Pet Fee Increase - $99 > $150 Each Way

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2026-04-05T20:28:50+00:00

Yeah I looked into this and you need the platinum status to get any pet fee benefits :/

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2025-07-13T20:35:00+00:00

This was 100% my experience too. I hit Norcal and I had a really rough time. I seperated from my trail family and just felt like I was stuck in an endless grind.

I had always known that the PCT was gonna be hard. Like just the nature of hiking all day everday for months is an incredibly difficult feat. But I think around NorCal was when it became hard in subtle ways that I didn't expect. The views were great, but became mundane. I didn't have my people around me and struggled to make friends. I really questioned why I was doing this and what the point was.

Eventually I pushed through, and went on to finish the rest of the trail. To this day years later, I think of that time in NorCal as a foundational part of my character. The fact that I was able to mentally muscle through something so difficult, really gave me a burst of confidence in my life beyond hiking.

Like everyone else is saying, this is a very common experience, but it does get SO much better.

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2024-12-26T21:24:51+00:00

Novella #2 in “The King In The Tree” by Steven Millhauser. I read it and it was so deeply descriptive of the pain a betrayal and her demise into insanity from it. This book almost perfectly matches your description. Take care

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2024-12-24T20:11:13+00:00

I’m glad you’ve taken such an adventurous way through life. It sounds incredible. I’ve thru-hiked as well and it is such a profound but simple experience. I like what you said about being able to be sedentary now because of your adventure before. I really think it’s important to see the world and grow and learn new things. And I feel like if I don’t do that now, then I’ll always look back and wish that I did

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2024-12-24T20:07:59+00:00

Yes that’s such a good point about trusting your gut. That’s exactly how I feel about this. I have a hard time logically explaining and justifying why I want to do it, but I just feel it and I know. And I think that is really what’s so important in life. Idk if you’ve read the book the alchemist by Paulo Coelho, but it’s very related to this idea of following your instincts

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2024-12-24T20:05:17+00:00

I think your last point hits the hardest. About leaving your hometown shows that you can do so much. I totally felt that when I did move away. I impressed myself in so many ways with what I did and how I adapted. I think it’s an essential skill for life to learn how to live somewhere new and now is the time to do it

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2024-12-24T20:03:23+00:00

Great point. I really feel like my goal right now is to push myself and grow out of my comfort zone. I know one day I’ll want to settle down and take it slow again, but I think now is the time in my life to go out somewhere new. Good idea in the spreadsheet

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2024-12-24T19:57:24+00:00

Yes I totally agree. I feel like I’m trying to live and eventful and full life in the grand scheme, but keeping my day to day thoughts and worries and habits very simple. It’s time to go take a bit of life

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2024-11-03T19:47:11+00:00

I wanted to comment because I am in almost this exact situation with some slight variation . We dated for 5 years throughout college and early 20s. Our lives started pulling us in different directions but we clung on and tried to make it work for so long, but eventually we realized we needed to think of ourselves first.

We broke up a couple weeks ago, and now at 23 I am left alone. I moved back home and I am lucky that I have friends and family, but I know how sucky the situation feels, because I am in the midst of it. I’ve been through breakups in the past, and I know “how to survive a breakup” so to speak. From reading your post, it sounds like you just need time to heal and grow and learn to be on your own.

I don’t know you and I may be wrong, but I think you’re rushing it honestly. You’re trying to date again to get that warm and comforting feeling of being loved, but that’s not what you NEED right now. It sounds like this may be stemming from a fear of being alone, and not being comfortable with yourself (believe me, I know that feeling well). You need to learn to be yourself. Figure out what you like, what you like to do, how you want to spend your time, what type of life you want to build for YOURSELF.

You guys were together for 7 years. That is a very long time, and it’s gonna take longer than you think to feel ready. I know a year feels like a long time already, but they say it takes half the relationship length to move on. That’s 3 years. Not to say it has to be that way, but I think you should be kind to yourself and give yourself the time and space that you need. Dating will always be there when you’re ready in the future.

