This is the Most Dangerous Part of the PCT: Part 3 - Back to the Start

Pacific Crest TrailDocumentary Series
Written By Russ Hepton

In Part 3 of his PCT docu-series, “Back to the Start,” Russ returns to the same flooded I-10 underpass with the shadow of the San Jacinto Mountains staring him down, and all the memories he swore he’d never touch again. This time, he goes through to the other side completing a dream more than 10 years in the making.

Part 3 of the docu-series hits the deepest. The trail goes quiet and the mission becomes painfully clear: carrying flowers to the place where Trevor “Microsoft” fell, reading a grieving father’s words aloud, while letting the weight of it all land for viewers.

Part 3 carries Russ toward the southern terminus, but this isn’t just a “finish the PCT” story. It’s an honest reckogning with the ghosts of 2020 and the question that’s been chasing him ever since: “Do I have what it takes to hike every mile?” It’s a story of returning to the trail that nearly broke him, and choosing to move forward anyway. It’s a culmination of passion, resilience and erseverance.

If you’ve ever quit something, replayed it for years, and wondered whether you’d ever be able to go back and finish, this one’s for you.

Russ Hepton

Russ is an award-winning Digital Product Designer and avid long-distance hiker. He lives in the Lake District in the UK. Russ thru-hiked the PCT in 2022.

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My Most Important Resupply on the PCT: Part 2 - Back to the Start
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Thank you, Trevor. Making the Pacific Crest Trail Safer