Brantford woman hikes 4,265-km Pacific Crest Trail on five-month journey

A young Brantford biologist with a penchant for adventure spent five months last year hiking the entire Pacific Crest Trail, stretching from Mexico to Canada.

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Isabel Hilgendag’s 4,265-kilometer journey took her through wildly varied terrain – from baking desert to thick forests and snow-covered mountains.

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When Hilgendag reached EC Manning Provincial Park in British Columbia last Oct. 20 she became one of fewer than 10,000 people to have completed the entire trek. She began her hike on May 21 at the trail’s southern terminus next to the Mexico-United States border, just south of Campo, California.

“It feels kind of surreal when you finally get there because you’ve thought about it so much,” said Hilgendag of the moment she reached the trail’s end. It’s a mix of emotions. You’ve fought through the pain and hunger and thirst, so you feel proud but there’s also a kind of feeling of depression that’s it’s over and you have to get back into society.”

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The long-distance Pacific Crest Trail, which is closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, passes through California, Oregon and Washington. The route ranges in elevation from about 110 feet above sea level near the Bridge of the Gods on the Oregon-Washington border to 13,150 feet at Forester Pass in the Sierra Nevada. The trail passes through 25 national forests and seven national parks.

It’s rugged, remote and can be challenging and dangerous.

Twenty-seven-year-old Hilgendag, a Brantford Collegiate Institute graduate who has a master’s degree in biology from the University of Waterloo

had already completed a solo 3½-month road trip, traveling in a van from Brantford to Alaska, through the Rockies and into Washington, Oregon and California, when she set her sights on conquering the Pacific Crest Trail.

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“I love a challenge,” she said. “I like to see if I have what it takes.”

Inspiration came from reading Cheryl Strayed’s autobiographical account of hiking a portion of the trail alone in 1995 at age 26. The book became the subject of the 2014 film, Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon.

Hilgendag prepared for the trek by researching the route and taking long walks with a backpack loaded with weights. A lot of time was spent preparing packages of mostly dried food, keeping in mind she’d need to consume anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 calories a day.

“I soon found out I couldn’t carry that amount of food,” said Hilgendag, who lost 35 pounds on the journey.

The hike began in the desert of southern California where she avoided the intensity of the daytime heat by walking just in the early morning and evening.

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“I started slowly, doing about 15 kilometers a day to get my body acclimatized. I was doing about 40 kilometers a day by the end.”

The trail took Hilgendag from the heat of the desert to treacherous passes in the Sierra Mountains, where there was triple the amount of snow for a typical July, through smoke from ongoing wildfires in northern California.

Hilgendag crossed volcanic mountains in Orgeon, lush forests and “stunning peaks and dramatic valleys” in Washington state.

Along the trail were rattlesnakes, scorpions, bears, coyotes, wolves, elk and deer.

“There was a sense of danger but I always felt in control,” said Hilgendag, who carried a satellite communication device that pinpointed her location and allowed her to send text messages.

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“You spend a lot of time thinking about food and your next water source.”

Hikers stop in towns to pick up supplies. One of Hilgendag’s go-to meals was a mixture of ramen noodles, instant mashed potatoes, olive oil, tuna and peanut butter.

Along the route Hilgendag meets fellow hikers from Slovakia, Austria and Australia, forging “friendships for life.”

“I met so many adventurous, enthusiastic, really kind people.”

Hilgendag chronicled her journey in a blog, which can be found at pursuitofexploration.com., and she’s thinking about writing a book about her adventure. She’s also planning to pursue a doctorate degree and has another trip in mind – an eight-month hike of the Continental Divide Trail. Those interested can follow Hilgendag on Instagram at the.nomadic.scientist

“I really want to inspire others to pursue their passion,” she said. “It’s all about having a good mindset.”

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