Hit 500 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail last month and it threw me off

I was hiking a section near the Sierra Nevada and crossed over 500 miles total on that trail. I didn't even realize I was close until I checked my GPS app that night. Something about hitting that round number made me stop and think about all the blisters and bad meals I went through to get there. It felt more real than just saying 'I've done a lot of hiking' because the number was right there. Anyone else have a milestone on a route that caught you off guard?

2 comments

2 Comments

hunt.rowan14d ago

Used to think mile milestones were just bragging points for people who wanted to post their stats online. But then I hit 300 miles on the Colorado Trail last summer and it hit different. @kim.sandra is right about that receipt feeling. I sat down on a log and counted up all the nights I slept in wet socks and the times I ate cold oatmeal because my stove broke. The number made all those little frustrations add up to something solid. Changed my whole view on why people track this stuff.

kim.sandra15d ago

Oh I totally get this. When I crossed 200 miles on the Appalachian Trail last fall I was just staring at this stream thinking about my third day of ramen dinners and how I almost cried over a broken shoelace. Numbers like that make the hard stuff feel worth it because you can't fake 500 miles you know? It's like a receipt for all the pain and pretty views combined. I had a similar moment at 1,000 miles on a bike tour and just sat there eating trail mix for ten minutes feeling weirdly proud.