The Art of Walking | Pacific Crest Trail Documentary | Full Film

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there's a trail on the west coast of the

united states

that will show you some of the most

beautiful things you'll ever see

take only what you need

i'd like to show you all the stories and

experiences

one simple trail can bring

moments shared with joy and laughter

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romans solitude and stillness

you'll find freedom and the path you

walk

and you'll find wonder in the highest

places

you will get tired yet continue onward

for this is the world you were meant to

see

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here's the start of the trail

here we go

the beginning goes by in a flash and

just like any first day of anything in

life nerves are high

through hiking

is a curious thing

you walk from town to town place to

place

on your own two feet with your home

strapped to your back

chosen homelessness that brings an

experience unlike any other

life with its own lingo

names

strategies and people

a journey that will change your life in

ways you can't understand

and how you choose to hike this trail is

completely up to you

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my name is austin

and i'd like to show you my experience

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at first you aim to adjust

to the day in and day out of hiking

but eventually you settle into a routine

and focus on meeting new hikers and

deciding how you wanted to experience

this trail

it's amazing how easy

miles come in the morning

as opposed to the afternoon you just

feel good you know get up seize the day

laguna hope the tavern is over

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super cloudy all of a sudden

we're freaking freezing so we're just

hiking a few extra miles

despite what most people think the

desert isn't always hot

and for the first 100 miles or so the

wind and rain would be a very common

theme

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i yeah

some nice eye bags

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my l50

2600 to go

no

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problem sooner or later you realize

there's an art to this whole through

hacking business

and you start figuring out how to be

successful

in each aspect

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gotta ride

for stitch

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the method often used to travel to and

from town or the trail is what is known

as a hitch

all you really need to hitchhike is a

thumb and a smile

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your success will be determined by the

current amount of traffic and overall

presentation

just need a car

so slick back your hair stick out that

thumb and wait

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we're not very good at this yet but

we're getting there

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female hikers are much more likely to

acquire a hitch due to their much kinder

and prettier appearance compared to the

dirtier scarier male hikers

therefore have the women stand in front

of the group to increase your odds

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to not become discouraged despite how

many cars pass you by

or how many other hikers also need a

ride

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you will eventually find a kind soul

that'll take pity on you and give you

that sweet sweet ride

into town

we gotta ride

sometimes you just gotta show a little

leg

just a little leg

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once said ride is acquired make sure to

hustle secure all your belongings and

promptly thank your ride for their act

of kindness how's it going good how are

you good

thanks for the ride man yeah

also

make sure to head bang the slayer in

order to bond with your ride

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pick me up bro

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and that's how it's done people

no luck trying to get a hitch

come pick up some handsome young fellers

yep

we're ready

made it to town

i'm gonna prowl for some fresh veggies

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i need a little bit of fiber in my life

right now

and uh

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otherwise i'm good glad to get out of

the foggy

mess that's out there right now

got a

hitch to stage coach we're staying in a

cabin for the night and yeah

all as well

one of the first legendary spots you

hear about on the pct is mom's pie house

where pct hikers are given free pie and

ice cream

thanks mom

it was delicious

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guess what

it's still freaking windy

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with your body and feet starting to

adjust to everyday hiking your mileage

each day starts to grow and eventually

you get your first major milestone

good morning

day seven it's been a full week

on the trail

i'm gonna

hit another 15 or so today

100

triple digits

this took a

nice little siesta

got some

trail magic

juiciest orange

i've had in a long time

i'm so good

good morning

it's day eight

we're in the thick of it now

woke up this morning to the start of a

storm and ran over to the

corner springs post office in the rain

to get

my resupply box

back is

thoroughly more heavy now so i'm

a little disappointed about that but

hey

gotta eat

it's raining

still

for once

i just want to be in the desert and have

it be hot

just

it's a desert

a little bit of heat is all i want

but a rough night last night

wet cold just soaked

in the rain

at the top of a mountain

but i got to mike's place

a guy who lets hikers stay at his house

which is great and then got warmed up

got some food

and dried off a bit and

a decent night actually

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got up

decently early and i'm cruising to get a

breakfast burrito from

paradise valley cafe

it's

crazy how

motivated you can get

for food

just basic food too

just finished eating about 10 000

calories

over the past five hours and uh now

we're trying to get a hitch

into idaho

ottawa is a small mountain town famous

for one unique thing

that thing being that their mayor is a

dog hey buddy

he's a good mayor

we only do kind and loving things for

people he doesn't know what republican

or democrat means and he doesn't want to

know

bottoms up

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i think i just got my trail name on

