snow exceeding up our 10 for the first time on the frozen ground and soon enough we made our way to the top Yoo after reaching sonas to PE it was time for us to go back down back to the desert [Music] for $30 someone else two days before says I second the stay at niit shower laundry food bed hike box rise to town wow come on let's do that yeah just for one night and so we did just like life on the trail coming into town had its own routine catching a ride for supplying laundry back on the trail stronger from my experience in sanino I continued my journey through Southern California [Music] thanks to the unconditional support from the tranger community I navigated through the different challenges that the trail put on my path a path that would soon lead me to a last test before entering this s in the heart of Southern California where the sun Paints the landscape with Hues of golden Ember lies a vast expense that test the spirit of those who dare to Traverse its arid [Music] embrace the moravi desert after waiting out the afternoon hit we headed towards the infamous are Aqueduct a system of pipes canners and Tuners designed to bring water from the Sierra Nevadas to support cities like Los Angeles it was a glimpse into the interplay between nature and human intervention our footsteps resonated against the hard ground echoing in the quietude of the desert with harshness softened under the p of the the sunset and as we wandered into the night the next morning another word awoke in front of our eyes surrounded by thousands of windmar We Begin our journey across the where the sun would become a Relentless antagonist in a play of endurance Joshua trees and windmills stood Sentinel their silhouette punctuating The Horizon over 100 miles of mostly exposed Trail waited for us every step was a Defiance against the harsh grip of the desert long waterless stretches Define the section which forced us to rely on precious water caches I don't I don't [Music] even [Music] under the Relentless gaze of the Sun the very Earth seemed to radiate heat in waves as we traversed the Arid expanse the air became a furnace every breath a gasp drawn amidst The Whispers of elive winds all life in this land was perfectly adapted to this [Music] environment except pass the thunderstorms broke unexpectedly in the afternoon giving up some relief from the [Music] hit sunsets became breathtaking spectacles casting a warm grow across the landscape as we moved up north we left the desert floor behind us and headed towards our next challenge our biggest yet the SI Nevada over the previous winter California had seen its biggest snow pack yet Perhaps the deepest recorded in more than 70 years attempting to go through the SI Nevada meant spending a whole month in harsh and cold conditions climbing over snow covered passes with the use of crampons and isacks weathering daily unpredictable storms at high altitude carrying 50 lb backpacks full of supplies to survive 47 sometimes even 10 days without seeing any sign of civilization to put all the chances on our side beer slide shortcut Twigs body and I decided to team up in the hope of making it through safely reason have caffine pills preparation was key we spent a couple days in Kennedy Middle North and took that opportunity to study Maps establish a plan gear up for the snow and enjoy some down time with other hikers 32° that makes sense soon it was time to go dance with the unknown about 5,000 ft of elevation gain in 20 miles was waiting for us the landscape around the trail was slowly changing josua trees yucas Cactus and other plants from the moravi desert gave way to Forest of Oaks Cottonwood weow and shrubs the weather too was changing but not slowly on our first day the Sierra showcased the power of its unpredictable weather system giving us a warning about what was to come [Music] for the following days we progressed slowly hiking mostly through the night while the snow was still frozen [Music] hard awkwardly descending steep slopes in the morning waiting for storms to pass in our tent in the afternoon and getting closer and closer to our first real test the highest point on the P Forest to pass in the middle of the freezing night we wake up and start getting ready [Music] [Music] leaving our tree covered campsite we soon find our reserves hiking into complete darkness at above 12,000 ft trees cannot grow here and anything else is covered by a big blanket of snow we Advanced through this infinite nothingness alone in a no man's [Music] land the sun slowly Rises unveiling the giant pigs surrounding [Music] [Music] us as we move up in altitude briefing becomes harder carefully we approach every [Music] obstacle [Music] wo until finally as the sun rises above the Horizon we reach the top a Forester pass the gateway to the high a Marvel of this world protected from The Outsider by the harshness of its environment a Marvel that only a few of us would get to witness in such a unique [Music] way [Music] back in Civilization we reminisced about our recent experience I'm here for the St like try to make a Forester and we like we we did four miles and red dungeons dragons for the day but only had we arrived in town and got time to resupply that we were already on our way back to the Trier time was running out and we had to get out of Sierra before the rivers became crossover ahead above theow PS the sky darkened with clouds the storm was [Music] brewing the next morning we started