Hi, my name is Isko Salminen.
I'm an adventure seeker and I love exploring nature with my camera and Australian Shepherd called Fire

Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike 2017

 

In 2017, after working a decade in ad agencies, I quit my job and hiked along the 2650 mile long Pacific Crest Trail from the Mexican border to Manning Park in Canada. What started as a record snow year in Sierra, turned into a record wildfire season - the year of fire and ice.

I've documented my hike here and on my Instagram account.

On the trail

Featured
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Days 120 – 122: Bend
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Day 119: When things don't go as planned
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Day 118: Mt. Thielsen and Oregon Skyline Trail alternate
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Day 117: Crater Lake and smoke on the water
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Day 116: Road walk, hitchhiking, and Mazama Village
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Day 115: Oregon and all the fire closures
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Day 114: The one with the eclipse
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Day 113: The mental challenge
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Day 112: Short day out of Ashland
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Day 111: Ashland
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Day 110: Finally in Oregon!
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Day 109: Seiad Valley and under thousand miles to go
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Day 108: Big miles and long hours
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Day 107: Wildfires, trail closures, and heading out of Etna
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Day 105-106: Zeroing in Etna
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Day 104: Why you should never switch shoes mid-hike
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Day 103: No sight of Sam
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Day 102: Mount Shasta and new shoes
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Day 101: The monotony of Northern California
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Day 100: Rain, thunder, and hundred days on PCT
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Day 99: Burney Falls
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Day 98: Burney Mountain Guest Ranch
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Day 97: Old Station and Hat Creek Rim
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Day 96: Lassen National Park
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Day 95: Nero out of Chester
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Day 94: PCT midpoint
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Day 93: Belden, my least favorite town on the trail
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Day 92: California is on fire
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Day 91: Who said Northern California is easy?
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Day 90: First 30-mile day
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Day 89: Sierra City
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Day 88: The breakdown
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Day 87: Donner Pass
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Day 86: Granite Chief Wilderness and the mental challenge
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Day 85: Desolation Wilderness and an off day on the trail
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Day 84: Nero from South Lake Tahoe to Lake Aloha
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Day 80-83: To South Lake Tahoe and the most epic trail magic ever
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Day 79: All the trail magic and the return of trail puppers
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Day 78: We're definitely not in the Sierra anymore
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Day 77: Its time to boogie!
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Day 76: Sonora Pass, end of Sierra, and Footloose’s last day on trail
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Day 75: To be the man who walked a thousand miles
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Day 74: Stopped by Wide Creek
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Day 73: The beauty of Sierra
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Day 72: Easy day out of Lee Vining
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Day 71: Island Pass, Donahue Pass, and I've hiked the length of the JMT
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Day 70: Thousand Island Lake
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Day 69: Zero at Mammoth Lakes
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Day 68: To Mammoth Lakes
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Day 67: Silver Pass and a rough day on snow
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Day 66: Vermilion Valley Resort
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Day 65: Selden Pass and Bear Creek
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Day 64: Muir Pass and Evolution Creek
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Day 63: On-trail Nero
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Day 62: Mather Pass and 2 months on trail
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Day 61: Pinchot Pass
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Day 60: Water, water, everywhere
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Day 58-59: Zero and nero in Bishop
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Day 57: Kearsarge Pass and Bishop
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Day 56: Forester Pass and why I didn't quit the PCT yesterday
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Day 55: Climbing Mt. Whitney
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Day 54: Approaching Mt. Whitney
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Day 53: Out of Lone Pine to Chicken Spring Lake
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Day 52: Lone Pine
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Day 51: First sight of Sierra snow
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Day 50: First taste of Sierra
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Day 49: Goodbye desert, hello Sierra!
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Day 48: Kennedy Meadows
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Day 47: The one with the bear
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Day 46: Country pig in her lovely thin bathrobe
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Day 45: On the trail again
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Day 44: Hitch to Lake Isabella
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Day 39 - 43: Recovering in Tehachapi
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Day 38: To Tehachapi
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Day 37: Day of hurt
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Day 36: Night-hiking the LA aqueduct
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Day 35: Zero at Wee Vill
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Day 34: The one with the camera
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Day 33: Casa De Luna
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Day 32: Leaving Hiker Heaven
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Day 31: A month on trail
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Day 30: Hiker Heaven and my birthday
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Day 29: Getting to Aqua Dulce
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Day 28: Feeling my trail legs coming along
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Day 27: Easy day
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Day 26: Rollercoaster of a day
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Day 25: Mount Baden-Powell
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Day 24: Wrightwood
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Day 23: Cajon Pass, McDonalds, and the big climb
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Day 22: Pizza party at Silverwood Lake
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Day 21: Deep Creek Hot Springs
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Day 20: Swimming holes and 300 mile marker
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Day 19: Easy miles out of Big Bear
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Day 18: Trail names and a zero in Big Bear Lake
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Day 17: Nero to Big Bear Lake
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Day 16: When it's freezing in Southern California
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Day 15: The Big Suck
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Day 14: Whitewater Preserve
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Day 13: The long descent and the 200 mile marker
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Day 12: The summit of San Jacinto
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Day 11: Nero at Idyllwild
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Day 10: Ups and downs
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Day 9: From Warner Springs to Mike's
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Day 8: Zero at Warner Springs
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Day 7: 100 miles and running
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Day 6: Nighthike to Third Gate water cache
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Day 5: Julian
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Day 4: The night hike and the day of the firsts
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Day 3: Mount Laguna and spectacular views
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Day 2: Suffering and pure bliss
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Day 1: Campo, desert, and snakes
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Before the hike

Featured
PCT gear fully loaded
My Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike gear list
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Hiker lingo and vocabulary for the PCT thru-hike
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So, I’m hiking the Pacific Crest Trail this summer
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