THE ADVENTURE CATALOGUE

 

Pacific Crest Trail

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In 2006, just 2 1/2 years after having an ACL/MCL surgery, I completed a 4 month journey on the PCT as part of my recovery. To fuel this hike, I dehydrated meals, premade shake mixes, and boxed my food for the entire trip, then mailed it to 20 different locations along the trail. My resupplies were radically different from everyone else's that I met out there. No tuna, Ramen, TVP, or Snickers, just baggies of simple whole foods. I was also the only hiker I met who wasn't eating Ibuprofen like candy, despite still rehabilitating. My goal that year wasn't to reach Canada but to stay on trail for 4 months. When I made it to Ashland, OR, my hometown, I remained there but returned to mile 0 of the PCT in 2008, with a goal to hike the entire trail. This time, I sent only a handful of boxes and instead carried mostly fresh produce gathered from towns along the way. Again, I was the only person I met out there who was eating this way and the only one not on Ibuprofen. Coincidence? I don't think so, because whether dried or fresh, my diet is naturally anti-inflammatory, plus, I avoid eating foods that cause, feed, or promote inflammation which unfortunately are the very things commonly seen eaten on trail. Although I'd already been hiking and backpacking for 15 years by this point, it was during this hike that I became aware of the difference nutrition can make in a person's energy, resiliency, and overall comfort in the outdoors. In this video, I take my post ACL/MCL physical therapy to the next level and walk from Mexico to Oregon, then Mexico to Canada Ibuprofen-free.