our Traverse of the High Sierra one of the most difficult section of the trail including three passes over 11,000 ft at such high altitude we were at the mercy of the weather and it was unpredictable the ground soft and unstable with the constant threat of post hoing was weighing on us the climb over path and The Descent afterward were vertiginous the consequences of a fall could be severe or Worse [Music] deadly we continued our progress hitting Milestones along the [Music] way fighting with the elements miles away from any her or even civilization where every step was a Danse with the unknown there was no turning [Music] back [Music] [Music] [Music] as we escaped the claws of the High Sierra and Scatter we enjoyed a short moment of relief before attempting our last trial their deafening Roar broke the Silence of the forest giving us an idea of their destructive power we were now in their territory Rivers the dense Sierra Nevada snow pack had now started to melt unleashing torrents of [Music] water until now we had been able to cross most of them on snow Bridges but in the middle of June they had disappeared forcing us to go off Trail for miles before finding a safe path to cross in the [Music] water we consider ourselves lucky if we found a luck to go across even though the effort required to stay balanced was probably as no rcking one misstep and your dream hike would suddenly turn into a nightmare probably your [Music] last [Music] the river now behind us we approached the end of the Sia the mountains around us are changing while I reflected on what we had just done I wondered where this path would lead me [Music] next standing in front of that road sign after a month spent in the snow was a s of relief we were out of the this [Music] hero in Kennedy minow's North it was time to say goodbye to each other our goal as a team had been fulfilled everybody had made it through the Sierra safely now we would each go on our own way until the end after getting somewhere needed rest it was time for me to hit the road again [Music] time was running out if I wanted to beat the early winter storms in Washington I needed to make up for the time last in the [Music] [Applause] Sierra [Music] alone in this privileged and voluntary homelessness I moved quickly through the Roaring hairs of [Music] noral and soon enough I reached my next stop the small town of Sierra City [Music] home oh we' love to hear that for the first time in a while I looked at myself in the mirror contemplating a face scarred by fre months of hiking driven by Rob's Melody the owner of the hotel I stayed in and one of those encounter that you don't forget the lest Ser City rested and ready to get done with [Music] California days became longer hiking from sunrise to sown I try to cover as many miles as possible per day I made my way through Northern California mostly alone patching myself to small groups here and there but never permanently I like being around and somehow I wasn't ready to be part of a group again that's feel be real feel so good yeah feel so good well I never been as a hit wave struck the state of California hiking during the day became unbearably hot every man possible was used to get a little bit of freshness but I really don't remember in oklah not Ariz what does it matter what does it matter day after day I admired the wonders of Northern California including Bernie Falls 129 ft waterfall that cascaded down a m covered cleave face and whose freshness provided some relief from the [Music] heat after hitting the halfway point of the trail I was now completely used to this new LIF one that suppressed all distraction and superficiality and that brought you back to the essenes of living never going lose [Music] [Music] iuse [Music] [Music] after 3 month of walking through desert and snow I could finally see the end of California I enjoyed the last few days in a state that was close to my [Music] [Applause] [Music] heart over on the horizon sign of wildfires nearby could be seen finally on August 4 I entered the state of Oregon [Music] [Music] after leaving the iconic Crater Lake the trail waved through volcanic landscape and green forests sunlight filtered through the dance foliage casting a gentle grow on the forest floor and the deers who lived in it Oregan was relatively gentle allowing for a more relaxed space not to mention the generosity of people who went out of their way to make our journey an unforgettable one my name is Ducky's dad and our son ducky hiked the trail in 2016 and when he got near California Oregon border he called us up and said Mom and Dad you guys need to be Trail angels and we kind of look at each other like what is that and he said oh you just feed them hot dogs and chips and drinks and we go they would like that he goes oh yeah so we started out doing that and we've added fruit and a few other things and it has been the most fun I would much rather spend the money on food for the hikers and a Taylor Swift concert ticket so [Music] in the middle of Oregon a once vibrant tapestry of green now stood as a desolate theater of devastation bearing the scars of flames that danced with Grace and distraction the entire scene felt like a postapocalyptic movie a testament to Nature's dedicate bance when they say that the trail provides people like to think only of the good and the happy side of it the truth is that the trail also provides pain suffering and self-introspection through hiking