Treats' Pacific Crest Trail "Whys" : Why I'm Walking 2000+ Miles... Again.
On the toughest of days, it's my why's (and Barbie's silly jokes) that push me to keep putting one foot in front of the other and walking North towards Canada.
There are a lot of important aspects that go into a thru-hike. I’d argue one of the most important aspects if not the most important is your mental preparedness for said adventure. On the days I got the closest to quitting, physically I was fine, I was struggling mentally.
Barbie and I talked at length during our thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail (and many times since) about how our completion of the trail was much more about our mental state than our physical state. This is not to say that physical state didn’t matter, but the state of our minds played a huge role in how our hikes went and how successful we were. No day on the trail was easy but keeping our heads in a good mindset made the biggest difference.
My brain immediately goes to the day we stood at the bottom of Franconia Notch, it was yet another day of miserable weather and I looked at Barbie and said “I can’t do this today”. We went back to the hostel and took a zero day. I had dreamed of hiking the Franconia ridgeline since I started dreaming of thru-hiking the AT and mentally I knew that if I suffered through another day of miserable weather, I would be very close to quitting. Physically, I was fine, but mentally I knew I needed a day to have a personal pity party and remind myself of my whys. The sun came out the next day and I was able to have a mental check in about why I was out on the trail.
Why’s are important. They remind me why I am out there and why I gave up the ease of plumbing for 6 months. These reasons push me to keep going when my brain wants to say “life off trail is easier”. Life off trail is easier (in some ways), but thru-hiking is worth the challenge. My motivations remind me why thru-hiking is worth the struggle it brings.
Phew… That was a long intro for me to say that just like in everyday life, your mental health is important. It might even be more so on a thru-hike. How prepared you are mentally can have a huge impact on your thru-hike.
Hi 👋If you’re new here, I am Tristan aka “Treats 🍪” on trail.
In 2025 my partner, Barbie and I will be thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. In March of 2023, I began an adventure down the Appalachian Trail in Georgia and a few days later met Barbie. We hiked 2000+ miles together down the Appalachian Trail and we’re thrilled to take on our next adventure of the Pacific Crest Trail.
In no particular order, here are my 2025 Why’s for thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail…
I am ready for the next adventure.
The moment I realized that the AT had destroyed me in the best possible way, I knew the PCT would be in my future.
Quite honestly, I was ready for the next adventure as soon as I’d been home for a few weeks. When I touched that Katahdin sign, I knew I was done for - I will be thru-hiking or section-hiking or backpacking until my body refuses to carry the weight of a pack. And while I have been on some other absolutely amazing adventures since thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, there is something uniquely special about getting to experience a place in a way that only walking thru it allows for. I knew very early on that the Appalachian Trail would not be my last thru-hike - long trails have my heart. They have corrupted my mind, body, and soul. 💙
I want to prove to myself that I can do it again - thru-hike x 2.
There are some days where the AT feels like an amazing fever dream. I know I did it but sometimes it doesn’t seem real that I walked all those miles day after day. This seems silly to write down or to even have as a why, but it’s the truth. I have never been competitive, except with myself. It’s kind of like after you run your first half marathon or marathon, you get a bit of a bug to keep doing something you know is hard but is extremely worthwhile. I want to show up for myself and prove again that I can train to have the mental + physical capability to accomplish a thru-hike.
*This feels like a somewhat weird why, so I want to make it clear that for whatever reason, if I don’t finish the PCT I will not think my AT experience was any less magical or that it was a fluke. To me, it’s fun to challenge myself to see if I can complete and enjoy another long thru hike.
I want to explore the West Coast.
Thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail showed me just how much I love slow travel by way of my own two feet. I loved experiencing so much of the east coast this way, seeing places I might have never seen otherwise. Getting to experience the natural beauty and little towns by foot allowed me to appreciate them in a different way than if I’d flown or driven there.
Though I hadn’t spent much time along the east coast past Harpers Ferry, WV, I've spent even less time on the west coast. By thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, I will have the unique opportunity to experience the magic of the West. I’ve heard so much about the unique beauty and small towns full of magic - I can’t wait to savor all the West Coast has to offer by hiking thru it.
I want to remind myself of what it means to slow down and live life intentionally.
The trail taught me so many beautiful lessons. But one of the things it helped me hone best was the ability to slow down and be intentional with moments. I wasn’t too bad at slowing down before the trail, but being on the AT really helped me appreciate the little moments even more. It helped me truly appreciate how everything comes together to make a bigger picture.
After completing the Appalachian Trail, I thought and hoped that I would be even better than before at making the most of those moments. But the combination of post-trail depression and the stress I put on myself, I’ve forgotten how to slow down, savor the moment, and really appreciate the day to day, life’s little moments. I have instead fallen privy once again to society's expectations of being in a constant state of doing and productivity. I’m hoping being in nature again will bring back my sense of slowness and after the trail I’ll have the mental fortitude to hold on to that ability a bit better this go round.
Experience the beauty and natural world of the West Coast.
This “why" is similar to the one above about exploring the West Coast, but this one is more wholly focused on the natural world. I’ve lived on the East Coast my entire life and only visited the West Coast a handful of times (only once as an adult). We know I love small towns and discovering new places and I am so excited to see those places, but even more so I can’t wait to dive into the natural beauty. All of the terrain and critters will be completely new to me. I can’t wait to experience the childlike wonder that only comes with experiencing new things for the first time.
The East coast mountains are home, but I’m giddy to experience the awe and grandeur of the West (and all of its various flora and fauna).
