Traveling with you across these mountains has been amazing. As I recover from a broken back your videos have kept my spirit soaring like an eagle. Thanks for the motivation to get up each day and move even if just around the house or up and down the small short trails around the Brazos river.
I’ve never walked much of the trails to be honest. I’ve always wanted to but have been occupied with raising a family. Choices we make and the life trails we take.
Love these videos Darwin such an amazing job! I like how you keep it real you tell it how it is! It's not always" Christmas " on trail as it definitely has its ups and downs. I feel for you my friend with those pesky misquotes lol they can be a real nuisance out there. Up here in Northern Ontario Canada they get pretty bad during May and June months.
This video has me SO STOKED to start my 100 mile PCT section hike next week!! Going sobo from Olollie Lake to Elk Lake in Central Oregon. Thanks for the motivation, Cheers Darwin!
Not sure there are words for how much I appreciate how direct, to the point, informative, and honest your videos are. Even when you're 'embracing the suck,' you're making me love hiking all the more. Thank you for what you give.
Oregon is awesome. I’m living in Washington now and haven’t hiked Those sections of Oregon in many years. Thanks for wetting my whistle about hiking in Oregon. Brought back many good memories! Enjoy!
Thanks for the videos. The southern Oregon PCT area is one of my favorite playgrouds. Watching today was like catching glipses of my best friends in the background at a football game on TV.
I just watched all 19 episodes in two days. I could not stop! You do great work and are very inspiring. Thank you for sharing this experience. I am truely grateful for the knowledge I have gained from ALL your videos. I hope to complete my first backpacking trip soon! Thanks again for everything.
Darwin - thanks for all the sharing you were able to do on this stretch - I've hiked in the Michigan UP, and I get the mosquitos. Yikes. Thanks for the visuals.
So much appreciate your videos. Bummer that we missed you here in WA.! Looking forward to your next big dance in the dirt. You rekindled my love of the back country so much I am doing a section hike next year. Thanks
I've been following you for a long while and I must say your videos are very informative and eye-opening. Very well edited as well. Thank you for taking the time to film your videos and share with us.
I came late to these videos and have been binge watching them. Inspiring and the production is great too. I'll have to find a big trail in Aus. thanks ... David
I look forward to your videos every week. Out of all the blogs and gear reviews I’ve scoured over the last year, yours has been my favorite. Thank you for all the wonderful content. I can’t wait to get out there next year!! PCT 2019.
I always treat my tent with permethrin. It'll kill all the mosquitoes that land on your tent so when you wake up there's a lot less mosquitoes in the morning. I also treat my pack.
Another great video. Been following yours, Homemade Wanderlust, and Whimsical Woman. All three of you and everyone else doing these thru hikes are really inspiring. IT's hard to imagine anyone walking that far.
Another awesome video.. you make the simplicity of the trail so captivating, that I can hardly wait for your next episode! Now awaiting Ep. 20 .. Cheers.
I love it. Those lakes are so pretty. I'm glad we all got to see them. I don't blame you for not filming while running from mosquitoes. Happened to me on the LSHT. I hate mosquitoes. I think I'm allergic. It's good that X caught up to you. Anyone else would have never caught up to you.
Amazing. I am completely nuts with envy. I know it takes quite a bit to show the actual trail. But I can tell that you stop and enjoy it as you travel. Thank you for the incredible job on these videos.
I laughed at all of the mosquitoes! And I’m glad to hear someone else say we have the worst mosquitoes here in Oregon. I agree, they are awful and I generally don’t hike in that sort of elevation until the end of July because of that.
See, and I lived in Oregon the first 31 years of my life and can't recall ever having much problems with skeeters. It wasn't until I moved to the east coast that the dang things started eating me alive. I don't know if it's just me or maybe they've changed in the last 10 years. Thinking maybe it's just me. :P
It is tough when heat and mosquitoes can suck the true enjoyment out of hiking in such a beautiful area. Its said a mosquitoe's flight speed is 3.1 mph...when you hear them buzzing your ear as you hike ..they're whispering...."hike faster" 😀 LOL ✌ 👣 👑 👑 Awesome videoing Darwin.👍
So glad to see Crater Lake and Diamond Lake spoke to you. That's my backyard growing up, gorgeous terrain. But, sad to see the mosquito season was in full force and the heat was kicking your ass :( :( I put so much deet on as a kid, I think I'm now permanently immune...