trail hikers go by trail names or

nicknames given to them by other hikers

these names are typically given based on

a connection to the recipient such as a

funny story or a unique item they carry

and the one given to me

was poseidon

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after add a while you enter the san

jacinto mountains and get your first

taste of elevation

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after meeting up with the

crew i've been

seeing off and on

for a while

we're gonna go into banning

get some food

probably stay in a hotel

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i'm excited

look who it is

we got water

comically pressurized

stemming from the crown royal caps that

would adorn our water bottles

our collective family name

would eventually become known as

the royal family

well match fellow travelers

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so

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wow

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it's town day

can i get i get whoa

wow we smell a little bit guys i think

it's mainly me

with the new family together it was time

to celebrate and kenny's place was the

perfect place for that

kenny is a trail angel that hosts hikers

in his home and we were lucky enough to

be there for his cinco de mayo

celebration

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but unfortunately the next morning

the others were not so enthusiastic

about hiking i feel good

the others

not so much

but yeah just

slack pack in this section

uh 15 miles

of course we're starting

heat of the day

classic move

this would mark the sporadic attendance

within our trail family

but we would always find a way back

together and we would end up hiking

together for the next thousand miles or

so

rest time

i've been at the deep creek hot springs

for like

five hours just soaking getting really

pruny

um

it's been fun

20 tomorrow 14 the next day to go and

pass

um

and we can get some mcdonald's

the cajon pass mcdonald's

short walk

for a most excellent resupply

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it is true that nighttime devours the

day

it is doubly true that every morning the

sun returns to frighten away the power

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this damn dry air

keeps giving me nosebleeds

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the family's back together

with the group together again we will

continue to enjoy all the quintessential

desert moments

including a stop at acton-koa

in one minor incident

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stopping and going whenever we please

making miles whenever we wanted to

for in the desert he prioritized town

bays and having fun over anything else

yet still managed to do some hiking

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after hiker town we would encounter the

18 mile stretch along the la aqueduct

which would require a few extra forms of

amusement

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then into the multitude of wind farms

that scatter the northern desert

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stayed in a holiday inn express last

night

and i feel very rested i got a haircut

yesterday trimmed up the neck boot

so i look a little bit less homeless

which is always nice

um resupplied and we're heading out

today

now burning 3000 calories a day on

average how you keep yourself fueled is

one of the most critical aspects on

trail

what food you bring with you is

important

it's also important that the food you

bring is light and full of energy

therefore this list is typically full of

junk food

but when in life are you going to be

able to eat anything you want and still

lose weight

it's often said that people pack their

fears

and the most common fear on trail

is going hungry

in the beginning a trail you often pack

more food than you can eat

but eventually though

you get your supply down to a science

running out of food just before a

behemoth meal in town

salami wraps

chips

protein bars

and candy

make up most of what i would eat on

trail

by the way

nerds clusters

are the best candy ever

just in case you were wondering

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another great way to resupply is to send

yourself a resupply box

filled with food that you send yourself

to a post office

or store

it can be an easy and cheap way to get

all the food you need for the next

section

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good hall

we are back

hiking

on the dusty

windy trail

after tehachapi we reached another major

milestone that required a special

tribute

500 miles

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i'll save you from having to hear the

rest of that we can't sing but

at least we can hike

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and it is

a

great morning

it was

probably the best night i've had out

here

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the wind died down we didn't see any

other hikers

it was calm i slept like a baby

it was

great whoa

hurry

all right first one to pass out wins

[Laughter]

