Inching along the Virtual Pacific Crest Trail

I am beary excited to be starting this Virtual Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)! (This post is from late January... I know... I know...)

It is a beary, beary long way... 4000 km or 2485 miles. But let's see how far I can hike today and then we'll do some calculations... 

And... just so you know... I am not doing the challenge on my own! Little Fox took me up on my invitation to form a West Coast Stuffies Team. So it's not just be inching along on this trail! Our combined distances go towards the Total. Teamwork at its best!

The trail I am hiking today has some trails over the muddy bits... which is good.

Because this little bear does NOT like to get wet or muddy...

Oh wow... this is quite the bridge... a bit narrower than the other one.

Because this stuffie is also not a great balancing act... but... I survived!

Such a gorgeous West Coast winter day for a hike!

Hmmm... a fence? And a map?

Are we in trouble on our hike already? Stymied by a fence?

Um. This map says that the area on the other side of the fence is an Active Firing Range...

Yes, we call it the DeaD zone (short for Department of Defence)... we aren't going to use their real name in case they search for it and find me and arrest me!

The "actual" firing range is that orangey bit down at the bottom. And the whole rest of the forested area is their "overshoot" area. I guess in case some rookie soldier doesn't aim properly...

Ah-hem... soooo... what are we doing? Well, we do not counsel anyone to do anything illegal... nooo... that would not be good. But the chain link fence ends just past here and... well...

Someone cut a heart opening into the fence!

Sooo... the All Trails app used to have all the trails for this DeaD Zone... but they had to wipe them a few years ago... liability issues you know. We still have a paper print-out from before with all of mountain bike trails on it and... as we stood here... several hikers and mountain bikers came out of the Zone...

Right then... we are off! FYI... the odds of an "overshoot" are vanishingly small... especially along the edges of the Zone... so...

Here we go!

Wow... the mountain bikers sure have some fancy bridges in here!

Slippery... but fancy!

During the winter, every little gully and rivulet is streaming with water.

This big old tree would make a great overnight camping spot!

In case I really decide to up my game and do what a real PCT hiker would do... camp out!

It's a big old cedar that has been burned on the inside. A perfect dry little spot inside...

It's a bit dirty in here though... maybe this little bear needs a tent?

And I'm almost at the end of this hike... 6.1 km!!

Let's see... 4000 km total length divided by 6.1 km = 667 days. Which is just over 24 months. And that is exactly how long The Conqueror Challenge gives you to complete a challenge!

Whew... good thing Little Fox is hiking along with me! It might be touch and go otherwise...