While many people sheltered at home as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Kayo Hartenbaum was beginning her 2,653-mile solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail.
The Los Altos Hills resident started her six-month hike two weeks before shelter-in-place protocols began in Santa Clara County in March.
“It’s kind of weird because isolation was something I chose to do, as opposed to a lot of people in COVID (who felt like they were) being trapped inside houses,” Hartenbaum said. “I think it really helps to have been able to have the freedom to walk around and see things.”
The 26-year-old overcame physical and mental obstacles to hike from the U.S.-Mexico border in Southern California to the U.S.-Canada border in Washington.
Starting in the Southern California desert, Hartenbaum trekked through the Sierra Nevada range into Northern California, then through Oregon and Washington. It took her six months to complete the journey.
“I think, looking back, part of the reason I wanted to do it was to sort of prove to myself that I could do something objectively difficult,” she said. “I suppose I could say I learned that, yes, I can.”
Karen Druker, Hartenbaum’s neighbor, was so inspired by Hartenbaum’s perseverance that she donated $100,000 in honor of the hiker to help struggling students at Foothill and De Anza colleges. In an email, Druker said she hopes Hartenbaum’s feat will remind students that “the longest journey starts with one step.”
Prep-trip prep
Hartenbaum has taken many steps over the years, but she admitted she was not an avid hiker before taking on the trail. In the year leading up to it, she took a few preparation classes, such as snow camping with the Sierra Club and wilderness first aid, before spontaneously deciding last spring was the best time to face the challenge.
“I suppose I was kind of nervous. It’s kind of a large undertaking and I wanted to do the whole thing, but I wasn’t sure that I was going to make it and it was kind of exciting,” she said. “I’m, like, ‘Well, this is something that not a lot of people do. And I’m excited to be able to give it a shot and log off of society a little bit.’”
Hartenbaum added that she faced many physical challenges over the course of the trail, including extreme heat and snow. But no matter the weather, she walked approximately 12 hours a day.
“I would be walking for six hours in the first half of the day, talking to myself about all the reasons why I was insane and I shouldn’t be doing this,” she said. “And then I would spend the second half of the day, the next six hours, talking to myself about why I needed to keep going, and I just needed to make it to the next resupply point and get food and then worry about the rest of the trail later.”
Psychological challenge
While the physical aspects of the hike took a toll, the mental part of the journey was even tougher on her.
“I think the main challenge would be more … psychological in terms of staying on the trail,” Hartenbaum said. “I’m very grateful generally each day to do it, and I’m, like, ‘Wow, it’s so beautiful out here. I can’t believe I’m seeing all these things.’ But three or four months into fairly grueling conditions, sometimes you’re, ‘Man, I would love a milkshake and a shower right now.’”
Intent on going it alone, Hartenbaum said there were advantages to not having company on the hike.
“I think it’s nice to have someone to talk to … but when you’re hiking alone, you can sort of go at your own pace and hike sort of the way you want to do it,” she said.
Navigating, camping and finding water and food were all new experiences Hartenbaum dealt with during her half-year adventure.
“Every day a certain amount of mental bandwidth goes into thinking about water and where to get it and how much to drink and such,” she said.
Hartenbaum found some help on her phone through the app Guthook, which indicates where to find potential water sources. After locating streams, lakes or puddles, Hartenbaum had to filter the water before taking a drink.
In terms of shelter, Hartenbaum camped most of the trail. Usually, she would sleep in established sites where there were tents that did not disturb nature.
“There aren’t any amenities. … In some places, like national parks, there are established campsites where there’s stuff like picnic benches or pit toilets, which are high-luxury amenities from the trail perspective,” Hartenbaum said. “Once in a while I would come off the trail to a motel or something to spend a night and take a shower.”
Carrying little food with her, Hartenbaum ventured into towns and resorts near the Pacific Crest Trail to buy groceries or pick up boxes of food she had mailed there. She relied on her phone for maps and weather conditions.
‘Surreal’ experience
Despite some difficult trail conditions, Hartenbaum said she encountered unforgettable sights, including beautiful landscapes.
“It’s kind of like being inside a photograph, but better,” Hartenbaum said. “It’s hard to choose (my favorite place) because there’s so much of it. There’s a lot of variety because you go through all sorts of different biomes and climates. The Sierra Nevada … (the) snowcapped mountains, glacial lakes and that kind of thing, so I really did like the Sierra Nevada. Another one was Crater Lake in Oregon, which I had never seen before. It was sort of like, ‘Ah, I understand why there’s a God-like mythology surrounding this.’”
Hartenbaum added that the entire experience still feels surreal.
“Going through a lot of challenges and then finally getting to the end was kind of like, ‘Oh, man, I got to the end,’” she said. “‘That doesn’t seem plausible. Really? I walked that far. When did that happen?’”
Looking back on her hike, Hartenbaum said she is grateful for the experience and all of the things she was able to see.
“I’m glad I did it. It was cool,” she said. “Even though it was pretty tough, it’s strange that even though it seems kind of crazy and impossible, it’s completely within the realm of reality.”
