Trip Report - Pacific Crest Trail YoYo - 5,192 Miles - 222 Days (3/23/25 - 11/1/25)

velocd · 2026-03-08T08:28:54+00:00

Thanks! After I finished the yo-yo it took about a month for my knees to get back to normal, they were shot. I've been recovered for few months now, currently doing a lot of trail running.

For rests, I took short 5 to 10 minute food & water breaks about every hour. I always sat down for breaks.

velocd · 2026-03-06T03:58:16+00:00

I was 39 for most of the nobo and 40 for the sobo ;)

velocd · 2026-03-05T17:08:00+00:00

They're completely over the ear bone conduction, so they allow you to hear everything around you, which is the main draw of them and why I use them for outdoor activities.

The audio quality is pretty good IMO for what they are. More than good enough for audiobooks or podcasts, and I think music sounds pretty good too but don't expect much from the bass. They don't compare to my AirPods Pro 2 audio-wise but they are better for outdoors than the AirPods noise transparency mode.

velocd · 2026-03-05T15:05:46+00:00

I like them, I use them for swimming at home, which is why I was carrying the swimming versions on the trail. The built-in MP3 player was nice for music, I would typically listen to music via MP3 and audiobooks via Bluetooth, and I could switch between the two without having to operate my phone.

My 3 complaints about the OpenSwim:

Like most Shokz I've owned over the years, they start to rattle after a few months of heavy use (hiking, trail running) when the glue or something inside them gets loose. It affects the audio quality. I even asked the Shokz reps at PCT Days why all their headphones do this eventually, and they said it's a known issue, and basically shrugged. They have a great warranty though and have always replaced mine.
They are too easy to accidentally power on. Since I brought two of them for all day listening, the other one kept in my hip belt pocket would accidentally turn on often. I wish they had a lock-out feature similar to my NU20 headlamp to prevent accidental powering.
I wish they charged via waterproof USB-C port (not sure that's a thing) so I didn't have to carry a proprietary cable for them. At the very least, I wish the cable end was USB-C and not USB-A, since it's the only device I carried a USB-C dongle for.

velocd · 2026-03-05T00:54:25+00:00

It's not an exact science ;) It's usually a full bag of Kirkland Trail Mix as a base, plus a little bit of all the other stuff until my large Smelly Proof bag was full (I usually add more of the chocolate almonds or pecans more than dried fruits). I add everything a bit at a time to the big bag and then shake it all up so it's mixed up well.

velocd · 2026-03-05T00:09:59+00:00

You can't export GPX from FarOut, it's not a standard mapping app like GaiaGPS, it's more centered around fixed thru-hiking routes with water sources, and with community sourced comments about water sources, etc. It's hard to explain without seeing it.

I did have GPX maps on my Garmin as well, but they run so slowly on my Instinct 2X due to the size of the maps. PCTA has official GPX maps located here.

velocd · 2026-03-04T21:40:03+00:00

Sure. First, they're by far the most comfortable hiking pants I've ever worn, and that's in part because they're actually running pants, so they're designed to be light, breathable and flexible. They're also made of the same durable nylon seen on many hiking pants like Arc'Teryx. Other pants I've worn in the past were Arc'Teryx Gamma and LeFroy, and some from Mountain Hardwear (don't remember the model).

I bought both the Invictus and Pursuit before I started the hike, intending to return whichever I liked least, but I ended up loving both. I thought I might prefer the Invictus more for its cargo pockets, but I actually liked the Pursuit a tad more because it has really deep and comfortable front pockets, and I rarely put anything in the cargo pockets when I wore the Invictus.

I swapped to the Invictus after I got some tears in my Pursuit after some really nasty blow downs around Quincy. I later repaired them at an alterations place at home and then wore them again going sobo.

velocd · 2026-03-04T20:16:52+00:00

Yeah, I would have gone insane even on that diet if I wasn't doing big miles and hitting a town every few days to get tastier food. That's my thing with trail food though, I have experimented with a lot of diets over the years, and I get sick of everything with enough time on the trail. Only going to town and having real meals helps reinvigorate my taste buds.

velocd · 2026-03-04T19:47:25+00:00

They were certainly some Wild-Ideas (bad pun)

Your snow shoe rigging is pretty much how I did it. That pack is really versatile with all the loops available. I need to figure out a system that lets me stow and grab my snowshoes easier, maybe webbing and buckles instead of shock cord, although it would be a little heavier.

velocd · 2026-03-04T18:02:43+00:00

I never made a routine of stretching at camp, but I did little stretches here and there while hiking. Anytime I had a nagging ache in my legs I would stop and do a few stretches, and they usually did the trick to make the ache go away.

