While facing the utterly mundane piles of paper tied to the work that is micro billing management, Kyle Smith realized that time ticks away as quick as the papers stack and it was now or never to do something he has always wanted to do: hike the entirety of the Pacific Crest Trail from the U.S.-Mexico border, along the west coast, and into Canada. Or in his words, the papers were going to cave in on him and that would be his grave.
The 26-year-old Long Beacher had to, however, make just one pitstop that would otherwise make for a civilization-less five-and-half-month adventure: Long Beach Pride.
“I used to go fishing every weekend with my dad and uncle—and every now and then, we’d take a wrong turn and run into Long Beach Pride,” Kyle said. “So I always remembered it was around this time. Every year, I’ve tried to make it at least for Sunday.”
Kyle was, in the least, bummed that he would be missing what became a regular tradition for him since he would be on the trail. After all, Pride is a celebration like no other, especially for young people within the LGBTQ community.
There was, however, an aligning of the cosmos and a blessing from the hiking gods: at Cajon Pass, the pass between the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains west of Big Bear and east of Mt. Baldy, his mother would be meeting him to say hello.
“She met me on Friday and I asked her, ‘Wanna take me back home?’” Kyle said. “She gets kinda lonely—like moms do—so it was just perfect timing. She picked me up and will bring me back so I can continue my trek.”
His two-day escape proves—even for those as obsessed with nature as Kyle—the power that Pride has for some people and the intricate way it is weaved into many people’s traditions. He did, after all, meet his döppleganger at Pride—and who wouldn’t like to kiss their döppleganger?
Even more, Kyle’s love of Pride and nature is equal to his love for giving: five days into his trip, as would anyone alone for hours on end in the woods, he began to think about the purpose of his endeavor—and immediately thought of his aunt, who has suffered from multiple cancers but uses her illness to benefit others.
“She holds a huge cancer walk that helps others,” Kyle said, “and I just felt selfish being on the trail alone. So I called my mom to help me figure out how to turn my hike into a fundraiser.”
Through the work of his mom, aunt, and cousin, Kyle’s trip will soon be represented not just at his aunt’s next cancer walk, but soon online where people will be able to follow Kyle and donate money, which will be returned to causes which benefit cancer victims and their families.
Kyle’s determination is not just apparent for obvious reasons—anyone who takes on the 2,663-mile trail deserves more than a tip of the hat—but for the subtle fact that, though active, he has no formal training in hiking. In his words, he just bought a backpack and went.
“I’ve been on backpacking trips before,” Kyle said, “but for this I needed all new equipment and what not. But I was working so much that I just hit a point where I told myself, ’I’ll just hit the trail and get used to walking so many miles each day.’”
That getting-used-to has not come without consequences: not only has he already shed nearly ten pounds but has had to wrap his feet in duct tape to stave the blisters away and avoid piercings from nature’s more prickly creations. Kyle even learned the vicious strain on one’s legs when one overpacks. He has, nonetheless, been averaging about 20 miles a day since beginning his hike on May 6.
As for after the next five months, when he hits Manning Park in Canada to take a train trip back to decompress, Kyle’s adventurous side will not slouch. He is going to explore southeast Asia—specifically Thailand and Cambodia—before moving to New Zealand.
And if you’re the one—like many who meet Kyle—seeping with jealousy, he has a simple mantra:
“It’s never too late to do what dream of doing.”
To follow Kyle and his trip through his Intagram, click here.