is ano sunshine and rainbows it's the true definition of what an adventure is a medal of beauty and ugliness a dance with joy and desper a contrast between light and [Music] darkness the thing is this contrast is necessary without bad taste one cannot appreciate the good ones if they didn't exist the adventure that we were looking for would just become a bland and monotonous routine which although seemingly comfortable because of its lack of uncertainty was a slow An Invisible Killer Of Life to Live is to accept the lws as much as the highs to be adaptable in the face of challenges and willing to take your body and mind to places you didn't want to but you you need to it's how growth [Music] happens [Music] I was hurt physically and mentally every step felt like somebody was stabbing machine time was moving slowly just like me I stubbled Upon A Little Piece of pink paper it had been given to me by s on hiker at the St of Oregon on it was a word of encouragement he asked one of his young student to write and as I read it emotions overwhelmed me gentle words coming from the pure and innocent kindness of a kid completely unknown to me a kid motivated by only one wish to provide a little bit of courage to a total stranger in this moments when my body didn't want to do it anymore when my brain tried to tell me to stop I remember my why I remember the reason I was doing this to prove myself that I could endure those kind of hardships to prove that I could be the best version of myself when feeling at my [Music] worst on a gloomy Monday morning while people dressed himself to go to work I entered Washington the last state on the PCT I was excited to explore Washington it would bring me back to the mountains hiking over High passes and offering Unforgettable views the last state on the P had the reputation of being hard with long and steep climbs through blow downs and overgrowth that made the Sierra look easy Washington also had another reputation rain and it lived up to it for the first 5 days after entering Washington it rained every single one hiking for shrubs soaked in water felt like walking into a car wash the landscape around me faded and disappeared into the whiteness of the Mist giving me the impression of looking at the painting that had yet to be finished after 4 days of rain and not being able to see anything the hiking Gods finally offered me some relief Mount Adams standing just in front of my eyes right where I couldn't see anything the day before the whole Horizon had cleared out and Washington unveiled its beauty to me words were hard to find to describe the beauty of Washington with the fairness it deserved similar to the Sierra Washington made you feel small by showing the full extent of Nature's unpredictable [Music] power the wind so strong at times seemed to move the sky with clouds of different shapes and sizes sring majestically in the air as if they were dancing the [Music] vs I started spending time with other people again without overstepping my need for Independence as I came near the end of this journey I was happy to have people around me to share those moments [Music] with as I moved closer to Stein the last town on the pity I looked around and to get the moment the wind brushing the leaves the clouds moving in slow motion in the sky I felt present and lucky lucky to be here to be able to enjoy all my senses and to do it to the fullest because that's what living is about [Music] living heart's pass the last road on the P I begin the final stretch of this Grand Adventure as I walk and look around a sense of melancholy seizes me I know that there behind those mountains is Canada the end of my [Music] journey black California the state of Washington was all about the last the last [Music] Sunset the last meal around the last campfire the last night under the [Music] stars the last early morning start the last [Music] views I try to make everything last a little bit longer in vain part of the journey is the end and as I make my life last steps toward it memories come flashing by memories of people of moments forever edged in my [Music] mind [Music] all of the sudden down the trail can hear laughters screams of joy getting closer and Clos [Music] suddenly just around the corner it's there over the past 5 months I walked from sunrise to snd down alone and surrounded I fell I laughed I cried I dreamed I suffered and most importantly I did what I set out to do I [Music] [Music] Liv [Music] [Music] well I was walking down the road just the other day I met a young boy passing my way I said look at here man why you're acting so blue he said if your best girl left you you would act this way too then he [Music] said I am like another happy [Music] day who I am don't look like another I said look here Blood Brother don't you feel so bad my best me I feel maybe if you sing that to her one more time maybe it Le both of our mind we both said another happy day we are [Music] the going down away I could still see his footsteps where they over the hills and away I remember his ech and this what he he [Music] said I like another happy day [Music] who I am don't look like [Music] Happ I am

Channel: Titouan Le Roux

Views: 336,557

Keywords: pacific crest trail, pct2023, pct, thruhike, at, cdt, hiking, hiker trash, california, oregon, washington, documentary, sierra nevada

Id: LMqFokLzyEY

Length: 49min 18sec (2958 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 15 2024