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okay

hello everybody

behold i am clean

my feet do not have stains of dirt on

them

we have a pile of clean laundry

i have a full belly

i have alcoholic beverages

at my disposal it is a good day

the chore is done and now we're hanging

by the pool

heading back out

gotta get a hitch

gotta walk

12 miles

thank you so much

with the sun wind and sand slowly

eroding you away

you begin to see the signs of some

granite mountains

and now that you've earned those trail

legs

you're ready for a new challenge

and some new scenery

for you are approaching mile 700

and the official start

of the sierras

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there lies

the sierras

you're

so close

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welcome to kennedy meadows

the official end of the desert and start

of the sierras

a place where a huge milestone is

celebrated and where every hiker is

welcomed by a grand cheer upon arrival

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[Applause]

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what a hiker

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we took a couple days off from hiking to

recharge and celebrate some fellow

hikers

this is also where i would run into an

old childhood friend that i hadn't seen

since high school

small world i told you i make good

content

we've made it to kennedy meadows

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it is nice to be out of the desert now

we've got

big bear cans and micro spikes

and heavy packs

anxiously we set off excited to see what

the trail had in store yet nervous

for most years this is where the trail

tests you

and it's important to know what you're

getting yourself into

this is also where our group would pick

up another member to add to the

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family your trip

learn what trail conditions to expect

question for you guys you know what

trail conditions to expect

no

you guys aren't doing very good

all right

make sure your abilities match the trail

conditions all right

i can't hear you

two hours later

all right so

stay hydrated eat some snacks and smile

okay

rule number one

let's go hiking

yay

yay

i really wanna

thank you scout leader

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oh

i can definitely

feel this bear can

in my back

we are at uh 11

000 feet

and climbing

and

you could probably tell because i'm out

of breath

but

just finished a

nice

afternoon siesta at the chicken lake

didn't find any chickens

unfortunately i went swimming though and

i feel refreshed

and

yeah just super excited to be in the

stairs

it's great beautiful views

kind kinda more water now

compared to the desert

unfortunately

the food situation

is not as good

seven days is what we planned for to get

to bishop from kearsarge pass

and uh

it's freaking heavy

it is a lot of food

to carry

and i'm not even

eating that much like

definitely not full

after each

meal

so hopefully

my body will adjust

or

i can uh

just start carrying more food

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we left kennedy meadows in the first

week of june which in a normal year

would be covered in snow

but this year was much different

with a much lower snowpack than average

hiking through this section would be

much easier than usual with only having

to walk on about four to five hundred

feet of trail with snow

and much lower water crossings

check out the meadow

beautiful

so the days were easy

and we were content to be in the

mountains

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good morning

it is fantastic to be in the sierras

we're hiking whitney today

whitney i'm excited

would you just look at it

this is beautiful oh my god it gets

really pretty right up here

all right

just had a fantastic swim

ready

steady

spaghetti

[Applause]

and now we are now going

to the summit summit of whitney

the highest peak in the continental us

[Applause]

pretty cool

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how dare you climb my big rock

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just finished

climbing mount whitney

on the way

down and it was great

i'm not usually one for peaks but this

one

this one i really like

it's fun

looking

forward to this

spectacular sunset

about to happen

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this is pretty

pretty epic

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i think today

will be a day i remember for a long time

forester tomorrow

pretty much the same thing i did today

but again

but yeah it'll be good

got about two and a half

up to forester

and then we will have reached the

highest point on the trail

which is pretty exciting

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just leaving

forester pass

made famous in the 1800s when the first

pioneers

found the first subaru forester up here

or at least i think that's

why it's called that

with the highest pass completed we would

continue hiking about a pass a day

all while taking our time

and of course

taking breaks to swim

so cold

so cold very cold

oh god

buddy

whoo

feels good

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just met up with smokey the bear

gave us a full lecture about fires

we've had a

big couple of days

a lot of hiking involved in those days

but luckily the scenery has kept us

motivated

and we're

still out here

oh look at that

the mountains are calling

but uh i'm gonna i'm gonna let it go to

voicemail because it's town day

town day

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finally

it's town day

there's no greater joy than a town day

finally you get to indulge in all the

things you don't have on trail which

mostly involves stuffing your face as

fast as you can with food

on trail

days are measured in miles walked but on

town day

it's plates cleaned beers drank and ice

cream consumed

when it comes to eating in town it's

important to stick to the main food

groups get out of my face which includes

donuts

for donuts

ice cream

mostly milkshakes

are you doing sprinkles yeah i don't

have very much sprinkles please

pizza

all you can eat sushi

and of course

meat

preferably in the form of a burger

some good chicken man

typically you check out the famous town

stops but sometimes all you want in the

entire world is a nice home-cooked meal

which if you're lucky enough

might just happen

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this food is boss embossing

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and once your hunger is satisfied it's

