I regret to say that I am not going to be keeping up with this blog while on the PCT, sorry to those who have been following along. I find that I basically post the exact same stuff on Facebook as far as pictures and videos. Please feel free to friend request me if you haven’t yet if you’d like to see pictures from my PCT hike. I have run out of storage space on this blog site and refuse to pay $15/month. If you aren’t on social media you can reach out to me and I can try to send some pictures a different way, thank you! Feather Blue 🪶💙
Author: shav0017
Prepping for the PCT
I lied! A few months back I was interviewed on the Podcast Mighty Blue on The Appalachian Trail. During that interview I told Steve Adams that I didn’t see another long distance trail in my near future. It wasn’t until mid-January, about three months ago, that I became serious about thru hiking The Pacific Crest Trail.
Initially I was able to snag a start date of May 22, but after I started researching the trail I realized that would be a pretty late start date to start hiking through the desert. 🥵 This trail is quite competitive when it comes to acquiring a through hiking permit as they only allow 50 hikers per day to start from the southern terminus. In January I was lucky enough to switch to an April 19 start date, which (fingers crossed) is ideal to enter the high Sierra range around mile 702 when weather tends to be more desirable. My start date should line up with a mid-Junr Sierra start date.
I still consider myself very much an amateur when it comes to writing in a blog. I just don’t have much patience but it is a simple, fun way to share an online journal, photos, and pictures quickly! I realize not everybody is on Facebook and instagram. If you are seeing this blog for the first time feel free to scroll to the bottom, I believe right side, and enter your email to be notified each time I enter a new post. With that said I don’t know how frequent it will be! It seems that the PCT is slightly more desolate than the Appalachian Trail when it comes to staying in towns so service may be minimal.
YouTube Video of resupply boxes
The below google link will take you to Google Maps for an in-close look at my route:
https://goo.gl/maps/NuP8f5GN28iax8tCA
There are quite a few differences going into this hike compared to The Appalachian Trail, which I’ll touch on in future posts. The last 3 months were quite a whirlwind with a bunch of logistical planning and prepping. I haven’t done a ton of dessert hiking so will be adding a shade umbrella to my pack to stay cool 🥶 I also anticipate long, dry stretches where I will have to carry up to 6 liters of water, which is just over 13 pounds in water weight! 💦💧🏜️
Final food, family, and friends 👋
Signing off….first shower will be about 41 miles north from where I start tomorrow morning 🪶💙
Unofficial Post (Fire Goddess🔥🔥🔥)
I just wanted to add the link to Reta’s (Fire Goddess) podcast! It was just posted a few days ago. I referred her to Steve (Mighty Blue on The Appalachian Trail) after he interviewed me. She is so well spoken and brought up some really fun memories! I reminisce about the trail almost daily, some of my fondest memories from the trail are those she speaks about during her interview, if you have a chance have a listen. To this day, I find her to be a true inspiration!! 😃👂🎤🔥🥾🎒⛺🏞️🗻🚶♀️🌲🍁🔥
Life after The Appalachian Trail
It has been 3 weeks since I flew back to Minnesota. Previous thru hikers often talk about post-trail depression, but luckily it hasn’t hit me yet! To be honest, I was in quite a bit of pain the last 3 weeks of the hike so was eagerly anticipating my return home. Luckily, I was able to return to all of my part-time jobs (dog sitter/walker, nanny, and elder care provider), which I feel very fortunate about! Let me back up to the days following my return…..
Kristen and Phil’s Wedding
I was really glad I had their wedding date, September 18th, to have as a goal to get back for, otherwise I wouldn’t have been as motivated to finish when I did. I only had about a day and a half to pack up the van and head north towards Duluth! Going from living out of a backpack to my converted plumbing van felt like moving into a mansion. It was nice to have an event that gave me an excuse to put on a dress, heels, jewelry and makeup. I almost forgot what that felt like! It was nice to see a lot of my family that I hadn’t seen in a couple of years due to covid. It was a fun wedding!
We even had some extra time to hang out at the campground with some family members that stopped by to celebrate my mom’s birthday. The morning of the wedding we enjoyed going on the luge alpine coaster at Spirit Mountain and playing a round of mini golf.
