When school starts (soon!), some local students will have amazing stories to tell of what they did over the summer. One big achievement was just completed by 17-year-old Julia Barnett – who hiked the Pacific Crest Trail alone! Her proud parents sent this report and photos:

I thought you would like know about a West Seattle teen who just finished solo hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. The PCT is a 2,650-mile trail from Mexico to Canada, made famous in the 2014 movie Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon.

Julia Barnett, a 17-year-old student who will be starting her senior year in a couple weeks, started hiking on May 25th at the Mexican border in Campo, California and finished at the Canadian border (Tuesday). While she skipped the Sierras and several sections because of wildfires, she averaged 20 miles per day since starting in May.

She experienced severe heat in the desert and freezing cold, rain-soaked nights in Oregon and Washington, and even had a mountain lion encounter while alone on the trail one night. But she’s healthy and injury-free. Tired, bruised, scarred, tanned, and happy.

Proud Mom and Dad,
Donna and Anthony Barnett