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Gone to Green

Gone to Green is a blog/vlog dedicated to inspiring others to thrive in the wild. Hi, I’m Ellen! Life is not a contest. We are each unique.

Outdoor enthusiast, marathon runner, medical professional, and proud dog mom. I’ve learned important things while out in the wilderness:
• Time spent outdoors is the best psychotherapy in the world.
• Personal growth is accelerated when you step out of your comfort zone.
• Average people are capable of above average achievements.
• You are never too old to learn, grow and stretch your limits.
• D

on’t’ compare your journey to others. Hope you find some great information to give you the confidence to get out and explore our magnificent world.

“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” Napoleon Hill

05/01/2026

Day 9: Time for a Break

Welp, I can’t believe I have to do this right now, but I need to step away from my hike.

Remember a few days ago when I fell down and half-joked about hoping it won’t end my hike?

Unfortunately, the pain I have been feeling over the last few days suddenly worsened. Up until now, I dealt with the pain by telling myself it wasn’t that bad and by taking prescription strength ibuprofen. Each day I hoped it would get better, but I kept having a nagging feeling it wasn’t going to unless I give it a good rest.

So, that time has come. I’m heading home, hopefully for only a few weeks.

It’s disappointing to be kicking butt on the most difficult terrain I’ve ever encountered, only to be stopped cold by a random face plant on flat ground.

But this too shall pass. I intend to use my time to restock my supplies, give my gear a good cleaning, and buy new trekking poles.

It’s wild how I depleted my entire first aid kit during the first week out here. I even used up all my leukotape trying to fix my broken pole. Last year I hardly touched my kit and I was out here for a whole month.

But I’ll be back. Thanks for listening to me and following along, I truly appreciate everyone’s support ❤️

04/30/2026

Day 8: Mile 289.9 to Lake Arrowhead
Miles hiked: 8.6
Total miles hiked: 81.1

Most hikers bypass the town if Lake Arrowhead because they just stocked up on resupplies at Big Bear Lake.

Luckily, I’m not like other hikers and am happy to take another break. I really like taking side trips to check out these little mountain towns and support their local businesses.

The hike today was a little rough, with a lot of tree blowdowns, unmaintained trail, and rocky terrain that required some bouldering to get through it.

But now I’m splurging because spending 2 nights at a nice hotel with a spa. Tomorrow will be my first zero day, meaning the first day with no hiking miles.

I am soooooo looking forward to a full day of relaxation before getting back out there again 🧘‍♂️

04/29/2026

Day 7: Mile 278.4 to Mile 289.9
Miles hiked: 11.5
Total miles hiked: 72.5

Today’s hike reminded me of a quote I like: “Every day may not be a good day, but there is good in every day.”

For the first few miles, the trail was awesome, with the same rolling ups and downs like yesterday. When the trail is gentle like this, you can let your mind wander, and the time and the miles fly by.

Eventually the trail became narrower and it followed the side of a hill. My attention became more focused but I ended up falling because of loose dirt at the edge of the trail.

I wasn’t hurt but when I stood up I saw that one of my trekking poles was broken.

This was a definite cause for concern because I need both poles to navigate this sketchy section of trail and more importantly, I rely on both poles to hold my tent up at night.

As I continued walking, I came across a huge tree blowdown that would be tricky and also dangerous to navigate.

I stood there feeling sorry for myself for all the woes I’ve endured this week. It’s one thing for a trail to be physically challenging, but when it constantly puts your safety at risk, it eats away at your motivation to keep going.

My pity party was interrupted by an older couple who were hiking in the opposite direction as I was and so were on the other side of the blockage.

We started discussing the best way to handle the situation and between the three of us looking at it from our different vantage points, we devised a strategy to get through it. And it worked.

They also did their best to fix my broken pole and they offered information about how I can get them replaced quickly.

Later, I figured out a way to put up my tent using the broken pole. As long as the wind stays calm, I should be fine.

It’s crazy how quickly things can go from great to horrible to great again, all in a single day.

The trail is every bit a mental challenge as it is a physical one, and you have to be prepared to handle both.

For me, that includes remembering to appreciate the good when it feels like the bad wants to take over. 😜

04/27/2026

Day 6: Big Bear Lake to Mile 278.4
Miles hiked: 12.3
Total miles hiked: 61

This was the kind of day that makes hiking so enjoyable.

After a whirlwind visit to the town of Big Bear Lake, a friendly local dropped me off at the trailhead early this morning.