Jay Cooke State Park and Brule River State Forest
I wanted to take some time to unwind before jumping back to work. I had a relaxing time at Jay Cooke State Park and the Brule River State Forest. It was nice to get back into cooking again, I’m trying not to overeat but it has been hard since returning! I’m really enjoying fruits and vegetables again 🙂 I went on a lot of day hikes, which was a nice change from carrying a heavy backpack. I also had the opportunity to canoe down the Brule River, it was fun but scary! There were several times I thought we were going to tip. 🛶
Podcast Interview
About a week and a half ago I was contacted by a gentleman named Steve Adams. He runs a weekly podcast titled Mighty Blue on The Appalachian Trail and he wanted to know if he could interview me! I was a little reluctant at first, those who know me know that I’m quite introverted and this is definitely something out of my comfort zone. A good friend of mine told me that her life motto is to “encourage and inspire others,” and this struck a cord with me. I got into backpacking about 6 years ago and have learned so much since then! I thought it couldn’t hurt to share what I know and how I got into this addictive hobby. You can listen by clicking on the link below. Thank you to those who have followed my journey, I apologize I had such a hard time keeping up with this blog! At this time, I’m not sure what future adventures are in store, but there will definitely be some hiking (or perhaps paddling) involved, I’m just not sure it will be a 2,200 mile trail over 6 months. Signing off….Feather Blue 🪶💙🥾🚶♀️🏞️🏕️🌲🐿️
https://mightyblueontheat.libsyn.com/episode-291-shannon-shaver-feather-blue
(I will post a few random pictures below that tie into the podcast)
A few pictures from the Camino:
The Superior Hiking Trail:
(**A huge thank you to my friend Lisa (Sumshine) who did this hike with me, she is a 2015 Appalachian Trail thru hiker, I learned so much from her on this hike!!!)
Army days:
Maine
It has been almost 3 weeks since I reached the summit of Mount Katahdin! I pushed long days to make sure I got home in time for my cousin’s wedding in the middle of September. It is hard to summarize Maine in one little blog post, but I can see why so many hikers claim this to be one of their favorite states! The state of Maine claims approximately 270 miles of the overall Appalachian Trail distance. With the remoteness of the hike, lack of phone service, and pushing longer days, I had to delay doing this post. I’m going to write up this blog post a little different than previous ones, by categorizing it into different topics.
SUPPORTERS
I have had amazing supporters throughout the entire hike, but there were so many in Maine. I felt so lucky to have the help of these people since the trail is pretty rugged and remote over this stretch. I was greeted to homemade paella at my first stop as we toasted the hike overlooking the trail in the distance. This stop was so nice that I decided to take a zero day! Unfortunately, I had acquired quite the head cold after staying in one of the huts near Mount Washington in The Whites so needed a day of rest. I stayed in several hostels while in Maine, the most memorable being The Cabin, which is one of the oldest on the entire trail, they even have a table signed by Earl Schaffer! I did feel guilty at times when other hikers were asking me how I was getting into town and where I was staying since logistics were pretty tricky in parts of Maine, as much as I wanted to invite them with me, we aren’t allowed to invite people to our supporters of the Warrior Expedition program. I even had the opportunity to slack pack the first 30 miles of the 100 mile wilderness since my supporters knew the back roads and lived in the area. One of my rainiest days was in the 100 mile wilderness…. As luck would have it my supporter picked me up and brought me back to her house! I had the luxury of a home-cooked meal, laundry, and a warm bed instead of setting up camp in a downpour.
TERRAIN
Even though I had completed The Whites in New Hampshire by this point of the hike, Southern Maine is no joke! The first hundred miles of the state is still considered to be part of the technical 200, meaning steep elevation, rugged terrain, and rock scrambles. This part of the trail also contained the hardest one mile of the AT, The Mahoosic Notch. I think it took me about an hour and 20 minutes to go one mile, and that was in the rain! It was hard to capture the difficulty of it in photos, but there is a YouTube video link below if you want to watch what it’s like 🙂
A FEW MISCELLANEOUS PICTURES
Some of my favorite camp spots were in Maine. I had the opportunity to camp right on a pond with loons coming and going, next to a waterfall, and a few other favorites. There’s also a section of the trail in Maine where the “official trail” is actually about a 2 minute canoe ride across a river since there is no other way across. I completed over 2,000 miles in Southern Maine, and had under 200 to go before reaching the northern summit!
