Day 8. Sleet. Gloves failed. Poop bags - the ones I pack for actual shit - now on my hands. Never thought my waste-packers would save my fingers from frostbite. Desperate? Yes. Effective? Mostly. #PCT #PCTNOBO #Day8 #TrailHack #ImprovisedGear #SleetStorm #OregonPCT #HikerProblems #ThruHike

Day 8. Weather's still shit. Sitting in my tent, listening to rain, trying not to think about what that forecast meant. A little scary in here — but I made it over the ridge. That's what matters. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #Day8 #RainStorm #TentLife #SoloHike #WeatherWait #OregonPCT #ThruHike

Nightly threesome: me, my headlamp, and my MP3 player. Playlist on shuffle — Don't Fear The Reaper came on as I snapped this. Rain on the fly. Cozy as hell. Solo hiking has its perks. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #TentLife #NightInTent #RainyNight #Day7 #OregonPCT #ThruHike #SoloHike

Watching rain drip into my cook pot. Made it over Mt. Jefferson's Park Ridge. Now I wait. Wet forest, misty trees, and the sound of dripping. Zero day well earned. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #MtJefferson #ParkRidge #ZeroDay #RainCamp #Day7 #OregonPCT #ThruHike

3 minutes total. 4 days of funk washed away. Cold, clean, and smelling human again. The view back was worth every shiver. Playing with this cinematic filter — making my desperate scrub feel like a movie. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #HeadLake #AlpineLake #Day8 #OregonPCT #ThruHike #ColdPlunge

Four days without a shower & wet clothes. I could smell myself. Head Lake — one minute in, one minute to scrub, one minute out. High 50s, cold enough to steal your breath. But desperate times. In I went. #PCT #PacificCrestTrail #PCTNOBO #HeadLake #AlpineLake #Day8 #OregonPCT #ThruHike #ColdPlunge