If you haven’t had the chance to read the first installment of Love on the Trail—our month-long series celebrating stories of connection, adventure, and the deep bond we all share with the Pacific Crest Trail, we invite you to start here.
In this second installment of Love on the Trail, we continue celebrating the connections that flourish along the PCT. Starting with the connections we nurture within ourselves, onto couples who take their first steps into the unknown together to lifelong friendships rekindled by the trail’s magic, these stories remind us that the journey is never just about the miles—it’s about the adventure we seek and the community we find along the way.
The Weight of Freedom
Photos provided by Spencer “Hammer”
Hammer shifted the pack higher on his shoulders and took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air. At 56 years old, he had spent the better part of his life stuck behind a desk, letting the world pass him by while he poured over spreadsheets and negotiated contracts. But not anymore.
He quit his job six months ago, selling his overly large house and putting what he didn’t need in storage. For the first time in over thirty years, he was free—free from the golden handcuffs of his corporate job, free from the burdens of mortgages, zoning laws, and homeowner’s association fees, free to explore and live on his own terms.
His sabbatical began with a walking tour through Italy, following the footsteps of ancient Romans. Then he went diving off the Australian coast, swimming alongside massive whale sharks and drifting over kaleidoscopic coral reefs. But those were just the appetizers. This backpacking trip on the Pacific Crest Trail was the main course.
The trail rose before him, PCT logo signs indicating the path as it switchbacked up the mountainside. The meadow he had just crossed was already falling away below him, the wildflowers becoming a colorful carpet in the distance. His calves burned from the steady uphill grind, but he felt more alive than he had in decades.
By midday, he crested a ridge, and the entire world seemed to unfold before him in a panorama of rugged, snow-capped peaks. A few whispy clouds drifted across an endless sky of blue. In the stillness, he could hear the trickle of a stream tumbling over rocks and the high-pitched call of a pika somewhere among the boulders.
He stopped for a snack, pulling off his pack and settling back against it to take in the view. As he munched on a protein bar, he watched a hawk effortlessly riding the updrafts in ever-widening circles. He was struck by how light he felt as if he could simply leap into the air and join the raptor on its journey across the heavens.
The pack that had been weighing so heavily on his shoulders just hours ago now felt like a mere inconvenience. The true weight he had been carrying was the burden of responsibilities, expectations, and regrets that had piled up over his years in the working world. Out here, surrounded by beauty and quiet, those burdens had fallen away, leaving him feeling unburdened and at peace.
He lingered for over an hour, lulled into a state of deep contentment by the warmth of the sun on his face and the gentle breeze ruffling his hair. When he finally did shoulder his pack again, it was with a renewed sense of lightness and wonder. There was still so much more trail ahead of him, so many more vistas to take in and explore. And he had all the time and freedom in the world.
Spencer “Hammer”
San Diego, California
It Would Be More Fun If You Came Along
Photos provided by Ben Pecher
During Covid, hiking became our outlet. We hiked countless trails throughout Angeles National Forest, Rim to Rim and Whitney. In early 2022, my Fiance, @d.sunnyd, came to me with the idea to hike the PCT. It seemed impossible and something I would never do, but she was determined. I remember her saying, “I’m going to do this with or without you, but it would be more fun if you came along.” And so, after 6 months of YouTube videos and training hikes, I finally made the decision to hike with her. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The People. The Views. The Journey. Together, we gained insight into what we value in our lives and in each other. She displayed strength in overcoming injuries, grace when plans were interrupted, and gratitude for just being out there together.
They say the trail changes you in ways you don’t expect, and that is absolutely correct, but what remains unchanged is my love for her and her insatiable desire for adventure.
Photos provided by Ben Pecher
Can’t wait for the next one!
I love you, Huntress.
-Wolverine/@b_pecher
We Are All Legends
Photo provided by Elina Eriksson “one of my last days”
I fell in love with the trail. The beauty of nature, so different from my country, Sweden. I fell in love with the USA, the country, and the people. The long talks about politics, love, dreams, life. But I walked and slept mostly alone; I felt so free. I was satisfied with myself; I nearly made it. But I loved the snow, which stopped me about two days before Canada. Nature was so beautiful. I made my own record. It was the best hike I had ever made.
I did it in 2018; I was 76+ years old.
I got a trail name, Legend. It was too much. We are all legends, and so is the trail.
Elina Eriksson
Sweden
Friends for Life
Photographed June 22, 2022, in Spokane, Washington. Bill (left). Brian (right)
I hiked the PCT in 1975, back in those halcyon days when you never worried about wildfires and crowds on the trail were never a concern. It was also back in the day that major portions of the PCT barely existed. Think of Southern California all the way up to the Sierra, extreme Northern California north of the Sierra, and southern Oregon. Even southern Washington was a bit sketchy.
There were probably no more than a couple dozen of us wanderlust folks who tackled the PCT in 1975. It was on the trail that I met Bill Cook in the first month of our hike (April 1975). I was from Washington; he was from Wisconsin. Bill was the youngest eager beaver to set out on the PCT. Technically, he had not even graduated from high school.
We finished the PCT and completely lost track of each other — for 40 years!! Then Bill tracked me down on the 40th anniversary of our trek (Summer 2015). Since then, we have reconnected as the best of friends. We live, oh, a couple thousand miles apart. I’m in Spokane, Washington, and Bill is on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. But a week never goes by without an e-mail exchange. We see each other in person about every other year now. I’m either in Michigan, or Bill is in Spokane—friends for life — all courtesy of the PCT.
Brian Kingsbury, Class of ’75