An update: 8 years later - lessons learned from the PCT

8 years is a decent chunk of time. It’s 2 college careers. 8 years is third grade. 8 years is long enough for people to question why you’re still talking about something that was 8 years ago. In some ways, it can feel like a pinnacle. Was it downhill from there? I’m glad to say it wasn’t.

My journey on the Pacific Crest Trail, completely reshaped who I am and altered my path. Internally, I learned to listen to my thoughts, to truly be in harmony with myself and my environment. My views on society, religion, and spirituality were completely redefined. When you strip those away, you start to realize that we kind of made most of it up. Not to discount discovery and uncovering of the world we cannot see with our eyes — but getting to discover and uncover first hand — that’s the magic that will change your life. Externally, I set out to change the way I exist and operate in the world — I created my own terms, and decided to live by them.

Mind: I’d wake up around 7 or 8 am, maybe earlier, eat my oatmeal+almond butter+poptart combo with an instant coffee and hit my first miles. I committed to keeping the first 3-5 miles (1-2 hours) in complete silence. I quickly realized that I had about 12 hours with my thoughts that day. The swirls of drama, past relationships, culture were taking up way too much space. First things first, I cleared them out. You can’t ignore/suppress these thoughts for 12 hours a day for 143 days - you have to untangle them like knots and release them to the wind. It took about a month or so to finally get clear. In return, I was granted more hours of the day with peace, beautiful reflections, and the simple joy of being a healthy man among plants. Living in the present moment for hours at a time - wow, GLORIOUS. Instant note-to-self: don’t let this lesson go - do whatever you can to create this in your life off-trail.

Body: At an average of 30 miles per day, with 5k+ elevation gain, you’re burning an additional 5,000 calories a day. Your endorphins are pretty much at marathoner level on a daily basis - it’s fucking awesome. There’s not much else to say other than, you’re probably the thinnest and most fit you’ll ever be, pure elation. Lesson learned: move your body, be in your body, it has the power to heal itself and heal your mind.

Career : I had recently quit my job as a head of growth for a creative startup called Snapwire - fortunately I had an wonderful boss + mentor named Chad, who supported my choice. He remains dear to me to this day. I felt pretty unclear what step to take after the trail. Of course I wanted to continue spending my days outside, chasing that state of being. Afterward, I tried the path of photography, applied to outdoor startups, and wasn’t quite able to break through. And while I was completely unsure what to do - I came up with a framework (with some help from Naval) to try and live in. My 4 pillar strategy! lol

Pillar 1: Find leverage + control over your time.
Pillar 2: Find leverage + control over assets.
Pillar 3: Combine leverage + control over assets and time in a combined way and work with people that you love (happiness is only real when shared).
Pillar 4: Combine all of the above and solve a problem you are passionate about solving.

I started with Pillar 1. I knew I couldn’t return to a 40 hour work week immediately. Post-trail depression is very real - your endorphin levels essentially crash, so it’s best to ease in. After some encouragement from Chad, I decided to try marketing as a consultant. I could set my hours, take on as many or as little projects as I wanted and I could set my own rate. Boom, Control + leverage over my time. It can be argued that there’s a cap and it’s not full leverage - but hey! I’m figuring it out, I took the step.

After a couple years of that - I found myself in Pillar 2. I joined a mattress startup and immediately saw the leverage of assets — you could sell $1M worth of mattresses in a few days — it took a team, and it took time — but the leverage was huge. This experience was a masterclass in Pillar 2 and taught me that bringing products to life and into the hands of people is fulfilling and exciting.

A few years later, I moved to New York - still consulting but mostly focused on physical products. I knew New York would have the people doing what I’m trying to do. I was right. This is where I met Jason, we hit it off immediately, and he told me he needed help getting his shampoo brand off the ground. We teamed up and launched Flakes - an anti-dandruff shampoo, with clean ingredients, a modern scent, and overall more effectiveness. We rented a studio space at the beginning of 2024, where a couple of our friends work/hangout of. Holy shit - I’m in pillar 3 - I’m leveraging a product, setting my own hours, and doing it with my friends!

Pillar 4: while solving dandruff isn’t necessarily the thing I’m most passionate about — it’s a worthy cause, and I’ve found a lot of joy and fulfillment in helping men gain their confidence back - we’ve sold over 100,000 bottles now. We have a great group of people to work with, and there will be many more ideas to come - we’ll get there, I trust the process.

8 years later, I finally have started to fully realize those goals I set on the trail — to completely change my lifestyle, to go after what I wanted, to hold space for my emotions, and to create the life I’ve dreamed of.

As for my mind, I’ve actively been involved with a coach named Sean for the past 4 years? He serves as a combination of a coach/therapist/mentor and just a full support (wouldn’t be here without you!) - currently focused on our men’s group which meets weekly to dive into those swirling thoughts that we as men don’t normally talk about.

Focus on the body has been a bit slower to realize, in SF before I moved to NYC - I was surfing and camping and skating almost every weekend. Since living in NYC I rarely get to do those things. I do find myself in the gym 3-4 times a week, and recently started working w/ a trainer online to help me get in the best shape of my life, 3 weeks in and it’s going well.

Over the years I’ve been able to build strong communities + show up for the people in my life with intention, grace, and support. I’ve found a loving partner who also enjoys and realizes the beauty of the present moment. All of which would not be possible had I not experienced this transformation.

While I had hoped that I might be living a full-time adventurous life in the wilderness by now, the universe had different plans, and I’m happy that I’ve continued walking the path. With all honor to the trail, you’ve given me so much life, and this is why I still talk about you 8 years later.

#hikeyourownhike

sterling montes2 Comments