A SURPRISE GUEST IN THE 100 MILE WILDERNESS
Up until Maine I had been mostly hiking with two other thru hikers, Fire Goddess and Southern Exposure. Due to different time frames in wanting to get done, and different schedules, we parted ways upon entering the final state. It was a sad farewell, but I was also looking forward to some solitude as the end of my journey drew near. My solo time didn’t last long after I reached out to Allison, “ONWARD!!” who had previously spent the first week on the trail with me and has become a good friend over the last couple years, in fact I don’t know that I would have hiked the Appalachian Trail with Warrior Expeditions had it not been for her giving me a great recommendation! Believe it or not, she had just finished biking across the entire country from Washington DC on the East coast, all the way to Washington State on the west coast! She had only been home a few days when I reached out to her asking if she wanted to accompany me through the 100 mile wilderness and up to mount Katahdin! It was nice to have her with as I finished off my trek.
SUMMIT EVE AND SUMMIT DAY
The best way I can describe summit eve is like being a kid waiting for Christmas Day. We were super giddy and excited! We had made a reservation ahead of time to stay in a campground at the base of Mount Katahdin, we got very lucky in getting a site! These usually fill up months ahead of time. We maxed out the capacity and had 6 of us camping on one site. We had a rare treat, a bonfire that night! I don’t think any of us got much sleep as we eagerly anticipated the hard climb up Mount Katahdin early the following morning.
The hike up Mount Katahdin is considered one of the hardest of the entire trail. It is an extremely steep climb to the top with bars to hoist yourself up on, but what makes it even more difficult is the high winds threatening to blow you off. Luckily, we ascended as a group to hold each other accountable. We started the hike around 5:30 a.m. and reached Mount Katahdin around lunch time. It was overwhelming reaching the sign as we quickly snapped pictures in order to descend on a different trail and catch a ride back to the campground where our gear was waiting for us. Just as I was about ready to head down I heard a voice….”Feather Blue, is that you?!” I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me as I recognized Grandpa Fuzzy, a fellow through hiker who I hadn’t seen since before the halfway point of Harpers Ferry, we gave each other a hug and he broke down into tears as he made his way to the highly anticipated sign. I didn’t think I would actually see him again as he had hiked ahead of me, but he stopped and waited for his family so they could accompany him to the northern terminus, it was so nice to see him one last time and chat as we hiked down to the campground.
NOT SO FINAL FAREWELL
The days following my Mount Katahdin summit were fast but fun! Allison hung around to serve as my personal chauffeur 😂 We stayed at a really cute B&B about an hour from Baxter State Park where we had an awesome breakfast, and then took off towards Portland, Maine the next day. She treated me to my victory meal! It was the best (and only) lobster mac and cheese I have ever had! It was so heavy and rich that I saved the rest to pig out on at the hotel later that night. I then flew home really early the next morning ✈️…..Stay tuned for one final blog post, “Life after The Appalachian Trail.” Upon returning home to Minnesota, I was contacted by a podcaster who wanted to interview me about my experience. It should air later this week!
New Hampshire 🏔️🥾🚶♀️
For the sake of time I am basically going to copy my Facebook post below and summarize New Hampshire as quick as I can, it basically covers The Whites which has been the hardest part of the trail yet! I’m very grateful we didn’t hit this terrain until close to the end so I had my strong trail legs to get through it, otherwise I don’t know if I would have made it!
