Happy Trails

2011 Father Ryan graduate Ryan Dahlhauser wasn’t always a fan of the great outdoors when he was little, but it grew on him as he got older. His parents sent him and his brothers to Camp Marymount over the summers, and he didn’t take well to that for a while. But eventually he fell in love with it while attending Senior Camp at Marymount, which allows campers more freedom to choose their own activities and the opportunity to form close friendships with the counselors. Since then, Dahlhauser’s outdoor adventures have taken him around the country on many extended hiking and backpacking trips; including a 2,600 mile hike up the Pacific Coast Trail that he completed this in September 2018; his longest and most ambitious to date.

            After making a 110-mile hiking trip up the Appalachian Trail in summer 2015 with two of his friends, and several shorter excursions up the Trail over the next few years, Daulhauser became a seasoned veteran hiker, completing over 400 miles through Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. In summer 2016, his roommate was taking his own trip up the Appalachian Trail and called him to tell him how much he was enjoying it. During their conversation, he tried to convince Daulhauser to consider hiking the Pacific Coast Trail in its entirety in 2018. The trail, which begins at the Mexican border and runs all the way to the Canadian border, was unlike anything he’d ever done before.

He said no at first, but, as with many of his previous outdoor experiences, the idea grew on him. “I googled it and started watching videos, looking at pictures, reading books and listening to podcasts and eventually I fell in love with this idea of doing the trail,” Daulhauser explained. “I knew this would be one of the greatest accomplishments of my life, provide a great way to see our natural world and make memories and friends of a lifetime. I wanted to really test myself mentally and physically. As I went on more Appalachian hikes, it became clear to me that I could make it. Over time I did my research and gathered all my gear, dialed in my base weight (all gear minus food and water) to a lightweight level and decided that April 2018 I would begin. I researched countless vlogs, articles, talked to past hikers, read gear reviews, went on multi-day hikes to test gear out, and much more. It took about two years of planning, but I enjoyed every second of it.”

            Sharing his plans with his family and friends elicited mixed reactions at first, but his experienced hiking background helped soothe their fears. “Most of my friends were prepared for this,” Daulhauser said. “My friends I mentioned before had hiked the Appalachian Trail, so they knew what to expect. I slowly hinted at it starting in 2016 so everyone had time to know I was leaving. All in all, my friends and family were very supportive. I believe all my hikes on the Appalachian Trail and knowing that I had a friend who accomplished a big hike as well helped everyone know that I could do this. I’d say my parents were the most nervous and hesitant at first out of anyone, but over time they came around and truly were my biggest fans and support system. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

            Daulhauser’s family and friends, along with the many new friends he made along the way, were a huge source of support to him during his trip as he was struck by illnesses and injuries. Around mile 1200, as he reached Oregon, he had severe swelling in his left foot after wearing the same pair of shoes for several hundred miles and failing to replace the inserts in them. His parents and brothers came to his rescue, sending him a new pair of shoes to the nearest town, and visiting him as he recovered at an Air BNB. Over the following weeks, he also came down with the stomach flu and a fungal infection in his injured foot. He fell behind as he took more unplanned time off to recover, and an old college friend drove him 100 miles to reunite him with his trail buddies. But through it all, Daulhauser endured and never lost sight of his goal to finish the trail. “I never wanted to get off the trail early and regret it. I started this, and I wanted to finish it,” he said.

            Highlights of his trip include climbing Mt. Whitney in California and experiencing snow in Washington. He scaled Mt. Whitney’s 14,500 feet in near freezing weather wearing shorts with some of his trail friends and “got high fives the whole way up,” he said. “At the top you got a wonderful 360-degree view and could see towns and mountains we had passed already in the distance.” Towards the end of his trip, just 50 miles away from Canada, he and a trail friend got caught in freezing rain that turned into snow. Daulhauser had to keep moving to keep his blood flowing, and at one point was doing jumping jacks and running in place while his friend was hurrying to catch up to him.

            He’s already considering future trips; and to take any family and friends who want to go. “I hope to continue hiking sections of the AT over the course of my life. Only 1600 miles to go!” he said. “I’d also like to hike the entire Continental Divide Trail one day, 3100 miles, maybe when I retire. I’d like to do some smaller hikes, like the Arizona Trail (700 miles) or the Colorado Trail (500 miles). I’d also really like to revisit the John Muir Trail (200+ miles in the Sierras), one of the most beautiful stretches in the world, and re-hike the Washington section when it isn’t so cold and foggy. I’d love to bring and friends and family who wanted to come along for the ride.”