I want to find myself again OR maybe a better way to describe it is that I want to be the best version of myself again.
Hiking the Appalachian Trail was a transformational experience. Since entering back into society I’ve lost a bit of what I learned on the AT about life and myself. I have gone back to my old habits of rushing through life, not enjoying the moment, stressing over the uncontrollable, falling prey to doomscrolling, and doing too much.
There’s a lot more to unpack with this why but mainly I want to restore those habits in my every day on and off trail (it makes me better), discover some new things about myself, and hopefully hold on to everything I learn a bit better this round.
I want to remind and re-invigorate in myself that there is more to life than work and the mundane.
I know that there is more to life than work. But off the trail it’s been terrifying how easy (and at the same time how hard) it's been for me to fall back into the rat race. Every day I am caged and trapped in a windowless cubicle while mountains beckon to me outside. However, even as I write these why’s a few weeks before my trek, I am gripped by the anxiety of once again leaving the known for the unknown. Though this anxiety is trumped by excitement for the trail, it doesn’t change the fact that the expectations of society have once again made me feel like straying from the path of “normalcy” is not what I am supposed to do. I know as soon as I set one foot on the trail, I’ll be where I need to be. But it is frustrating that I have to once again teach myself that my career can wait (it did last time) and my life will be better off in the long run by taking this adventure. So much better. Society and the push of productivity can make that hard to see.
The trail will clear my head and take me back to my favorite version of myself.
Life is too damn short and we aren’t promised another moment.
We all want more time but at the same time we all think we have so much of it. We don’t have time, not really. Nothing can buy us more time here, more youth, more health. So I want to go and experience everything I can while I can - they can chain me to a desk later on.
We have somehow all been tricked to believe that we can’t live the life we want until we do “this” or “retire”. We are not on someone else’s timeline, I could be hit by a bus tomorrow. I hopefully will not be hit by a bus anytime soon, but in the event that something catastrophic happens, I do not want to have waited to live just because someone else’s timeline says so. I have hopes and dreams and desires that reside outside of what I do to make money. I intend to make the most of every moment I can. Next on the list is to explore the west coast by way of the Pacific Crest Trail.
Selfishly, I want another adventure with Barbie.
I love living in my alternate reality with Barbie. It's proven that we work well together not only in the bubble of trail life but also off trail. Despite this, there is something incredibly special about the connection you form with your partner on an adventure - especially on something as intense and wonderful as a thru hike. You see the best and the worst of each other and it’s truly special to find someone who’s dealt with all of that and still wants to hike everyday with you.
But when not traveling or on trail, I spend more hours a day with my co-workers than with my family. Don’t get me wrong, my team that I am leaving behind is wonderful - I would not have made it through this year’s edition of cubicle jail without them. But before Barbie and I ever started sharing a tent, we spent days and miles having deep (and also the silliest) conversations. We have these special moments off trail too (especially the silly ones 😜). But being on the trail brings out a vulnerability and closeness in both of us that can be hard to replicate outside of our trail bubble. It’s special and I am grateful to share an epically meaningful experience with him again.
I want REAL human connection again.
Hiking the Appalachian Trail gave me back my faith in humanity, but society is different. The connection isn’t quite the same - so much of “getting to know” someone is all about what we do instead of WHO WE ARE.
In many ways, the trail strips the importance of “what you do” away from you in the best way possible. Some of my favorite friends (who I am still in touch with) I didn’t even know their real name, much less what they did for work until months after knowing them. But I knew them in a deeper way, I knew what they did to truly live. I saw them on some of their roughest days and they saw me. All my life I hated crying in front of other people, out on the trail, friends I had only known for a few months watched me cry and have full on mental breakdowns. Unlike in society where most people would have walked away, there was an understanding and a love for one another that I don’t quite know how to explain. It made a huge difference for my faith in humanity and my psyche.
Even as an introvert who loves being alone, I crave that real connection, the understanding, and the community that the trail created.
*There are communities and spaces outside of the trail that foster real connection. I’m not trying to say that there isn’t real connection off the trail. However, because of the way thru-hiking is structured it is easier to connect with people in a raw way.
**A goal of mine when I am off trail again is to try and foster a community off the trail that gives a similar feeling of human connection. It might not be the same, but I think that if I can bring even a fraction of that connection off trail with me, that it will do me and everyone else involved some good. Because in this world, we need more connection and understanding of one another now more than ever.
BONUS: I love long trails and I can’t wait to spend every day outside again.
Looking back on my Appalachian Trail Recap Videos, I often say “even on the tough days, being out here, is better than being in the office” or something to that effect.
Being on the Appalachian Trail for 6 months showed me just how important being outside is to me mentally and physically. It’s amazing to me how much it helps my mental state to go outside for a few minutes when I’m stressed or upset. Taking a few deep breaths of fresh air or feeling the sun on my face can make a world of difference. On the mornings that I start my days outside, with a run, walk, or hike no matter the weather or how it feels, the act of being outside changes my outlook on the entire day. Simply by starting my day with a breeze on my skin and fresh air in my lungs, my day starts off better. & spending those days also walking + moving my body? I can’t wait to start and spend every day of the next few months like that.
There are so many aspects that factor into a successful thru hike and I know from the AT, my mental health plays a huge role in that success. On the bad days, it’s my whys that get me up and motivate me to put on foot in front of the other (and Barbie’s silly jokes). It was my why's that helped push me to Katahdin and complete the adventure of a lifetime. & I hope that barring any crazy, unforeseen circumstances my feet and my whys will take me all the way to Canada.
Happy Trails!
Treats 🍪