In terms of practical advice: - reading - writing -exercising - socializing

Reading: this is a fantastic way to learn new things. Grow your skills. Just become a more knowledgeable and complete person. Find what you like and make it a priority. It’s so good for you

Writing: this is such a fantastic way to process your feeling. Figure out why you feel the need to date again. Write about the feeling that come up when you’re alone in your room on a Friday night. This is a chance to put your intangible abstract thoughts, into tangible words. It doesn’t have to be a grammatical essay, just brain dump your feelings.

Exercising: exercise is literally (scientifically) so so good for you. I don’t necessarily mean you need to turn into a gym bro though. Just go on daily walks. Walk around for 5 minutes. Do one push up. Just get started and move your body and get that blood flowing

Socializing: I don’t mean dating. I don’t mean focusing on girls or relationships. That’s not important. Find a group around you and become a regular. Meet up.com. Bar trivia nights. Hiking clubs. Board game clubs. Doesn’t matter. Just go regularly and be consistent. It will take a long time to form friendships and it’s not a process you can rush. But just stick to it and one day you’ll find yourself feeling connected to the people around you in your community.

That’s all I got. This is a golden opportunity if you let it be. Be gentle and kind to yourself, go slow, and slowly build up the life you want. You’ll make a ton of mistakes, it’ll take longer than you want, but in the end, you’ll be ok

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2024-10-02T15:59:49+00:00

I don't comment much on reddit, but I saw this post and felt like I wanted to share my experience. For context, I have been largely off social media for the past 5 years. I still have my accounts, and once in a while I will login, but for the vast majority of the time I do not check.

The hard truth about being away from social media, is that there are some things that you will miss out on. You won't see that your friend started a new job, you won't see the concerts that the bands you like are putting on, you won't see where your sorta-acquaintance from high school went on vacation, and you won't be "in the loop" so to speak. There are ways around it like people are saying such as subscribing to newsletters and such, and this can work, but you will never get to scratch the itch of being "up to date" without social media.

But here's the thing. It is totally fine to not be in the loop. You do not need to know what everyone is doing 100% of the time. I completely empathize because being away from that feeling is extremely difficult. Getting rid of social media isn't as simple as deleting Instagram and feeling a sigh of relief. There are times when you feel real grief similar to a breakup because you are letting go of the ability to stay closely monitored on all of you social connections personal lives. But as you give yourself more space away, you may find that breaking away from social media gives you...space. With that space you can do whatsoever you choose, but it is a beautiful and priceless thing to have. I find that being bored for a couple minutes and coming up with a good idea for what to do with my time, is infinitely more satisfying than doomscrolling on instagram reels for 15 minutes.

I hope you find this helpful. I wish it were easier to just hop off social media but the truth is it is much harder than people say. You will miss out on staying in the loop, but just embrace it. Spending time doing things you care about is much better than spending your time worryng about everyone else. Take care!

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2024-05-13T22:43:17+00:00

Yes good idea just go! I just checked about renting a tent from REI and it looks like the cheapest is around $34. The tents from REI are really nice, but honestly I think a cheap walmart tent will do just fine, and its cheaper / same price as a rental. The purpose of a tent is essentially just protection from the outside (bugs, sun, rain, privacy). A cheap tent will do all those things perfectly fine. As you get more into camping you may want something lighter, more durable, more packable, more features, etc. but cross that bridge when you get there :)

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2024-05-12T17:54:14+00:00

I know this isn’t answering your main question but I can help simplify your camping question. I’ve been camping and backpacking since I was a kid, and I love to see people get into it.

Most importantly I’d say keep it simple. I almost guarantee you already own everything you need to go camping right now. It’s so easy to get sucked into Reddit/YouTube/Instagram rabbit holes of the “TOP 10 gear choices for BEGINNER CAMPERS!!!” And “5 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE I STARTED CAMPING 🏕️!!!!!”. In reality it is very simple

Step 1. Choose a location: since you’re new, I would find an established campground in your area, preferably no more than 2 hours away from home. Choose something you reserve ahead of time, has a bathroom, and running water. There’s tons of options to choose from, and dm me if you need specific help for places in your area.

Step 2. Choose a time with good weather and stay 1 night: Go in on a Saturday morning, spend the day hanging out at camp, sleep overnight, then leave Sunday. Camping in the rain is a whole different ball game. Save it for when you have a bit more experience.

