In 2025 I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, it was a trip of a lifetime, and I’ll never forget the time I spent out there living in the wilderness. The scenery I saw, and the people I met will be with me forever.
Walking for six months through a foreign country has to be one of the best ways to really experience life in a new environment. I walked through blazing hot desert, high alpine mountains with frozen lakes and melting snow, desolate burn zones and lush forests. While on the trail, I witnessed the full passing of a season, from spring, through summer and into the autumn. I felt like I had lived a lifetime in each section, and from the time I spent there, I grew a deeper understanding of the life I live back home.
This is the blog of a Kiwi on the pacific Crest Trail in 2025, Trekkin Weka AKA Skillet. Each day on trail, I kept a journal of my activity, progress, thoughts and feelings.
Someone on trail told me that a thru-hike comes in three parts, first physical, then mental, and finally spiritual, I felt that along the trail, yet it’s hard to separate the boundaries where each phase begins and ends. I’ve divided my posts into smaller sections, each section with its own environment, teachings and new friends along the way.
1 – Before The Trail
In the days leading up to beginning this trip, I explored San Diego and tried to quell my nerves whenever I thought about what I was about to begin.
2 – The Desert
The first section of the PCT, from Campo to Kennedy Meadows South. Two months of heat, dust, long water carries and growing my body to handle hiking all day, every day.
3 – The Sierra
The jewel in the middle of California, high mountains and epic views all around. The Sierra is a major draw-card to the PCT for a lot of people on trail, and one of the most memorable sections for me.
4 – NorCal & Oregon
After the Sierra, I had to push hard through NorCal and Oregon. I skipped most of the burnt parts of NorCal and raced to catch up to schedule without missing the major highlights of these two sections.
5 – Washington
A state not to be underestimated. Washington pulls no punches, the elevation might not match the Sierra’s, but the rivers cut deep and the trail climbs mercilessly before plunging into deep valleys, over and over. The beauty of Washington, especially in the late season, rivals the Sierra and it is a privilege to witness what hides among the clouds in the final section of the PCT.
6 – After Trail
After finishing this experience, the process of readjustment to regular life begins. I’d heard from many how this can be a surreal, and often difficult time. I spent three weeks traveling back down the west coast of USA and reflecting on the time I’d spent, before returning home.
Trekkin Weka 