From Facebook August 14th:
About halfway through The White Mountains so far and I am in awe….Franconia Ridge definitely takes one of my top three favorite days on The Appalachian Trail so far, luckily we planned for a shorter mileage day so we could take it all in 🥾🚶♀️🏞️🗻⛰️ Tomorrow we make our way towards Mount Washington where a wind speed of 231 MPH held the record until 1996…. Fortunately we have good weather ahead! 🌞
From Facebook August 23rd:
I survived The Whites! 🏔️ This past week of my hike have made me wonder what the difference between hiking and rock climbing is?! There were times I had to pack up the poles and just use my hands to pull me up. I’ve hiked over 1,900 miles and have less than 300 to go! Some of the highlights from the past week include:
🪶 Summit Mount Washington
🔹 Mount Madison
🪶The Wildcat’s! 🐅🐆🐈
🔹Carter Mountain Range
🪶Mount Moriah
🔹Mahoosic Notch (the hardest mile on The Appalachian Trail)- took me about an hour and 20 minutes to do one mile, would have been a little quicker had it not been pouring rain!
🪶1,900 miles 🥾🚶♀️
VERMONT 🥾🐐🏕️🏞️
I hate to admit, but my blog fell to the wayside with how hard the trail got since my side trip to Washington DC. The days got longer, and my exhaustion and appetite has grown! Too much time has passed for me to try to fully update it, but I will do a Vermont post below just condensing it into one big one. Harpers Ferry through Norwich, Vermont will be missing, but in the future I will fill it in if I have time after the hike.
The main thing I keep up with is posting pictures to Facebook every week or two, if you are reading this and we are not Facebook friends yet feel free to request me! My page should pop up right away under Shannon Shaver.
Taken from my recent FB post:
I ♥️ Vermont!!! To say it was wet and muddy would be an understatement, but oh so beautiful! 🥾🐐🏕️ As I wrap up this state and get ready to move into New Hampshire (about 1,750 miles done, with 440 miles to go through some of the hardest terrain on the trail), I can share a few memorable moments….
🪶 Wet feet but trudged through it, sometimes in knee deep water
🔵 Funny moments (too many to count) with my tramily Reta Walton and Don Becraft
🪶 Luau at the Bennington VFW 🌺🍻
🔵 Hunger so intense the waitress had to bring out a separate tray just for my pizza 🍕😭
🪶Awesome supporters helping me along the way through Warrior Expeditions
🔵 A shuttle driver with an assistant goat 🐐
🪶 The climb up Mount Killington even though it was freezing! 🥶
🔵 So many more, and more to come as we make our way toward The Whites next week 🥾🏞️⛰️🌄🗻
About a month or so ago I paired up with Reta and Don, trail names Fire Goddess and Southern Exposure. We have become a “tramily” ever since then and do our hiking and planning together. It is nice to have the support of others while doing this difficult hike! The girl I was previously hiking with got off for a few weeks to visit family and decided to jump ahead pretty far north to beat colder weather lol.
As I type up this Vermont post I am currently sitting at the Norwich Inn on a very restful zero day! But even a zero day has its chores…. Trying to figure out where to go do laundry, re supply our food bags for a 4 day 3 night stretch taking us to Lincoln, New Hampshire, and basically just eating eating eating the day away! I have almost been dizzy with hunger the last few days, trying to inhale as many calories as possible, this is one of my favorite parts about hiking!
Sorry for the long photo dump, but just wanted to do an entire Vermont update at once!! Things continue to go well as I make my way towards the summit at Mount Katahdin in Maine. Other than a few bruises, bloodied knees, and foot pain from plantar fasciitis, my body is holding up. Hard to believe I have just over 5 weeks to go! I know the terrain is going to get very difficult and we will have to decrease our daily mileage but we are ready! I am so thankful for the awesome supporters through Warrior Expeditions, without them this would be even harder than it already is. They help me with trail planning, feed me, do laundry, drive me to and from the trail, etc. I’m very grateful to be part of this awesome program! Signing off for now, Feather Blue 🪶💙
Washington DC side trip
I was able to get back to Harpers Ferry where I caught a train to Washington DC for a little side trip to visit Tabitha. It was running over an hour late so I got to get ice cream again!
I arrived to Union Station mid afternoon and was picked up by Tabitha. We spent a few hours wandering around the city and seeing the sites!
We made it back to her house for a delicious taco dinner and game night with her husband and daughter. I got to meet her cute cat and had a very restful night!