The weather was perfect for hiking: sunny but not too warm or cold. The trail consisted of gentle ups and downs through pine forests (although quite rocky in places), and I discovered my new favorite hiking snack - a mix of roasted posters and corn nuts.

I didn’t see another human being until late in the day. Some people might think that sounds like a lonely day but I find that kind of solitude rejuvenating.

When I did see another hiker, we ended up having a great discussion about all things related to our gear choices. It’s so awesome when to talk about topics that would bore another person to tears 😆

I would call this a near perfect day of hiking. Hopefully, tomorrow will be the same 🤞

04/26/2026

Day 5: Arrastre Trail Camp to Big Bear Lake
Miles hiked: 9.9 miles
Total miles hiked: 48.7

What a difference a day makes! The trail was quite enjoyable, giving me a morale boost, which I definitely needed.

It was nice to be able to cruise along without having to be laser-focused on every step I was taking. And to make the day even better, my destination was the town of Big Bear Lake. Knowing that you’ll be sleeping in an actual bed puts some extra pep into your step to get there.

Experiencing a new town for the first time is definitely a different experience as a hiker than as for a tourist. A tourist’s first priority is usually not to take a shower and do laundry 😆

But it’s what I look forward to, along with obsessing about food. I always buy too many groceries to stuff into my pack, and it seems like I eat nonstop while I’m in the town.

Starting tomorrow, the trail will turn from its current northbound direction and head west through the San Bernardino Mountains which overlook the greater L.A. area.

I look forward to taking in some amazing views ⛰️

04/24/2026

Day 4: Mile 245.5 to Arrastre Trail Camp
Miles hiked: 10.7
Total miles hiked: 38.8

Today’s hike was actually pleasant, although I had to deal with a lot of tree blowdowns. These are usually more of an annoyance than anything.

Late in the day, I saw a trail maintenance crew heading toward the trail to start addressing the storm damaged areas I had just hiked through.

Just when I was beginning to wonder if anyone from the PCT Association actually hikes this trail, I was happy to hear they are aware of the problems and are doing something about them.

Tonight I’m staying at Arrastre Trail Camp, a primitive campground which in this case means flat areas to put up a tent and a couple of picnic tables.

There is a stream nearby, the first water source I have come across in the last 15 miles.

I had just arrived when I tripped and fell hard to the ground. I felt a sharp pain on the left side of my ribs. At first I couldn’t get up because the weight of my pack was holding me down. I felt like a turtle trying to right itself.

It still hurts (a lot), hopefully I just bruised something. It would really suck if, after surviving the hellish trail of the last 3 days, I have to go home because of a stupid face plant.

And it happened on flat ground with no obvious obstacles. What the heck??

But that’s just how this week has been. My legs are scratched and bruised from all the rock and cliff scrambling, and on my second day I nearly tore the end off one of my fingers while pounding a tent stake into the ground with a rock. I’ve already used up most of the band-aids in my kit.

And it’s only day 4.

But I guess it’s all part of the adventure, right?

All I know is tomorrow will be a new day.

04/22/2026

Day 3: Mile 235.5 to Mile 245.5
Miles hiked: 10
Total miles hiked: 27.9

I had more riverbed walking today just like yesterday with a lot of rocks to deal with, only today there were huge downed trees across the river to add to the fun.

The good news is that I only had to deal with it for a short distance.

The bad news is that I also had to deal with remnants of the original trail were in poor condition. It mostly ran along the edge of steep mountainsides and there were some areas that were very sketchy.

In some places the trail was completely washed away, leaving deep ravines angled steeply downward.

Navigating these meant scooching on my butt down into the crevasse and then scrambling up the opposite side. Any missteps here could be bad due to the angle of the washed out area.

Since I am more nimble without heavy weight on my back, I thought it would be a good idea to take my pack off, let it slowly slide down into the ravine, and then once I’m down in it I could push my pack up the other side and then climb out of it myself.

I heard myself yell “Oh, f*ck!!” as my backpack instead went tumbling down the mountainside. By sheer luck it came to a stop before it would have been lost down the mountainside. It took me a long time to carefully pick my way through the rough terrain and get it back up the hill.

Needless to say, it was a stressful day. Trudging through the riverbed was much more preferable than experiencing this nightmare.

But it’s over now (I know, I said that yesterday too) and I’m past the worst of the storm damaged areas.