Nice shot of Little Hyatt dam, know the spot well and based on some hikers I talked to when I was there in July, I missed you hiking through by only a couple days.
You're making me want to try this one day.... ironically used to hate hiking and now I cant get enough of exploring my gorgeous state of Washington! Hope you enjoy the gorgeous views of the Pacific northwest as much as I do!!!
Thanks Darwin, your video reminded me why Diamond Peak Wilderness is called 'Mosquito Wilderness 😁. Thanks for showing the parts of PCT that I spent my teens and early twenties roaming. I met Eric Ryback when he was doing it the first time.. Land of lava....
Welcome to Oregon! We’ve got mosquitoes from May-September! Embrace the suck!! Pure adventure here. Oregon is rough. But, go to Alaska. The toughest men have been carried away by mosquitoes.
Wow, I really enjoy watching your video of your hikes, it's just so beautiful and inspiring. This one was particular for me as I was born in Oregon. Also back in 2011 I used to worked on the Crater lake area with Northwest Youth Corps, we were maintaining trails and one of them was the lightning Spring, so it was funny to see it in one of your videos ! If One day you decide to hike in Europe, I would highly recommend the E5 section in Tyrol Alps from Southern Germany to northern Italy. Just came back from the hike and it's just so amazingly gorgeous there. Anyway keep the good filming work, have fun hiking and living your passion !
I’m starting my first long distance hikes in England in 5 days! I’ve used your advice for almost everything except for clothing choice for obvious reasons
The scenery in this vid was amazing. Love the PNW. Grew up in Washington, and have live in a lot of places over the years, but there is nothing quite like the Northwest. It would seem that there was a bit of embracing the suck going on in this one.
hiked a bit around the pct deception lakes area in wa & ya mosquitos were the worst i've ever seen. Couldn't believe how bad they were. This year they seem particularly bad
Glad to see you had some mosquito netting. Seems like nobody uses it I don’t know why because it weighs nothing. I have a face cover and I even ordered some pants so I can wear shorts underneath them.
Hello Darwin - I’m loving following along with your epic journey. I’m intrigued by the trail names phenomenon and wonder if you are using a trail name??
looked like a nice break...Molly looks like a great dog,will need a few hikes of her own when you get done..bag looks great,hope it works out,,just because it has a temp rating on the label ,doesn't mean much to me..even in my younger/stronger days I preferred a 10 degree bag most of the time in about 3 1/2 seasons..you don't always have to get in it..I think that's where recent years quilts have come into the choices..you will know after a few nights of use at altitude and possibly snow..don't hike cold after shivering all night ,pick up heavier loft bag and send it home(or back,,REI has and lives up to returns pretty well)..good rest is your best friend on trail..how's the foot doing ? ,really hope you had it checked out..Onward and upward...lakes at restart look awesome...looking forward to days ahead....Stay Safe and God Bless....
Love your videos. Maybe after you are done you could make a video on your days and how you manage to do so many miles? What time you get up, breaks, average miles per hour etc. I am pretty jealous of they type of mileage you can get everyday. ;)
So Beautiful. By the way I received my Columbia Silver Ridge Lite Shirt and love it. Even better it was on close out at REI and was under $30.00 Thanks
I backpacked in the Sky Lakes Wilderness in July. THE MOSQUITOES WERE NO JOKE! I've never seen anything like it. The mosquitoes swarm like gnats. If you weren't coated in DEET, it would be like running a guantlet. My wife and I spoke with a Swiss thru hiker at Rim Village. She broke down crying because of the mosquitos she'd been enduring the last few days. She said she wanted to go home. We tried to buck her up as best we could. I hope she made it...
I was hiking in Washington Gifford Pinchot national forest one summer with my kids and experienced a mosquito ambush. There were hundreds. They were going in your mouth and nose when you breath. Bit right through your clothes. We literally turned around and started running back to the trailhead. I will never do that in thin shorts and tshirt again.