time to enjoy what the rest of town day

has to offer play a quick round of golf

don't mind if i do

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rousing game of cards or a board game

yes please

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sometimes town days are about relaxing

and resting your tired broken body

and sometimes

it's about having a little bit of fun

and letting loose

[Applause]

there comes the point where you've had

your fill

and the itch to hit the trail and make

some miles starts creeping in

so you head back out in search of your

next goal

which usually

is just

the next town day

boy hello

it's been a few

it's been a few days

and we are back

on the trail

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it's incredibly difficult not to

romanticize and experience as grand and

life-changing as this one

it's easy to capture the good moments

the moments when you've just climbed to

the top of the mountain

and are marveling in the beautiful views

with a good group of friends

the moments when you feel accomplished

after a long day of hiking

and are having dinner around the

campfire

it's not so easy however to capture the

moments that are less enjoyable

the moments when you have to hike

through freezing rain just look forward

to a cold meal and a wet sleeping bag

the moments when your whole body hurts

would have several hours left of walking

before day's end

but that is what we do as humans

we romanticize

we forget about the pain the physical

discomfort

the mental hardships

and remember the good times

and that's okay

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hey

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another day another pass

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i think

i could do this forever

yep

i could do this

it's another beautiful day in the

sierras

we've got

another pass john muir passed today

more lakes

more

nice river crossings

and

yeah

not much else just having a good time

hiking

welcome to the first

stream crossing

barely ankle deep

it's a little buggy

kind of

kind of impossible to stand still

and not have mosquitoes on you

but

i'm really liking these shorter

18-ish mile days because it leaves you

so much time to just

relax and swim and

break for lunch or

breakfast or dinner or what have you

and uh

it's great there's the lake i just

jumped in

it was mighty cold

and it turns out

it's still

half

frozen

and yeah

it definitely felt half frozen

can you guess what day it is

maybe you can guess by the excitement

and my voice

because it's town day

and we all love towns

all right guess it's a resort day since

we're going to vermillion valley resort

i will probably see you

with a grin on my face

and a beer in my hand

to hiking

in town

good job hiking guys

starting to feel the end of the sierra's

drawing near

a group of us decided to take a little

detour

to enjoy a few days

in yosemite valley

once back on trail

it was time to hit the biggest milestone

yet

milestone reached a thousand miles

that's nuts

it's hard to

hardly comprehend

[Applause]

you need some chocolate

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just before noon

15 or 16 miles in

and it's time for lunch

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towel raisins

are a must on trail

otherwise

call this jerky

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i was now closing in on lake tahoe

and the official end

of the

all sierras

just finishing up a

27 mile day

and it's only 5 30.

so

it's kind of nice

made it to echo summit

now into tahoe

just need a hitch now

if

there were

any cars going my way

oh well i've been here like two seconds

so

cars will come

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oh

beautiful morning

having finished the sierras and hiking

over a thousand miles yet still being in

the same state we started in

we felt the urge to start pushing bigger

miles

with national heat waves and large fires

starting to hit california

it was important to finish the state

before the trail closures started to

appear

but luckily the beautiful mountains and

pristine lakes didn't stop

the first big stop in northern

california that beckons pct hikers with

the word free

was donner ski ranch

with a free 40 ounce malt liquor

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bedtime

a family that brushes together stays

together

i'm glad it's like done for the day yeah

seriously hear me out

we going to bucks lake

right now get some ice cream

jump in the lake

and get back on trail oh

put on a happy face okay

hiking is fun

definitely

starting to get tired of

walking

all the time

every day

you know not even halfway but

this marked just shy of three months of

hiking on this trail for me

yet i still wasn't even halfway done

the monotony of day in and day out

hiking was starting to catch up with me

and i was getting tired

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one day i'll

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doesn't really matter anymore it seems

like i have changed

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hypocrite

and our

purses

seems like they're the same

but i wanna go

back

if you could get in my brain it would be

easier to say

i'm feeling right now i'm feeling

cause there's so much to say and i know

i'll be okay

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[Applause]

