Erin Miller > Quotes

“We have doomed the wolf not for what it is, but for what we deliberately and mistakenly perceive it to be: the mythologized epitome of a savage, ruthless killer - which is, in reality, not more than the reflected image of ourselves. We have made it the scapewolf for our own sins."  - Farley Mowat (Never Cry Wolf)”
― Erin Miller

“I once met an old hippie backpacker who told me spending long periods of time hiking in nature was the equivalent of “tripping on acid, every single day" because you see things so clearly, so differently.”
― Erin Miller, Hikertrash: Life on the Pacific Crest Trail

“Modern society has never been about finding contentment in the basics; modern society is founded on the principle that happiness lies in having more. We are bred to keep up with the Jones’ because he who dies with the most toys wins. If I only work a little bit harder, a little bit longer, I’ll be able to afford that boat and then I’ll finally be happy. The illusive concept of finding happiness in things is the gerbil wheel that perpetually powers capitalism. I had hiked 2,283 miles and now my eyes were too wide opened to want to get on the wheel. But what was the alternative? Being homeless?”
― Erin Miller

“People need to get outside more. I’m already in paradise. I wake up in heaven every single day. Our planet is perfect: a sapphire and emerald gem brimming with everything we could ever want or need, powered by a sun that is neither too hot nor cold, hurtling through an equally amazing universe filled with an infinite number of solar systems and planets that put on a spectacular light show, every single night, just for us.”
― Erin Miller, Hikertrash: Life on the Pacific Crest Trail

“As an adult, I love the forest. To be deeply enveloped in the woods, everything around you living, breathing, moving - is pure magic. On any given street, in any town, on any day, you could be mugged, shot, murdered, hit by a car, abducted, raped, or beaten to death by some psychopath that happened to snap at that particular moment. Statistically, the scariest, most dangerous places in the world are cities. Every time you leave your house you are, quite literally, gambling with your life.”
― Erin Miller

“Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail may be one of the greatest metaphors for life. No matter what obstacle is put in your path, if you simply keep putting one foot in front of the other, eventually you will rise above it. One day, you’ll look back at the mountains you’ve climbed and the trials you’ve endured and you’ll realize you are where you are at today, not despite those obstacles, but because of them. Life itself is a grand adventure.”
― Erin Miller, Hikertrash: Life on the Pacific Crest Trail

“There are limits to every domain, and laws to govern every organized power. But the vagrant owns the whole vast earth that ends only at the non-existent horizon, and his empire is an intangible one, for his domination and enjoyment of it are things of the spirit.” - Isabelle Eberhardt (The Oblivion Seekers)”
― Erin Miller, Hikertrash: Life on the Pacific Crest Trail

“Why are people so afraid of the forest? Is it the books we’re read as children? The overly dramatized bullshit we watch on television? Or is it simply because we’ve removed ourselves so far from nature we’ve forgotten we’re a part of it?”
― Erin Miller, Hikertrash: Life on the Pacific Crest Trail

“Life rule number one, never, ever, turn down an adventure.”
― Erin Miller

“PCT THRU-HIKER ADVICE:  “Start the trail with lower mileage and work your way up, week by week, to avoid starting too strong and getting injured. Find time to hike alone for uncomfortable”
― Erin Miller, Hikertrash: Life on the Pacific Crest Trail

“The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.” -Thích Nhất Hạnh Hummingbird August 9, 2013”
― Erin Miller, Hikertrash: Life on the Pacific Crest Trail

“Somewhere on the trail was supposedly a cluster of thru-hikers who’d formed a group called The Vortex. As in, once you got sucked in, all hopes you ever had of completing the PCT this year were pretty much gone.  All I knew about them was that they prided themselves on the fact they’d taken forty zeroes thus far, hadn’t missed a bar between here and Campo, and never hiked more than fifteen miles a day.”
― Erin Miller, Hikertrash: Life on the Pacific Crest Trail

“I flopped down on my air mattress, and here I lie. I can actually feel my heartbeat throb in my aching, swollen feet. I’m cross-eyed and drooling on my pillow. I try to write, but coherent sentences do not come easily. I can barely think, yet I find I cannot stop smiling. I can already tell I’m going to like this PCT thing.”
― Erin Miller, Hikertrash: Life on the Pacific Crest Trail

“PCT THRU-HIKER ADVICE: “Pack light, don't take extra #$!@ you don't need, and don't wear hiking boots for the love of God! Oh, and remember to bring Choffee.” KRAV”
― Erin Miller, Hikertrash: Life on the Pacific Crest Trail

“Never pack more than ten of the same meal, or you’ll be so sick of it you won’t even want to eat it. - Powdered peanut butter and powdered eggs are not as gross as they sound. - Buy bulk dehydrated foods and make your own freeze-dried dinners. - Pack 2,500 calories or more, per person, per day.”
― Erin Miller, Hikertrash: Life on the Pacific Crest Trail