You are descending into the deeps to face almost every fear that you have, and while it cannot be said that you have conquered them, it can be shouted from the mountain top that they have not, and cannot not, conquer you. Give yourself a gold star.
I love watching you on this series Darwin, but it's killing me knowing you finished the PCT already. How many more episodes until you share the finish with us?
I always enjoy your videos, gear reviews, and hikes. Thanks! A couple weeks earlier (in early July) the Mt Jefferson Wilderness shown in your video was experiencing a massive tortoiseshell butterfly migration. It looks like you just missed it and caught the mosquitoes further south instead. I'm curious if you had any reports on Guthook's or from your friends in Bend about the migration or not? People I asked on the PCT were clueless and had never seen so many butterflies before. Also what's it like for you Darwin revisiting the trail with these videos a month or more after hiking them? Any special emotions? Or is it more "Been there; done that!"?
Great thing about Oregon in summer are the long hours of sunlight and the beautiful trees and the cascade range of mountains. Bad thing are the swarms of mosquitos and gnats and no see ums that if they get the whiff of a human just flock to you like the blood thirsty villains they are. Enjoying your posts
Darwin has said on previous video he sprays all his clothes with permethrin and lets them dry. Then reapplies every 4-6 weeks. He also said he uses Ben's 100% Deet insect repellent.
Reaching Washington this early you probably was able to hike into White Pass before they closed the 15 miles from Teiton Pass. I bet the last closure near Cutthroat pissed you and everyone off. Did you go around Ross lake to reach Canada or just tried to do as much PCT miles.
Willard Wooten well... there is a picture of him at the monument that is the PCT monument at the border near Manning Park... so I assumed it was before that part of the trail was closed.
Traveling with you across these mountains has been amazing. As I recover from a broken back your videos have kept my spirit soaring like an eagle. Thanks for the motivation to get up each day and move even if just around the house or up and down the small short trails around the Brazos river.
Thanks for Coming Along with me Charles!
Hike On,
Darwin
I’ve never walked much of the trails to be honest. I’ve always wanted to but have been occupied with raising a family. Choices we make and the life trails we take.
Love these videos Darwin such an amazing job! I like how you keep it real you tell it how it is! It's not always" Christmas " on trail as it definitely has its ups and downs. I feel for you my friend with those pesky misquotes lol they can be a real nuisance out there. Up here in Northern Ontario Canada they get pretty bad during May and June months.
This video has me SO STOKED to start my 100 mile PCT section hike next week!! Going sobo from Olollie Lake to Elk Lake in Central Oregon. Thanks for the motivation, Cheers Darwin!
Have a killer time out there!
Hike On,
Darwin
Such a good section!
Not sure there are words for how much I appreciate how direct, to the point, informative, and honest your videos are. Even when you're 'embracing the suck,' you're making me love hiking all the more. Thank you for what you give.
I've not posted very much about your quest but just to let you know I have not miss a single video. You and Dixie inspire me. Good luck and take care.
Oregon is awesome. I’m living in Washington now and haven’t hiked Those sections of Oregon in many years. Thanks for wetting my whistle about hiking in Oregon. Brought back many good memories! Enjoy!
Thanks for the videos. The southern Oregon PCT area is one of my favorite playgrouds. Watching today was like catching glipses of my best friends in the background at a football game on TV.
I just watched all 19 episodes in two days. I could not stop! You do great work and are very inspiring. Thank you for sharing this experience.
I am truely grateful for the knowledge I have gained from ALL your videos. I hope to complete my first backpacking trip soon!
Thanks again for everything.
600 miles to go. It must be getting bittersweet at this time that the end is near. Amazing video again of the hike. Thanks for your work.
Darwin - thanks for all the sharing you were able to do on this stretch - I've hiked in the Michigan UP, and I get the mosquitos. Yikes. Thanks for the visuals.
I'm laying in bed with my backpack next to me ready to go for a day hike tomorrow morning. You are an inspiration to us all. I love your videos.
So much appreciate your videos. Bummer that we missed you here in WA.! Looking forward to your next big dance in the dirt. You rekindled my love of the back country so much I am doing a section hike next year. Thanks
Glad you made it to Bend!! Such a beautiful town!!
