After a full night of pretending, I opened my eyes and sighed, letting out a visible column of breath into the moonlit tent.

I was lying at the front gates of the Sierra, and I’d been awake for what seemed like hours. Hell, maybe I’d never actually fallen asleep.

Read More

All of the social media apps on my phone had long been deleted. Online PCT forums were a breeding ground of anonymous dark prophets, who enjoyed forecasting the devastation awaiting the idiots attempting the Sierra. Their pessimism wasn’t completely misplaced. Accidents in the mountains had already happened. A week before, one strong hiker almost froze to death. He exited Kearsarge Pass and quit his entire PCT hike right then and there.

Read More