but i don't know how

it's just how i'm feeling right now

feeling right now

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um

i do not

want to get up this morning

had a

later evening getting in

i just have to get motivated to get

out of bed

by far the hardest part of the day right

here

turns out

this isn't even whiskey

it's just damn water

sign was definitely a false

advertisement

okay

we're doing it we're doing it

we're hiking

it's gotta be it's gotta be below 100

finally

i don't think it is either but

looks like we got some trail magic

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trail magic is the unexpected support

given to hikers along their journey

trail magic

fresh mango

this magic can manifest itself in a

variety of ways along the trail

whether it be an unsuspecting hiker

feast with freshly cooked meals

a water cache in the middle of a dry

desert section

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or being offered a night stay in

someone's home

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these kind-hearted individuals who go

out of their way to provide magic are

known as trail angels

small or large these acts of kindness

can make life on trail a lot better

there's nothing like a cold soda after a

28 mile day in 95 degree heat

these are the things that make the trail

so special

trail magic at trail magic

finally it's happening

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oh

if you ever get trail magic from gordon

make sure to ask for his salad special

and to all the trail angels that do so

much for us through hikers we say thank

you keep at it thanks for all the great

food this was fantastic well good

glad you're enjoying you walk safe we'll

do i'm glad you could stay a while yeah

had a great time good good thanks gordon

halfway day

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that

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finally halfway done with 1300 miles

down

and a whole lot of effort

and little did we know

we were about to be handsomely rewarded

never going to believe what happened

get to the road to go to chester

stick our thumbs out 10 seconds later a

man pulls over

offers to take us into town

then he offers to take us to his lake

house where we can hang out

and then he's gonna take us on his new

boat

and

that's where we are

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[Applause]

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life's good

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[Applause]

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there's a common trail expression

that says the trail provides

and that couldn't be more true

ken you're a legend

thanks again

[Music]

the kindness of people

continues

to amaze me

we've had so much

great trail magic

these last few days

it's been unreal

me and leather gonna get in you wanna

come

get in where

the guys are get inside the geyser yeah

you just hop right in yeah it's pretty

warm

listen to it

turns out

there's a lava tube here

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best part about it

is that it's cool down here

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a crisp 48 degrees apparently

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and

out the other side

pretty cool

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tonight's special

is ramen

but it's an added treat

doing

honey roasted

peanut butter

so

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pretty good evening

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tonight

we're staying in a church

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just finished a stop at bernie falls and

it was brad

and uh

definitely a good place to

get out of the heat of the day but we

definitely stayed too long

as we do most places

good morning

got myself a mini crumble cake

quite relative

no more cruising

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i fell asleep i made the flowers

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i fell asleep i made the

flowers for a couple of hours

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best way to start the day

is with dessert

definitely

ready

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to get done with the rest of the state

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just finishing up a nine mile day

we're headed into aetna

for some town food

and a nero

[Music]

oh yeah

it's a long hot day

at least we

have bearish

i am

literally running

just to get town food

trying to get

to the tavern before it closes

[Music]

and the road we were trying to hitch on

has no cars on it

so

here i am running

to get to the road

hopefully

i get there in

we found a ride

[Music]

yeah thank the lord

town food awaits

[Music]

it's quite the thunderstorm

just keeps

keep sean coming

[Music]

thank you

whoa that one [ __ ] that shook the trees

we're just trying to cook some dinner

and it sounds like the world's ending

[Music]

new state day

today is the last day

in california

we hit the oregon border

in like less than 10 miles

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smiles

[Music]