I've been following you for a long while and I must say your videos are very informative and eye-opening. Very well edited as well. Thank you for taking the time to film your videos and share with us.
Hi Darwin, I have totally enjoyed watching your journey. Thank you so much for taking us along with you.
I came late to these videos and have been binge watching them. Inspiring and the production is great too. I'll have to find a big trail in Aus. thanks ... David
I look forward to your videos every week. Out of all the blogs and gear reviews I’ve scoured over the last year, yours has been my favorite. Thank you for all the wonderful content. I can’t wait to get out there next year!! PCT 2019.
I always treat my tent with permethrin. It'll kill all the mosquitoes that land on your tent so when you wake up there's a lot less mosquitoes in the morning. I also treat my pack.
Crater Lake looks unreal. Thank you for sharing that moment with us. Its Hard to be mad when there's so much beauty in the world.
Another great video. Been following yours, Homemade Wanderlust, and Whimsical Woman. All three of you and everyone else doing these thru hikes are really inspiring. IT's hard to imagine anyone walking that far.
Another awesome video.. you make the simplicity of the trail so captivating, that I can hardly wait for your next episode! Now awaiting Ep. 20 .. Cheers.
I love it. Those lakes are so pretty. I'm glad we all got to see them. I don't blame you for not filming while running from mosquitoes. Happened to me on the LSHT. I hate mosquitoes. I think I'm allergic. It's good that X caught up to you. Anyone else would have never caught up to you.
Amazing. I am completely nuts with envy. I know it takes quite a bit to show the actual trail. But I can tell that you stop and enjoy it as you travel. Thank you for the incredible job on these videos.
I laughed at all of the mosquitoes! And I’m glad to hear someone else say we have the worst mosquitoes here in Oregon. I agree, they are awful and I generally don’t hike in that sort of elevation until the end of July because of that.
See, and I lived in Oregon the first 31 years of my life and can't recall ever having much problems with skeeters. It wasn't until I moved to the east coast that the dang things started eating me alive. I don't know if it's just me or maybe they've changed in the last 10 years. Thinking maybe it's just me. :P
Absolutely stunning! Thanks so much 😊
Thank for Watching!
Hike On,
Darwin
It is tough when heat and mosquitoes can suck the true enjoyment out of hiking in such a beautiful area.
Its said a mosquitoe's flight speed is 3.1 mph...when you hear them buzzing your ear as you hike
..they're whispering...."hike faster" 😀 LOL
✌ 👣 👑 👑
Awesome videoing Darwin.👍
So glad to see Crater Lake and Diamond Lake spoke to you. That's my backyard growing up, gorgeous terrain. But, sad to see the mosquito season was in full force and the heat was kicking your ass :( :( I put so much deet on as a kid, I think I'm now permanently immune...
Nice shot of Little Hyatt dam, know the spot well and based on some hikers I talked to when I was there in July, I missed you hiking through by only a couple days.
Right about 10:00 and 10:02 you can here the mosquito, but wait have you ever been in Florida's Everglade, I think that will be a great contender !!!
You're making me want to try this one day.... ironically used to hate hiking and now I cant get enough of exploring my gorgeous state of Washington! Hope you enjoy the gorgeous views of the Pacific northwest as much as I do!!!
A bad day on the trail is STILL better than even a pretty good one at the office.
Just grooving on your vids over here boss...thanks.
So this is the section(Bend to WA) I had planned on doing a couple of weeks ago. Life gets in the way. :-/
It looks amazing.
Awesome that you were able to keep plugging along even though the conditions were hard! Congratulations on 2000!!
Thanks Darwin, your video reminded me why Diamond Peak Wilderness is called 'Mosquito Wilderness 😁.
Thanks for showing the parts of PCT that I spent my teens and early twenties roaming.
I met Eric Ryback when he was doing it the first time..
Land of lava....
I miss Oregon so much. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Welcome to Oregon! We’ve got mosquitoes from May-September! Embrace the suck!! Pure adventure here. Oregon is rough. But, go to Alaska. The toughest men have been carried away by mosquitoes.
