Q + A with Robyn Petrik aka "Almost Famous"

Big Agnes Ambassador, Robyn "Almost Famous" Petrik set off on the PCT this past spring. Starting in Southern California, heading North to Canada. Canada is also where Almost Famous is from, so in a sense, she was hiking home. Dalton Johnson, a Big Agnes photographer, joined Robyn on trail near Sierra City, California to chat all things PCT. Continue reading or watch the full interview here.

Q: Why are you hiking the PCT?

A: Oh, man. It has been on my radar since probably about 2020, and originally I was going to do it in 2027. But, a whole series of events, starting with getting let go for my job in October and then winning the Big Agnes scholarship, meant that I was going to do it in 2026.

Q: What have been some highlights?

A: Just one?!

The entire thing! I mean, there's so, so, much beautiful scenery along the Pacific Crest Trail. You see something incredible every day. And then there's also so many amazing people. A lot of my favorite memories have to do with the people that have been around camping together at night or going on some random blue blaze.

Mount Whitney. Mount Whitney is definitely a top three moment on the PCT. That's one of the biggest blue blazes, and summiting the highest peak in the lower 48 is just such an incredible feeling and accomplishment. And that was because I had an amazing crew that day. That was such a good day.

Q: Have there been any lows?

A: Oh my gosh. Hiking uphill in the desert heat. Some of those are some of those big hikes. I have a couple afternoons that were just really, really hard.

And I think one of the other big lows is balancing life on trail while also still trying to be present for your friends and family back home as they're going through things.

Some of my lowest lows have coincided with the lows that are back home and just not being able to be there for people as much as you want to be.

Q: Can you explain the PCT sections?

A: The PCT is made up of five different sections:

1. So you've got the first section, which is 700 miles, and that's all the desert section of Southern California.

2. Then the second section is the Sierra Nevada, which is about 300 miles long. 

3. And then you go into NorCal. 

4. And then the fourth section is all of Oregon.

5. And the fifth section is all of Washington.

Q: What have you been feeling on Trail?

A: One of the things that I didn't expect to feel or become so aware of is how proud I am of myself.

Finishing the desert. The 700 miles, which is the longest section of the seat. I was so emotional. I was so emotional for like the 2, 3 days around finishing the desert and reaching Kennedy Meadows, because it just felt like such a big accomplishment. And it also kind of led to a belief that if I could finish the first section, hopefully I can finish the whole thing.

Q: What does feeling proud of yourself look like?

A: Feeling proud of yourself, feeling proud of myself for finishing the desert, I think was made up of a few different things. There definitely is a layer of like, hell yeah, I did that. But, it also goes back a little bit further of being proud of making this adventure happen, of actually carving the time and the space and the ability to get on the PCT and give it a try.

There's a sense of pride in however many millions of footsteps went into those 700 miles, and it is definitely a boost of confidence of, okay, I think now I'm ready to take on the Sierra, and I think now I'm ready to take on the rest of the trail.

So, it definitely gives you a sense of confidence moving into the rest of the trail.

Q: How were you able to hike the PCT?

Getting let go from your job definitely helps create space and time for doing an adventure like this. But, I think there's a lot of a mindset to it too.

Having to be a little bit selfish and putting yourself first for a few months and having the ability to leave everything else in life behind. We're just being able to, like, put life on pause for a little bit.

A lot of people have given up their apartment, put all their stuff in storage, you know, move back in with Mom and Dad for a little bit to make it happen.

So, you just kind of have to find a way to carve that space for yourself.

Q: Did the Big Agnes Scholarship change your plans?

Even though the timing of doing the PCT in 2026 maybe wasn't ideal, or what I had in mind originally, winning the scholarship from Big Agnes was just kind of the final piece of the puzzle. That meant I was going to do the PCT a little bit early, and I was just going to figure it out and see what happens next.

Q: How has the support of Big Agnes been for you?