Most of Sunday was spent at Mount Vernon and touring the sites and home of George Washington. It was a full day with touring the gardens, a huge museum, his house, and going for a quick boat ride.
After a long day playing tourist we headed back to her house for a salmon dinner, and then she drove me over an hour back to the trailhead where I picked up where I had left off. On the .8 mile walk to my campsite I was greeted by a nice sunset and a deer! Signing off, Feather Blue 🪶💙
Front Royal to Harpers Ferry (and a little beyond)
My stay in Sky Meadows State Park was short, but restful. I was in an old cabin that could sleep 15-20 people. I was picked up by Jason, a volunteer, and his husky the next morning and brought back to the trailhead to continue north.
I was about to enter and ride the roller coaster! This is approximately a 14 mile stretch where you are constantly either going up or down. It was a very difficult day for me because the temperatures were really high and I had to stop for water every chance I had. It was dark by the time I got to camp that evening. I also saw my first bear and hit the quadruple digit mile marker this day! I was excited to head into Harpers Ferry from here, the unofficial halfway point town!
I was quite disappointed when I got into Harpers Ferry because the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the exact days I was there! This is where hikers can stop in and receive a number to see where they fall in line since kicking off at Springer Mountain in Georgia. I could have stayed an extra day but decided to move on since I was going to double back to go to Washington DC and meet a friend in a few days. I will get my final number when I get up to Maine!
Luckily, I had planned for a shorter hike going out of Harpers Ferry! I didn’t realize I would be hiking through the old town and got caught up in ice cream, historical buildings, and train crossings.
As I finally made my way out of town I met a section hiker, Snail Male, who is taking his time heading north. We walked along the river and saw some wildlife over three miles, and then cut into the trail where we were greeted with trail magic, hot dogs, chips, and lemonade. Needless to say, it was just about dark but by the time I finally got to camp that evening!
Luckily I slept well at camp this evening since it was not technically an official campsite. I was next to a civil war memorial stealth camping in the woods, about 50 ft away from a mass burial site. It made for an easy morning though since there was a bathroom and drinking water right there.
Luckily I had a relatively short day heading out of Gathland State Park. I was hiking in a complete downpour for about the last 3 miles where I got picked up by a supporter. Breena was awesome, she took me out for pizza, cider beer, and then I headed back to her place to take a nice hot bubble bath! Unfortunately, there was a really sad situation when she brought me back to the trailhead the next morning, there had been a murder-suicide so the trail was completely closed down for an 8 mile stretch, this is the only time I have skipped trail up until now. The supporter offered to help me slack pack that section in the future to make it up, but I’ve decided to let it go.
The following day was a short one since I had to jump ahead 8 miles and was just going to the next supporter. I stayed at Michael’s place one night and then he drove me back to Harpers Ferry where I caught a train to Washington DC, was a fun few days off and I will update that side trip on my next post! Signing off, Feather Blue 🪶💙
The Shenandoahs
This is going to be a relatively short post mostly with pictures, just because I got behind (again)! On the stretch of the hike from Waynesboro to Front Royal, we had a supporter at each end of the park. It is roughly 108 miles and I did the stretch in 6 days. We were luckily able to do a slack pack for the first 20.1 miles back into Waynesboro. From there I hiked 22.1 miles from Black Rock Gap to High Top Hut. I reached the 800 mile marker during this stretch!
Another big day heading 20.4 mi to Big Meadows, and then a little bit of relief on a shorter day to meet my friend at Skyland for a dinner. Tabitha was my college roommate and I have known her since elementary school!
After leaving skyland resort I made my way 37.7 miles towards the exit of The Shenandoahs at the town of Front Royal. We hiked through Big Meadows State Park and actually got to stay in the cabin there. I was picked up by one of the rangers and she took me to town to do a quick resupply and grab Taco Bell.
At this point of the Appalachian Trail a lot of hikers start getting really excited for Harpers ferry, the unofficial town halfway point! I was excited to get there myself. Signing off for now, Feather Blue 🪶💙
Hiking Through with Feather Blue 