The Desert

Over the past 40 days and 40 nights I have been recording short clips of the trail to help capture the general feel of the trail. The terrain is wildly varied and can change with small differences in elevation, aspect of the slope, and of course in close proximity to water.

Below is a recording I stitched together from these first 40 days. It runs 15 minutes but it can be enjoyed in short segments, a quick scroll, and if you have time, streamed to a television for best effect.

At the bottom of the Trek page you can find a link to stats from our trip. These include a summary of mileage, our upcoming plans, activity data, and number of unique species we have spotted along the trail.

Our current estimate is 176 unique plants, animals, and mushrooms since starting the trail on May 6. There are a few ways to view these observations

You can toggle between the different views from the banner at the top of the page but here are individual links. I am getting help from someone to upload photos so there are some mistaken IDs, and in some instances not enough info for species-level identification. This list is still reasonably accurate.

We are logging these observations in iNaturalist, a website/app for logging observations of many forms of life all over the world. If you have ever wondered what a particular plant is, or what birds can be found in your area (for instance), you can learn these things more easily through iNaturalist than almost any guidebook. Poke around on the website and if you have questions feel free to ask.

Pro Membership

Get the data serious foragers use to find more mushrooms

Free members get soil temps, precipitation, and ecoregion data. Pro unlocks the layers that help you narrow down exactly where to look.

  • Historical burn perimeters — find morel habitat fast
  • Timber harvest boundaries across OR & WA
  • Detailed foraging area summaries with conditions
  • Offline maps in the Forayz iOS app

Similar Posts

  • Oregon’s Lakes

    Over the past couple days we’ve been walking through Oregon’s Three Sisters Wilderness and I have fallen in love with the area. In my head I affectionately refer to it as “Oregon’s Lake District,” specifically the roughly 50 miles between Odell Lake to Elk lake, miles 1907-1953 on the PCT. Over these miles we have…

  • Chaparral Yucca

    Yucca blooms, like candlesticks set in the hillside. Holding vigil for their final days, offering tribute to the desert. From our first day on the PCT we have been captivated by the giant blooming stalks of the chaparral yucca. This is one of the few plants that has been a regular companion for the past…

  • Day of Rest

    After finishing 40 days and nights of walking through the desert we took a much needed day off or “zero” day in Tehachapi. Our roughly 48 hour schedule included showers, laundry, eating salads, shopping for our next week of food, naps, and hanging out with some new friends from the trail – all of whom…

  • Kristi’s Desert Highlights

    Here are 50 of my favorite scenes from the desert section of our Pacific Crest Trail adventure (from the Mexico border to Walker Pass, roughly 650 miles). Some words that stick out from this section are: Flowering Cacti. Grape soda lupine.  Evergreen trees. Manazanita. Lizards – so darn cute. Wind: either welcome relief or tent-destroying…