Having the Big Agnes scholarship and the support from the Big Agnes team has been amazing. I've always loved Big Agnes tents, and being able to try out some of their other gear has been really cool.

I've had so many conversations with people of like, is that a Big Agnes pack? I didn't know Big Agnes did packs, so it's been really interesting to have those conversations about gear and try different things along the way.

Obviously, a huge privilege to have some of that, some of the essential gear provided to me. And it also led to my trail name, Almost Famous, because I was always trying to take pictures to send back to the Big Agnes team. And so it's become a really good, sort of embarrassing, but mostly endearing kind of joke about the trail name.

Q: Favorite Meal so far?

Every single town burger. My favorite meal on trail is I love treating myself to a backpackers lasagna.

Oh, the creme brulée desserts and the dark chocolate cheesecake desserts. Those are always really good.

Basically, any town meal is a good meal.

Q: Has your approach changed since starting?

When I started the PCT, I felt like I knew what I was doing just because I had been backpacking a whole bunch before. Lots of, like, 2-to-10-day long trips. But, thru-hiking just makes you so much more efficient at everything. You kind of get faster at packing up. You learn how to eat meals on the go while you're still walking.

I think efficiency, learning to be lightweight, like all of that just gets more and more dialed in as you thru-hike.

Q: Advice to anyone who wants to hike the PCT?

My biggest advice to anyone that's thinking about doing a longer backpacking trip or a thru-hike is just to do it.

Find a way to carve that space and time in your life and give yourself that experience, because it is always so worth it.

I feel like we meet so many people, so many day hikers on trail, or people in towns that say that they have always thought about doing something like this. They've always wanted to do something like this. My biggest advice is just to prioritize it and find a way to make it happen.

Q: What are some unforeseen challenges?

Being present is a really big part of life, but, also thru-hiking.

There's a lot of emphasis and almost pressure on getting the miles in and moving and getting up the trail. But you really want to stop. And if you see a beautiful ridgeline with a beautiful view, stop for 30s. Stop for 15 minutes. Take it in. Remind yourself how lucky you are to be here. 

Just try. Try not to rush. Try to take the extra time when you can.

Q: What does “not rushing” look like?

So I want to make sure I leave space for the random adventures, the blue blazes, the things that come up in town that you just never would expect.

Stopping in lakes for a swim, still having a good long lunch time while making miles.

Q: What have been some examples of being present?

Some of my favorite moments have come from not rushing and reminding ourselves to take an extra few minutes. As we were heading up Mount Whitney in the dark, we took two minutes and we all turned our headlamps off in the middle of nowhere and just looked up at the stars and saw a couple of meteorites, which was incredible.

At Lake Aloha, we took an hour and a half for lunch, so we were able to eat, but also go for a swim and have a half hour nap and it was so pleasant and relaxing.

Or, just a couple of weeks ago, there was a blue blaze up a random peak right beside the trail, and we managed to convince almost everyone that was hiking around us to go up and do this, and it was only like it was only about 20 minutes. But, we had a group of eight of us up there and we got some great group photos, and there ended up being Jack Daniels up at the top. And it was just so much fun. And it came from reminding ourselves we didn't have to rush. We didn't have to be at camp. The extra 20 minutes wasn't going to change much, but it kind of did change everything because it created so many more memories from the moment.

Q: Any final words of wisdom?

One of my, one of my catch phrases that I've said to a lot of day hikers or weekend backpackers that we've met on trail, trail angels that we've talked to in town, I typically will say, “There are hard moments. There are very, very hard moments. But overall, it's so worth it.”

This is one of the best things I've done without a doubt!

After 2,012 unforgettable miles on the PCT, a chronic knee injury forced Robyn to call it quits. She hasn't fully given up hope of completing the PCT, but it will have to wait for a future thru hiking season. In the meantime, Robyn, is back at home in Canada focusing on mending her knee and integrating back into society after being on trail for 5 months.   

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Photos by Dalton Johnson - Follow Dalton Instagram