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Embarking on a Thru Hike is no small feat. Alyssa Munson is this year's 2025 Thru Hiker Sponsorship Winner hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. We are so excited to follow along and support her on this journey.
We sat down with Alyssa to chat all things PCT, and how she is gearing up for her upcoming thru hike. Continue reading below to learn more about Alyssa.
Q: What trail will you be hiking and why did you choose this trail?
Q: Will you be hiking solo or with a group?
A: My long-term partner, Alex, will be hiking with me.
Q: What luxury item will you bring on trail with you?
A: The obvious ones, camp sandals and a backpacking stove. Some might consider the latter a necessity, but there are enough people out there eschewing the carry in favor of cold soaking that I think they might consider a stove a luxury. I'm also planning on bringing stamps with me so that I can send myself postcards when I hit different towns. Little messages to myself, maybe to Alex, maybe to my parents and friends :) and I'll have to bring a pen, of course.
Q: What is one thing you are hoping to take away from your thru-hike?
A: I want to take the opportunity to reassess my true wants and needs. I spent 7 years in corporate and felt undervalued, underutilized and terribly stressed, but I did not come to the PCT looking for a "break" or a vacation because the reality is I could do both of those things while employed in a corporate environment. I want to really push the boundaries of what I need and engage with a completely different set of stressors to reset how I tend to look at problems and search for solutions.
Spending 5 months hiking is definitely still a grind and still features heavy routines, but there are so many things outside of your control and for the first time in a long time, I'm not afraid of those things, I'm excited for them. Nearly everybody comes to these long thrus looking for personal growth, I'm not unique in that respect, but I really do hope this ignites something dormant in my brain when it comes to solving for the unexpected, I really don't think there's anything more incredible to witness than the resilience of a human being removed from the most basic comforts.
Q: If you could invite a celebrity (alive or dead) who would you invite on your hike and why?
A: I'd absolutely ask Kyle MacLachlan to [Fire] walk with me! He's led such a rich and storied life that we wouldn't run out of things to chat about and he seems incredibly personable. He also genuinely loves hiking and escaping to the outdoors himself. I think, given his early start in Twin Peaks, the finish line being in Washington would be incredible motivation for him. Also, happy to spend a week on trail defending the 1984 Dune film!
Q: What is your favorite trail snack/candy?
A: Sour Patch Kids and Japanese Peanuts. This combo. Everything else in my snack bag is just filler.
Q: What are you social handles, so people can follow you along on your hike?
A: LosAngalyssa on instagram! I will try to upload some on TikTok (same handle).
Q: What if your favorite piece of Big Agnes gear and why?
A: The last time I did some snow camping, my friend brought along a Tiger Wall and, though she definitely did not practice setting it up beforehand, so her pitch left a lot wanting, holding the tent in my hands, i was in awe. It was so light for something with poles. I had a 1p trekking pole tent on that trip and hers was about on par with mine in terms of weight! Being able to split the poles and body between my hiking partner and I would be even more fantastic! The weight savings, the construction, the weather and windproofing, TWO doors and vestibules (I've done the one-door thing and I only put up with it because it was an adorable tent and actually had two gear "closet" doors and vestibules that were NOT part of the main doorway) it's really THE standard.
As someone who hates backpacking in heavy rain, being able to set up the rainfly with the footprint first so you don't get your tent body soaked is an incredible option. I hate being wet so much that I seek this feature out specifically, but I really love double wall/separate rain fly because on non rainy days I love looking up into the sky and watching for shooting stars.
We will be posting updates from the trail of our Thru-Hikers on @bigagnes_
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