Yvette Ebertsohn hiked through the wild for six months, and wants more

She completed her first multi-day hike at the tender age of eight: the Tsitsikamma Trail, a six-day hike in the Garden Route.

Cape Point Nature Reserve

At the age of 35, she has walked barefoot through a desert with an infected blister on her foot and chased off a cougar in the wild, earning her the apt nickname ‘Next Level’ on the Pacific Crest Trail in the United States. Capetonian Yvette Ebertsohn is a passionate hiking guide, divemaster, abseil instructor, photographer, qualified wilderness first responder and all-around delightful human being.

She completed the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in 2019. A six-month journey over 4 380km, the trail starts at the border of Mexico and finishes at the border of Canada, running through California, Oregon and Washington. The trail forms part of the renowned Triple Crown of hiking in the US, the other two trails being the Appalachian Trail and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT).

The Pacific Crest starts in Campo on the border of Mexico, from which hikers traverse the harsh southern California desert where shade and water are hard to come by.

Hikers en route to Interstate 10 after descending the San Jacinto mountain range

Once you arrive in the Sierra Nevada, snowy landscapes and majestic peaks greet you as you hike from one pass to another. ‘In 2019 we experienced 200% snowpack, so I very quickly had to learn to use an ice axe and crampons, and become accustomed to storing my supplies in a bear canister,’ Yvette said.

An Alpine lake in the Sierra Nevada

‘Summiting Mount Whitney was definitely a highlight for me. We started hiking at midnight and got to the summit at 6am for sunrise. It’s a scary experience. Along the way, there are some places with sheer drop-offs where you see nothing but ice below. Then, on the way back down, it’s a race against time because the warmer it gets, the more snow melts and you start sinking into it and can’t move.’

At the top of Forrester Pass, the highest point on the PCT at 4009m

After the Sierras, you enter northern California with its magical forests. Then, after three months of walking through this state, Oregon brings some relief with regards to elevation but has its own challenges.

Morning mist in the green forests of Nothern California

‘Some call it “the green tunnel” as it is shy with views but abounds in forest and volcanic rock,’ Yvette added. ‘By the time I got to Washington, I was ready to reach the border but was met with unrelenting snow and harsh conditions.’ Determined, she finished the arduous trail just in time before her six-month tourist visa expired.

Sunrise over Crater Lake, Oregon

‘The freedom you experience when hiking for months on end is just something else. For those six months, I didn’t have to do anything on earth except focus on completing my day’s hike. All you need to do is get up, eat, hike and sleep. You’re surrounded by nature. It simplified life a lot for me. Every night, you get to decide where you want to sleep and every night is completely different.

‘The people you meet along the way are incredible too. I feel like some of them know me better than my family. On the trail, it’s not about anyone’s fancy cars or fancy jobs. None of that matters, and you get to the core of a person.

Approaching Forrester Pass at sunrise

‘Some of it was excruciating. Some days you wake up and you don’t want to walk 50km through the mountains. Your whole body aches and you’re homesick. But that was the happiest I’ve ever been. For me, a hard day on the trails is still better than an easy day at the office.’

View from Yvette’s tent somewhere in the Sierras

Now, Yvette has set her sights on the even tougher Continental Divide Trail. It also stretches from Mexico to Canada but spans the US’ Great Divide (the Rocky Mountains) instead of the West Coast.

Burney Falls, Shasta county, California

As far as Yvette knows, there are no other South Africans who have completed this trail to date. She is currently in the process of applying for sponsorships to take it on.

To get in touch with Yvette about potential sponsorships or for more information, email yvette[email protected]. 

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