[Music]

another day

another town

ashland

here we come

he says

[Music]

to a good night

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indeed

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gotta get a milkshake

gotta get a milk check every

pound laundry day

[Music]

your body will get very very dirty

hiking and so will your clothes

so this one's pretty simple

do laundry

wherever and whenever you can

and don't ever take clean clothes for

granted

[Music]

second day at ashland

and gonna hit

hyatt lake resort

this morning for breakfast

it should be tasty

much to our enjoyment southern oregon

had several resorts that were just a

short hitch away which of course we took

full advantage of

7 000 calories in the tank

i'm just gonna go vomit real quick

and then uh

we'll be hiking

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it's a good haul

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with oregon's relatively flat terrain

miles continued to get bigger and so did

the groups of hikers

[Music]

it has

[Music]

got

another moderate day

[Music]

and then tomorrow

we have crater lake

i'm excited to see that finally

[Music]

hopefully i will be able to see it with

all the smoke

today is a solemn day

wizard is getting off due to a foot

injury

this is his last day on trail

it is indeed

despite the sadness of partying with my

last trail family member

i was filled with new excitement from

all the new faces around me

[Applause]

[Music]

and several of these faces would

eventually become my new hiking crew

after a final send-off meal

and saying our goodbyes

i was back to trail by myself for the

first time in a long while

plan is to do a small day think i've

just do like three more miles to this

campground

and then

get up

quite early tomorrow

and

do the uh 24 hour challenge

the challenge where you hike for 24

hours and see how many miles you can get

i'm hoping i can do

around 50.

it's a lot but i think i can do it

good morning

it's just after six

and i'm off

on the 24 hour challenge

[Music]

my body feels good

i'm motivated

and uh got some easy trail ahead so

we'll see how see how many miles we can

get

all right

just about 10 miles in

just uh

stumbled upon some trail magic

nice people

but i don't have time

we've got miles to make

there's a bunch of other people also

doing the 24 hour challenge

the

double bubble as they're called

or the horde

group of like 15 20 people

quite a few of them are doing it as well

so i'm not by myself on this which is

kind of fun

got a little bit of the competitive

spirit going along with it so

it's quite fun

[Music]

it's almost one o'clock

about 20 some miles in just past the

highest point in oregon we will be on on

the pct

and had a quick lunch it's good

[Music]

sit rep

thirsty af

it's a 22 mile water carry

and i only have

two liters of capacity

so that kind of sucked

but we're almost

almost to a water cache so

i can gorge myself on

delicious water

approaching

like

37

38 mile mark so

almost to 40.

i still have like 13 some hours left so

doing pretty good

[Music]

[Laughter]

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uphill

it's a hard one of the day

but almost

to the top

and then i'm gonna go to that lake over

there

[Music]

but it is 8 30

50 miles in

making good times though and uh

time for some dinner

gotta fuel the body

but yeah actually nothing

is too sore

chafing is the biggest issue but

i'm pooped

it is

late

it's like three in the morning

and i've made it to the junction

shelter go which i believe is

67 miles

it's a lot of miles

but i uh

still have like three hours

until my time's up so

i guess i'll take a break and

keep walking

but yeah my dogs are barking

you know what i mean dogs having toes

and feet

the night hiking is very monotonous and

not fun

when you're this tired

so

now i'm rambling

i'm gonna

take a breather

all right

with

nine minutes to spare

i finish

the 24-hour challenge

with

78 miles

i am uh

hobbling

into uh into town

i'm hobbling

to the finish but

i did it

we're here

good night

good morning

day two

of recovery

from the 24 hour challenge

and i am

quite sore

yesterday i was

spent eating food and playing board

games

it was good

looks like you got a hole there bud nah

it's still in good shape yeah that was

gonna do a good few hundred miles left

i'll patch that up with uh some some

scotch tape

after recharging my batteries

and my body

i would start hiking with another group

of hikers

ones that would adopt me into their

trail family

meet family number two

is it happening

[Music]

[Music]

take it easy these next couple days

getting to bend

and uh

we've got a fire closure and then we're

honestly almost done with oregon it's

crazy how fast it goes

welcome to camp

miles began to get easier

maybe that's because of all the new

people

or maybe it's due to the fact that miles

didn't seem so big

after hiking 78 of them in one day

either way oregon was living up to the

hype

with very few downsides

and with less than a thousand miles left

we felt like we're making real progress

[Music]

