Hit 500 miles on the Pacific Crest last summer and it felt weirdly empty

I was tracking my miles on the PCT through California and when I crossed the 500 mark near Kennedy Meadows, I expected to feel this big sense of accomplishment. But honestly the moment just kind of happened while I was eating a tuna wrap on a log and nobody else was around. It made me realize how much those big milestones are for social media or future stories, not for the actual hike itself. Has anyone else passed some big number on trail and just felt nothing?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles_coleman23d ago

You ever eat a meal on a log and realize you're having a more meaningful moment than any number on a map? That tuna wrap probably tasted better than crossing 500 miles ever could, honestly. The quiet stuff is what sticks with you.

kai_bennett23d ago

I used to think those big numbers were what hiking was all about, you know... seeing the miles stack up and feeling like you were really doing something. But the summer before last I hit 300 on the Colorado Trail and it was just me and a mosquito buzzing around my ear while I stopped to adjust my pack strap. That moment made me realize the only reason I cared about hitting that number was so I could tell people about it later. The real good stuff was the quiet stretches in between where nobody asked how far you'd gone or where you were headed. So yeah, I get the empty feeling now... it's kind of freeing actually.