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Readers may remember Paloma Medina as one of the authors behind the children’s book, “Looking for Marla,” an illustrated tale about sex and gender diversity in nature which debuted in 2019 and follows the story of a transitioning clownfish parent.

Medina earned their doctorate in biomolecular engineering in the summer of 2021 at UCSC as a celebrated Fulbright scholar and artist. After graduating, they began lecturing at SFSU’s Biology Department. This summer, they opted to take some time off to get into nature, solo hiking more than 500 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail.

The Pacific Crest Trail spans 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington and is closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie 100 to 150 miles east of the U.S. Pacific coast. It is the motivational subject of movies, dozens of books, documentaries, and is scribbled onto the aspirational bucket lists of outdoor enthusiasts every year. Medina shares their Pacific Crest Trail experience to demystify the journey so that others may be encouraged to explore, too.

Medina’s trip falls under the categorization of a “Long A** Section Hiker” otherwise known as a “LASHer.” “A trail like the Pacific Crest Trail attracts an array of hikers,” says Medina. “Thru-hikers are those that hike the trail from the beginning to the end. Section hikers, on the other hand, will hike a designated section, such as the Sierra mountains, or the state of Washington. LASHers, like me, hike long sections of the PCT, not as short as a section hiker, not as long as a thru-hiker. Usually, it’s long sections of the PCT that are strung together.”

This summer, Medina traveled south to north and first hiked from Big Bear to Cajon Pass, a section of 76 miles which took about five days. Medina then resupplied in Los Angeles and hiked from Wrightwood to Acton, a distance of 84 miles which took another five days. Medina’s final leg was from Kennedy Meadows South to Kennedy Meadows North, covering approximately 315 miles with several resupply stops and spanning one month. Medina advises, “Don’t feel like you have to commit five months to the trail. One or two months might feel good enough for you, it surely was for me.”

Medina invested approximately $1,500 in gear. “Some of the bigger purchases were my sleeping bag and my Garmin inReach satellite tracker. There’s nothing like crawling into shelter and a warm sleeping bag in the middle of the wilderness and feeling safe and comfortable.” Medina continues, “The Garmin ended up being a valuable piece of gear for me to talk to loved ones when there wasn’t any cell service. I was hiking the trail by myself, so it was nice to check in and connect daily. Moreover, the Garmin was great for getting updates on weather, which was super useful when rain or storms were coming. There was wildfire smoke for a couple of days while I was hiking, and the Garmin allowed me to communicate with a friend about the fire details.”

“The biggest expense is the cash spent while in towns resupplying. The costs for lodging and eating out quickly rack up. I loved eating out when in towns, because I would work up such a voracious appetite while hiking. It truly feels like a luxury to have access to food while in town.”

Medina tells me that for the most part, they felt safe alone on the trail. “There are times, like traveling alone in town, hitchhiking, or when there is smoke from a fire nearby, or when crossing a river, where I am more aware and cautious.” They continue, “There was one instance where I was hiking in a thunderstorm and I felt scared and worried about my safety. I was hiking over ridges, and I felt very exposed and I could visibly see lightning striking near me. It activated my flight response, and I ended up hiking into a canyon on the trail to try to seek shelter. When taking a break there, I came across another hiker, and I felt much better being with another person. The solidarity was reassuring and calming. We ended up hiking out to a road from there, because we heard a wildfire had started close to the trail up ahead. It was depressing to see the effects of climate change. It made me really sad to walk through smoke, and I was inspired to do something about it.”

“I learned from these intense experiences that it’s really helpful to stay calm and collected. Being exposed to smoke, bugs, hot weather, lightning, and rain had triggered my flight responses, and I had to adapt to the environment as well as learn what I needed to take care of myself.”

In terms of their connection to the environment, Medina has made changes to their daily life as a result of their outdoor living. “There were lots of fires near regions I was hiking to or through. There’s talk on the trail that doing the PCT as a thru-hike might be near impossible in the future due to climate change. It’s already very difficult or near impossible to hike the PCT end to end because of wildfires and resulting trail closures. I decided to become vegetarian to help reduce my carbon footprint.”

“I never knew where water in Los Angeles came from, despite being from LA. I’m more mindful and aware of water’s precious nature and the devastation of overdrawing water. I feel like the lack of knowledge of where our water comes from adds to the problem. People may be more conscious about their water usage in LA if they knew the impact of drawing water from the Eastern Sierra valley.”

“I’m grateful for the little things of urban living like indoor plumbing, fresh fruits and vegetables, shelter, and rest. I now feel more knowledgeable, confident, and capable in the backcountry. I learned a lot about what resources I need to allow me to hike 10-20 miles a day. For Sentinel readers interested in learning more about Medina’s trip planning, email pamedina@ucsc.edu.

Rachel Kippen is an ocean educator and sustainability advocate in Santa Cruz County and can be reached at newsroom@santacruzsentinel.com.

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