Wow, I really enjoy watching your video of your hikes, it's just so beautiful and inspiring. This one was particular for me as I was born in Oregon. Also back in 2011 I used to worked on the Crater lake area with Northwest Youth Corps, we were maintaining trails and one of them was the lightning Spring, so it was funny to see it in one of your videos ! If One day you decide to hike in Europe, I would highly recommend the E5 section in Tyrol Alps from Southern Germany to northern Italy. Just came back from the hike and it's just so amazingly gorgeous there. Anyway keep the good filming work, have fun hiking and living your passion !
That wood stove is identical to the one in my grandmothers house!! Haha funny thing to is we live in Oregon!
I am a simple man. I see Darwin videos, I click
I've been to Crater Lake! It's beautiful! Keep on truckin!
There's a shelter cove in North cali at the lost coast trail, which is a really nice mostly flat trail that hugs the coast and is really beautiful
Crater Lake looks beautiful, sometimes the trail just sucks, bugs and rain are on the tops of lousy trail days.
Yet again a wonderful video. A great pleasure to watch and "cruise along"!
Still enjoying these videos! Can't wait for the next one
LOL! Awesome video! My fav part was the Sky Lakes Wilderness. I agree 110% about the mosquitos! Bounce sheets worked great for me.
Looks like Paradise where you are sitting in the cabin. Awesome. 👍👍😎
Crater Lake, how gorgeous!!!
I’m starting my first long distance hikes in England in 5 days! I’ve used your advice for almost everything except for clothing choice for obvious reasons
Love Your Videos! Thanks again.
I live here in oregon and ive been on the section from olallie to timothy lake so i want to hit the whole thing this year woot woot
Really amazing landscape, thanks for sharing this !
"Ladies and gentlemen, that behind me, is Washington" *shows picture of Mt Hood over left shoulder.
Close enough I suppose XD
Lawl
Love Oregon, you are getting all the magic.
The scenery in this vid was amazing. Love the PNW. Grew up in Washington, and have live in a lot of places over the years, but there is nothing quite like the Northwest. It would seem that there was a bit of embracing the suck going on in this one.
Really, really enjoy your videos. Thanks for sharing!
15:33 what an introduction, epic view.
Love Oregon mountains! Thanks for sharing
Another week, another great video. Thank you
hiked a bit around the pct deception lakes area in wa & ya mosquitos were the worst i've ever seen. Couldn't believe how bad they were. This year they seem particularly bad
💪Hike on man, loving the trip. Thank you so much for taking us along.
Glad to see you had some mosquito netting. Seems like nobody uses it I don’t know why because it weighs nothing. I have a face cover and I even ordered some pants so I can wear shorts underneath them.
Love the flower cam.......
Awesome video Darwin!!
I freaking love bend. Did you soak at mcminigans? Great town to recharge
Another great one hike on brother
Great video! Where's the gators?
Don't quit... care for your body and finish this!!!!!!!! Rooting for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Come to Minnesota, we have mosquitoes bigger than Volkswagens
Hello Darwin - I’m loving following along with your epic journey. I’m intrigued by the trail names phenomenon and wonder if you are using a trail name??
Great stuff, congratulations on 2000 mile mark, 'twin engine mosquito's', suck, thanks for taking the time to share
Glad to see Obsidian Falls and TFJ made the final cut. Heart hands!
Dam it brother sorry about them skeeters. Loved the video awesome job as always.
I appreciate it Darwin ...
😎👊🏻
Very nice!! Thanks for sharing!!
Welcome to Washington! My home. Enjoy!
OLALLIE!!!!!! The dock and store to end the video that place up there is heaven for me here in oregon
looked like a nice break...Molly looks like a great dog,will need a few hikes of her own when you get done..bag looks great,hope it works out,,just because it has a temp rating on the label ,doesn't mean much to me..even in my younger/stronger days I preferred a 10 degree bag most of the time in about 3 1/2 seasons..you don't always have to get in it..I think that's where recent years quilts have come into the choices..you will know after a few nights of use at altitude and possibly snow..don't hike cold after shivering all night ,pick up heavier loft bag and send it home(or back,,REI has and lives up to returns pretty well)..good rest is your best friend on trail..how's the foot doing ? ,really hope you had it checked out..Onward and upward...lakes at restart look awesome...looking forward to days ahead....Stay Safe and God Bless....
