How this hiker breaks records by walking the Pacific Crest Trail solo

At nearly 2,700 miles long, the Pacific Crest Trail, or PCT, is one of the most well-known long-distance hiking trails in the country. Starting at the California-Mexico border, it snakes its way along the West Coast, ending at Washington’s border with Canada.

It’s a familiar trail for Renee Miller, who along with husband Tim Beissinger, hiked the PCT in 2018. But this July, she set out solo, looking to break the women’s record for the fastest known time for an unsupported hike on the Oregon section of the PCT.

Miller joined OPB’s “All Things Considered” host Crystal Ligori to talk about the 457-mile journey.

The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

Crystal Ligori: You have a lot of experience with long-distance hiking. Can we start with how you got started in the sport?

Renee Miller: Yeah, so I read the book “Wild” about through-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and had done some backpacking and camping before with my husband Tim. And I just got really excited about the long-distance trails and had a dream of doing it someday, and finally convinced him that we should hike the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada.

Ligori: I understand you and your husband Tim Beissinger have hiked over 10,000 miles together. Can you talk about what it’s like to spend that much time in the backcountry with just one other person?

Miller: [Laughing] Yeah, I think we get along pretty well. And we’ve learned over those 10,000 miles how to hike together and what works and what doesn’t. And, you know, if we get in a little argument or something, we just take some time [and] hike apart for an hour, and when we’re back together, it’s all good again.

Ligori: What made you want to attempt this record-breaking hike on the Oregon section of the PCT?

Miller: I’ve been intrigued [and] love following some folks on social media who do these fastest known times [FKT’s] and I saw a post just randomly — a woman who set the record last year for the Oregon Pacific Crest Trail unsupported fastest known time. And I did the calculation, saw her daily miles and thought, “Hmm. That seems like it could be doable for me. I think I could maybe break that.” And I just decided to go for it.

Ligori: And the hike is unsupported. Can you explain what that means for the novice hikers out here?

Miller: That means you need to carry all of your food and gear with you for the entire trip. You can get water from natural sources along the way or public taps, which don’t really exist in the Oregon backcountry, but you can’t stop along the way and pick up more supplies or more food. You can’t get any support from other people along the way.

Related: Eugene trail runner’s new memoir explores grief, resilience on the Oregon Pacific Crest Trail

Ligori: I know that you document all of your hiking journeys on your Instagram account @thruhikers and watching the videos, I saw lots of excitement but also some tears. Can you talk about the highs and the lows of the hike?

Miller: This was probably the hardest hike I’ve ever done. Maybe one of the hardest things I’ve ever done both mentally and physically. The lows were just, you know…I started out with a 38-pound backpack, which is way heavier than I’m used to, so my daily mileage to start was much lower than at the end of the trip. And I told myself I would get faster as my pack got lighter, be able to hike more miles per day. But in the beginning, that was just there in the back of my head. “Can I really do this? Am I really going to get faster?” Trying to break that record, really wanting to, but trying not to doubt myself and trying to believe in myself along the way that definitely led to some low points.

I also hiked the trail pretty early [in the] season because I was worried about wildfires. So I ran into snow and downed trees over the trail and just challenging conditions on the trail in general. So those slowed me down and definitely got me frustrated.

Ligori: What about the highs? What made you feel most excited when you were doing this?

Miller: Just being back out on the trail. It’s been two years since I did a really long hike and I just love being out there. Loved coming back to the Pacific Crest Trail… had hiked this section in 2018 and seeing what was the same, what I remembered, what was different. Also, one of the days I hiked a 40-mile day, that’s the biggest day I’ve ever hiked. And I was very excited and proud of myself that I was able to hike 40 miles. So that was definitely a high point.

Related: Eugene author shares stories from his multi-year adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail

Ligori: For safety reasons, you posted about the hike on a slight delay. So you’re actually already off the trail. Can we ask how you did?

Miller: Yes. I did beat the record. I ended up beating it by a day and a half, 14 days, 14 hours and 26 minutes.

Ligori: Renee, are you already planning what your next hike is gonna be?

Miller: Yes. I’m always planning hikes. I’m not so sure about another FKT. I think I told my husband the day I finished, “That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’m never doing this again.” But, you know, a week has passed and I’m already looking up what are the other FKT’s out there that would be realistic for me. But definitely some long hiking trips with Tim as well because it’s a lot of fun to be out there with someone else.

Renee Miller and husband Tim Beissinger document their long distance hiking journeys online and have a forthcoming book called “Thruhikers: A Guide to Life on the Trail”.