Every summer, we work with a handful of Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) hikers as Ridge ambassadors. Meet one of this year's ambassadors: Mary Jo Minerich.
Mary Jo is in the midst of her thru-hike journey from Mexico to Canada. She started in mid-April and expects to finish in early October. For part of the journey, Mary Jo's partner is hiking with her. Mary Jo is doing the PCT northbound, and she recently passed through the Eastern Sierra where Ridge is based. We connected with her to hear more about her time on the trail.
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How did you prepare to thru-hike the PCT?
We bike commute to work for general fitness and typically do most of our day hikes with a fully loaded backpack.
My top tip to people would be not to worry so much about it. If you are gentle and forgiving with yourself at the start, you can actually do this hike without a ton of training. A lot of people I've met along the trail think that they can't train enough and they let that stand in the way of just doing it.
What's your favorite trail snack?
Sour Patch Kids. My favorite snack provided by a trail angel was a perfectly ripe farmers market peach.
What's your favorite splurge on a zero day?
I dream of ahi tuna, fancy kale salads, raspberries and ice cold beer.
Do you carry anything heavy or "unnecessary" on the trail?
I have carried a sun umbrella off and on, and a third pair of Minaret Socks and Boy Shorts Underwear so I always have something dry and clean enough to put on. As a middle aged lady, I also carry a fancy face sunscreen.
Do you have a trail name?
I don't have one yet. It's funny that at this point in the trail, I get more questionable looks from people when I introduce myself as "Mary Jo" than the next hiker who introduces themselves as "Shitwater."
My partner [who's hiking with me] and I just celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary, and it just seemed weird to start calling each other something different.
That said, he had planned to go back to work after Kennedy Meadows South. He did, but two weeks later he decided to come back to the trail. I've been trying to get him to accept the trail name "FOMO."
Do you have a favorite section of the PCT so far?
Almost all the sections really have both beautiful, fun and amazing parts and parts that are filled with less amazing elements like bugs, blowdowns, long water carries and "meh" miles. It's actually great because every time you feel yourself flagging, you know there's something amazing coming up!
What Ridge Merino gear do you use on the PCT?
My current favorite is the Aspect base layer shirt. I only recently picked it up, but it's sooo soft and comfortable. I look forward to putting it on at the end of the day when it's time to get cozy for dinner, and I wear it most town days. It NEVER smells and looks great.
My close second is the bike shorts (pictured above). They're so smooth and soft, and so far they're really durable. They never look dirty, and they have pockets in all the right places.
I love the way my Merino wool items feel — none of the clamminess of synthetics. I have personally had friends verify with a nose right in my armpit that my Solstice hoodie (pictured above) didn't smell after wearing it every day for a hot week climbing passes in the Sierra. (Smelling your friend's armpits is a totally normal thing to do on trail...)