Which bag?
Brilliant again.
Love your videos. Maybe after you are done you could make a video on your days and how you manage to do so many miles? What time you get up, breaks, average miles per hour etc. I am pretty jealous of they type of mileage you can get everyday. ;)
So Beautiful. By the way I received my Columbia Silver Ridge Lite Shirt and love it. Even better it was on close out at REI and was under $30.00 Thanks
I backpacked in the Sky Lakes Wilderness in July. THE MOSQUITOES WERE NO JOKE! I've never seen anything like it. The mosquitoes swarm like gnats. If you weren't coated in DEET, it would be like running a guantlet. My wife and I spoke with a Swiss thru hiker at Rim Village. She broke down crying because of the mosquitos she'd been enduring the last few days. She said she wanted to go home. We tried to buck her up as best we could. I hope she made it...
Thanks again.
I was hiking in Washington Gifford Pinchot national forest one summer with my kids and experienced a mosquito ambush. There were hundreds. They were going in your mouth and nose when you breath. Bit right through your clothes. We literally turned around and started running back to the trailhead. I will never do that in thin shorts and tshirt again.
You are descending into the deeps to face almost every fear that you have, and while it cannot be said that you have conquered them, it can be shouted from the mountain top that they have not, and cannot not, conquer you. Give yourself a gold star.
Will you ever go back and make those miles up that you had to by pass due to the fires?
There were ungodly amounts of mosquitoes on the CDT too! Like clouds of mosquitoes that would block out the light from the sun.
Hey, now that your in California, any plans to thru hike the Condor Trail?
Wow you tore through Oregon!
You are no longer using the CNOC trekking poles? What happened?
Broke 2 sets of them.
I love watching you on this series Darwin, but it's killing me knowing you finished the PCT already. How many more episodes until you share the finish with us?
I always enjoy your videos, gear reviews, and hikes. Thanks! A couple weeks earlier (in early July) the Mt Jefferson Wilderness shown in your video was experiencing a massive tortoiseshell butterfly migration. It looks like you just missed it and caught the mosquitoes further south instead. I'm curious if you had any reports on Guthook's or from your friends in Bend about the migration or not? People I asked on the PCT were clueless and had never seen so many butterflies before.
Also what's it like for you Darwin revisiting the trail with these videos a month or more after hiking them? Any special emotions? Or is it more "Been there; done that!"?
I've never remembered the AT having lots of mosquitos in MA ... mmmmm .....
I’m curious, do the rocks hurt your feet in those shoes? Always looking for lighter but still support. Love your videos.
The mosquitos have been horrible this year. Way to go and keep it up 👍🏻😊
Great thing about Oregon in summer are the long hours of sunlight and the beautiful trees and the cascade range of mountains. Bad thing are the swarms of mosquitos and gnats and no see ums that if they get the whiff of a human just flock to you like the blood thirsty villains they are. Enjoying your posts
Have you ever considered a factory treated Permethrin bug shirt with a hood or netted hat?
Darwin has said on previous video he sprays all his clothes with permethrin and lets them dry. Then reapplies every 4-6 weeks. He also said he uses Ben's 100% Deet insect repellent.
Another nice episode. Beautiful, but I hate mosquitoes too.
Reaching Washington this early you probably was able to hike into White Pass before they closed the 15 miles from Teiton Pass. I bet the last closure near Cutthroat pissed you and everyone off. Did you go around Ross lake to reach Canada or just tried to do as much PCT miles.
Willard Wooten I think he finished before then
He finished the first week in August when the trail was closed july 31 from Harts Pass to Canada.
Willard Wooten well... there is a picture of him at the monument that is the PCT monument at the border near Manning Park... so I assumed it was before that part of the trail was closed.
Unless he did a Farley who finished on the July 31 , he crossed over the barricade in his video, I'll just wait. He doesn't seem to answer ?
Also the trail to Canada just opened today 8-30
Great vid as always.
What kind of coffee packets did you use when you were on the PCT again?
What band/song was that in the beginning?
Whaaaat...no fair. Last time I saw crater lake I saw...fog.