[Music]

mate cheers mike

[Music]

the town almost to washington

[Music]

two thousand

[Music]

we're trying to find the perfect song to

put on our instagram

[Music]

after getting around one of the few fire

closures we had to encounter

we arrived at timberline lodge

which is famous for its relationship to

the movie the shining

and its enormous breakfast buffet

which unfortunately we didn't get a

partake in

however we only had three days left

hiking in oregon

which somehow didn't seem possible

[Music]

we are

descending into cascade locks

thank god it's town day

because i'm cold and hungry

what else can i say

organ

you are fabulous

despite how great oregon was

we were all eager to get to washington

as well as the large hiker festival held

every year in cascade locks

known as pct days

this is a festival with festivities

prizes food

and a place for all the hiker trash to

gather

and this is where i would meet up with

the royal family one last time

which of course

we had to make a big deal about it's

about time

you guys knew you were hiking with

royalty

oh my god just like a king

[Music]

still need to unzip it

there you go

[Music]

[Applause]

and enough of that

with pct days over

we were ready to cross a milestone that

i had been looking forward to for a long

time last few steps in oregon

the bridge of the gods

[Music]

huh

[Music]

washington baby

[Music]

one state left

500 miles to go

[Music]

[Music]

it

feels so good to be

in washington

it was a fantastic journey through

oregon

had a fantastic time at trail days

seeing a bunch of friends and

reuniting with the royal family

but yeah had a great time

feel good now motivated

to

enjoy the beauty of washington

and uh

we're closing in on the end of this

trail which is crazy to think

gonna

kind of take it slower

go down to about 25 miles a day and

just enjoy the rest of this journey

you need water

yeah give me a good pump there bud

really

did it did it work is it did it go going

out there

[Music]

all right let's get this thing moving

[Music]

let's go

[Music]

for me

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[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

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here we go

[Music]

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[Applause]

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savage in here yeah here we go

[Music]

washington's beauty was apparent right

from the start and so was its weather

[Music]

much colder and wetter than the trail

had been thus far we knew washington

wasn't going to give it to us easy

we were gonna have to earn it

especially with more elevation to come

but it would all be worth it

every day was incredible

some of the most gorgeous views on trail

this fire

[Music]

that's nazi's good dude

just passing snookumi pass we would

enter what would be my favorite section

of the whole trail

[Music]

incredibly beautiful washington

you've outdone yourself

but uh yeah

got less than two weeks to go which is

crazy

after those few superb days of hiking

we would enter

one of my favorite town days

in the bavarian style village of

leavenworth

[Music]

we would feast on enormous homemade

meals

german food

huckleberry pie with fresh picked

berries

and of course mcdonald's

[Music]

hiking

once again

just took a quick dip in lake valhalla

and it was

quite nice

definitely reminds me of the sierras

when i was able to

swim every day definitely miss that a

little bit so that was nice but we had a

quite nice time in leavenworth

had a good german experience

and uh had some good food rested up

and that's the that's the last zero i'll

ever take

on this trail

[Music]

is

[Music]

the way

[Music]

from your

[Music]

come on

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

good morning

i'm a few miles from stehekin

my last town day

it is a

bittersweet i guess

but those uh steak and bakery cinnamon

rolls

i'll make it a bit sweeter

cheers

[Applause]

in washington

and the staheken bakery

a place i'd been looking forward to

since the start of trail

with pastries so delicious you can't

just have one

[Music]

after getting our resupply boxes

and one last morning bike ride bakery

trip

we are ready to hit the trail

one last time

[Music]

it was starting to sink in

that we were finishing the trail in the

next few days

which didn't seem real

[Music]

this is the last section

pretty crazy

soon it'll all be over

[Music]

but yeah just past hearts past

and uh

closing in tomorrow

we will be at the terminus

where this journey ends

last almond joy on trail

last tent pitch

on the pct

last night on the pct

[Music]

with fewer and fewer miles remaining you

can't help but to think

how you got here

and how far you've come

can't help but to think about all the

beautiful places you've seen

all the calm waters

and high up places

can't help but to think about all the

people you've met and friendships made

[Music]

think about all the difficult moments

you had to push through

that left you feeling proud

[Music]

all the little things

and inside jokes you've exhausted along

the way

[Music]

and how now you're a stronger person

and know more of who you are

despite all the walking you've done

despite how tired you are

you don't want this journey to end

but like all good things

it must

this is the last morning

the pct

see what that term is

[Applause]

literally moments away

[Music]

all this to touch a piece of freaking

wood

oh god nice job y'all

[Music]

wow

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

you