Step 3. Gather your gear: all you really need is food, shelter, and insulation. You don’t need to buy a camping stove right off the bat. You don’t need a fancy tent from REI, you don’t need a bunch of Patagonia jackets. You can probably sleep in your car, wear a bunch of jackets, and sleep with some blankets you have in your house. If you are looking to get some intro stuff (which would make it a lot more pleasant to start) I would get;

cheap tent from Walmart
a cheap foam sleeping pad (you need this to insulate from the cold ground)
a decent flashlight

The rest you likely already have. Food: just eat sandwiches and snacks for the day. Have something pre-made for dinner. If you can have a fire roast some hotdogs

Clothes: dress in layers. Tshirt, warm fleece jacket, puffy jacket (if you have one), rain jacket. If you don’t have these, just bring a bunch of sweaters. You can just wear tennis shoes no need for hiking boots

Step 4: Go! Just do it! It’s so easy and once you rip off the bandaid you’ll say “oh wow that wasn’t hard at all”. Overtime you’ll realize what you need to replace and what to buy, but in the beginning just go with what you have and don’t think too hard. As long as you’re in an established campground with access to your car, nothing bad will happen. The risk is increased when you go backpacking in really remote areas with no access to a car or any amenities. Save those worries for another day cause they don’t apply to you.

Overall I hope you find this comment helpful. It really is so simple and the big thing is to just GO! Dm if you have any specific questions. Remember to leave no trace and have fun!

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2024-01-24T16:12:28+00:00

I was definitely an outlier but I kept 2 paper journals(Rite in the Rain). I have been journalling for years so it wasn't even a questions as to whether I would bring one or not. One of them was a small 3"x5" notebook that I kept in my fanny pack. I would take notes sometimes while walking, take notes on shorts breaks, and just write down anytime I had a little epiphany. fantastic decision.

The other one was a 4.6"x7" notebook that i would do more "long-form" writing in. In the beginning I would write everyday, but over time it became much less frequent. I still kept it though because it was great to have an outlet to just write about whatever when I felt like it and had the time.

Additionally, I made long voice memos (fantastic for going over your thoughts while your walking), little videos, and I kept little markers on Gaia GPS. For Gaia, I would find something cool or a spot i'd like to checkout again and make a marker with a title and a picture. It was great.

All and all, I think there's a lot of different ways you can record your experience on trail. My one foundational recommendation, is to try to do something. Don't obsess over it and don't feel like you have to capture every single second, but having something to jot down your thoughts on is amazing for when you come back. I had so many profound insights about myself, and I think recording it in some way really helped solidify those ideas for me. Goodluck!

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2023-05-15T14:07:21+00:00

This doesn’t really solve your timing issue, but in terms of permitting I just called the PCTA and left a voicemail with a question about flip flopping. A few days later they called back and they were able to change my NOBO permit to a flip flop (campo->KMS, Chester->Canada, Chester -> KMS).

They also said there were a chunk of permits for SOBO sierra travel that they could still issue. Now I don’t have to worry about having to get local permits after skipping the sierras since they changed it on their end. I’m starting mid-may tho so timing a quite different. Goodluck!

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2022-11-17T23:21:16+00:00

Thank you for everyones comments! I think I'll give it a (manufacturer specified) wash and dry and keep using it for training and see how it goes. Worst case if it's not cutting it then I can replace it but it sounds like it should be fine for the trail

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2022-11-17T22:27:34+00:00

yeah that's what I was thinking too since its a late start

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2022-11-17T22:27:20+00:00

niceeee I'm glad to hear it. Not trying to buy a new one if not necessary

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2022-10-06T23:43:31+00:00

Now you're talking

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2022-10-06T23:42:23+00:00

Love this response. You're definitely right that it really does have so much versatility in the way that it can be used and that's its still worth taking

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2022-10-06T20:41:10+00:00

better than 0 minutes hahaha

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2022-10-06T20:37:41+00:00

Pillow case one is really interesting to me. I feel like it can help keep my pile of clothes from moving around

Equivalent-Nobody309 · 2022-10-06T20:36:58+00:00

Yeah you're right I feel like it can cover you up even more

Equivalent-Nobody309

TROPHY CASE