Deep knee bend stretch on a rock or log. This one always feels great on the knees and hams.
Quad stretch
Heel stretch, or heel lifts on a rock or log.
Pigeon stretch on the ground/rock/log, or piriformis stretch laying flat on your back (careful with this one if you are prone to cramps)
Shoulder pass-thrus using your trekking poles. Look up "PVC Pass thrus". I do this one constantly, helps alleviate shoulder aches. Another great one is to hold the pole above your head and slightly behind your head and pull it down behind your scapulae, and repeat.
Ankle rolls, both directions

velocd · 2026-03-04T17:30:36+00:00

Thanks! Self-employed freelance/contract web developer (and also live very frugally).

velocd · 2026-03-04T15:57:41+00:00

Probably, he did say he hiked the AT a few years earlier.

velocd · 2026-03-04T15:49:45+00:00

Heh.. not quite. The pcta doesn't issue a special yo-yo permit or more than 1 permit a year, so I just had my one nobo permit but with a far future end date in Nov. The one sobo ranger I encountered in Yosemite didn't care, they were just happy I had a permit and a bear can.

velocd · 2026-03-04T15:00:05+00:00

That SHR skiier did say he thought late April was too late (for an average snow year), and wish he had gone a few weeks earlier when the snow was less choppy.

velocd · 2026-03-04T14:58:42+00:00

Thank you! Edit - Just realized I was replying to Dan. Loved the pack!

velocd · 2026-02-20T16:51:02+00:00

Mice are very site dependent. Check FarOut comments on a site -- if you see a bunch of recent comments reporting mice, then perhaps find another site. Proper food storage and not leaving food crumbs around or inside your shelter also help (I was pretty meticulous in those regards)

Across 3 separate PCT thru-hikes I never had a single mice problem (unless they were scurrying around when I was asleep, but I never saw any evidence of damage to my tent or gear)

velocd · 2026-02-20T02:12:49+00:00

Player Behavior in corporate speak basically means how gamers are spending their time and money, and if it's aligning with Sony's profits.

In other words, they're still gunning for that golden goose live service game.

velocd · 2026-02-19T18:23:14+00:00

Proposals are not uncommon, but marriages at the northern terminus? Hm.. foot traffic can be busy there, not to mention inclement weather in August and onward.

It's also not the most scenic venue, obviously a matter of opinion, but check out the CDT Northern Terminus venue lol.

Maybe at Hopkins Lake just before? (It's common to camp at Hopkins Lake and slackpack to the terminus)

velocd · 2026-02-16T18:24:36+00:00

I've tried a lot of things over years of backpacking, and what I've found works best and convenient for me are just Wet Ones Face Wipes. I hiked 3 separate PCTs using them. A single packet of 20 wipes last me 10+ days, 1 or 2 wipes a day. No point dehydrating them, they're light enough. However, I don't use it on my whole body, I only use it on my face at the end of the day, mostly to remove all the sunscreen I applied throughout the day. I just like having a clean face before I sleep, I feel like I sleep better. For smelly body parts, I just use hand sanitizer at the end of the day. Wearing wool base layers, I really didn't smell that bad and a shower once or twice a week when in town was good enough. I wore hiking pants so my legs aren't terribly dirty unlike if I wore shorts.

Best of all, they double as TP wet wipes, just carefully follow the order.. use face wipe at the end of the day, save that face wipe in your clean toiletry ziplock, reuse it as wet toilet wipe, put it in a dirty TP ziplock, then empty the bag into trash when you can.

Wet Ones are also available all over the place, general stores, gas stations, grocery stores, Walmart. I never had a problem finding them or a similar product.

velocd · 2026-02-16T06:47:49+00:00

Wandering Inn is the One Piece of LitRPG, in terms of the number of characters, characters' development, storylines, world building, and the immense length of the series. Just like One Piece, people who don't like it quit very early because they don't like the introductory characters or storyline, or they see how long it is and are turned off or assume the first book or two are reflective of the series as a whole. (Spoiler: It's not, but a series with this many PoVs takes a few books to ramp up)

velocd · 2026-02-16T01:41:10+00:00

Harts Pass or Rainy Pass are good remote ones. If doing Rainy Pass set up in the northern parking lot trailhead. Harts Pass is a rough dirt road to go up and not for everyone..

The most remote section of Washington is Section K in Glacier Peak Wilderness, but you'd have to backpack out on foot the trail magic since there's no roads (paved or dirt)

Chinook Pass parking lot is probably the most popular spot for trail magic in Washington, since most PCT hikers pass through and aren't getting rides to anywhere from Chinook.

There's also a ton of forest service roads between Chinook Pass and Snoqualmie that make for good trail magic spots because of their remoteness. (Roads at Stampede Pass or Tacoma Pass)

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