I’m sure it will take a few days to decompress from all the mental trauma I just endured 😫

P.S. I noticed most of my photos from today misleadingly show a nice, tranquil trail. I was too focused on how to deal with the messes in front of me to even think about pulling out my camera.

04/21/2026

Day 2: Mile 226.2 to Mile 235.5
Miles Hiked: 9.7
Total miles hiked: 17.9

What a day! Almost 10 miles of route finding through the Mission Creek riverbed.

There were thousands upon thousands of small rocks, medium rocks, large rocks, boulders, gravel and sand with no obvious way to navigate through it all.

I also had to keep crossing back and forth across the river as I made my way. I lost count after my 20th time.

Oh, and did I mention it was all uphill?

I’ve never been so exhausted after a hike in my life. It was very slow and tedious and it took me all day.

I knew beforehand that this part would be difficult. On the days that I didn’t feel like doing my training hikes I would think about this section and go do my training anyway.

There were a couple of times I had to use a lot of my strength to scramble up the cliff walls of the riverbed to find remnants of the original trail.

But it should be mostly over now. I will have some more riverbed walking and then the trail should become more normal (I hope).

In the meantime, I’m resting up with some ibuprofen 💊

04/19/2026

Day 1: Whitewater Preserve to Mile 226.2
Miles hiked: 8.2

Today was a great start to this year’s adventure. It feels awesome to be back out here. I even had a decent night’s sleep in my new tent.

I had some mixed emotions though as I got closer to the area where I was rescued last year (at mile 221.2).

As I walked by the junction where I accidentally got onto a false trail leading off from the actual trail, it now looks obvious which is the right one.

But it wasn’t so obvious last year. The incorrect trail has been blocked now so no one else can make that same mistake I did.

It’s hard to describe my feelings as I walked by, it was like a sense of sadness. But once I continued on, my mood changed to excitement. I can put this event behind me now and continue onward into new territory 💪🏻

Tonight I’m camped at the edge of a rock-filled riverbed. I’m right at a point where the trail abruptly ends due to previous winter storms that destroyed this area.

For the next 15 miles or so I will be making my way through this treacherous area until a solid trail reappears. It’s going to be slow and tedious.

I hope I get a good night’s sleep because I’m going to need all the energy I can. 💤

04/17/2026

Day 0: Whitewater Preserve
Mile 226.2

I woke up this morning wondering if I really want to do this again this year.

I decided I do and now I’m relaxing at the pretty Whitewater Preserve, located about a half mile from the PCT.

I flew to Palm Springs early this morning and then took an Uber to the preserve.

I don’t know why I wanted to quit this adventure before it even started. I guess I had some nerves that needed to be calmed.

But now that I’m past the point of no return, I’m fine. In fact, I’m excited about what the next several weeks will bring.

Unless it involves hanging from a cliff again. I’m not excited about that 🥹

It did get me the cool trail name of Cliffhanger though.

See you on the trail!

04/13/2026

After months of obsessing over every detail, I finally have my gear all figured out.

Kitchen:
I can store all my kitchen items inside my titanium pot when I’m not using it (except cup and spoon).

Food:
Last year I discovered that my food cravings change when I’m on the trail. I prefer snacks throughout the day and one hot meal at the end of it.

Water:
Since I will be hiking through some long, dry desert sections, I will have the ability to carry up to 6.75 L of water at once, even though I will rarely need to carry that much (I hope!)

Electronics:
I have 2 x 10,000mAh power banks which should be plenty to keep everything charged between towns.

Sleep:
I have an ultralight blow-up mattress and pillow to go with my cozy sleeping bag.

Tent:
I bought a new tent to try out this year, and it only weighs 19 oz!

Clothes:
Yes, I’m taking 3 jackets. This may seem like overkill, but it works for me. I need to be ready for any kind of weather, and this set up worked well for me last year.

Go Kit:
When you gotta go, you gotta be ready. What more can I say?

Navigation:
Most PCT hikers use an app called FarOut. It provides information about potential campsites, water sources, towns, hazards, etc. And people can enter comments so you have up to date information. I also carry paper maps in case something happens to my phone.

First Aid and Toiletries:
My first aid kit contains a lot of bandaids and ibuprofen since blisters and sore muscles are the most common things that I deal with.
For toiletries, I carry various items such as sunscreen, lotion, lip balm, etc.

Whew! That about covers everything. The final weight of my pack with everything in it is 30 lb.

It’s a good thing I’ve been training for this 💪🏻

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