“Today I start my thru-hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. A journey that will take me 2,663 miles, through 14,000 feet of elevation, 25 national forests, and 7 national parks. It will take me around 6 months to complete as I walk from the U.S. / Mexico border to Manning, B.C., Canada and will be the biggest challenge of my life to this point."

-Brandon Sharpe via his Instagram feed on April 11, 2014

Brandon Explores - Photography by Lexington SC native Brandon SharpeBrandon Explores - Photography by South Carolina native Brandon Sharpe

A Lexington, SC native - Sharpe has been exploring and photographing the Pacific Crest Trail for the last 10 weeks. With 1,600 miles still remaining in his journey on the West Coast, he estimates there's still two more months of hiking. I caught up with Brandon over the weekend on the internet to see how his journey has progressed so far.

Name three things you miss right now.

Beer. Coffee. Sex.

Name three things you are gonna miss when you finish your trip.

I will miss the wilderness the most, coupled with the solitude of a early morning hike. Being alone and left with just you and your thoughts can be one of the most powerful experiences to have. I will miss the constant movement and changing environments as well as the people you meet along the way.

Have you been attacked by any cougars or bears yet?

I haven't really been attacked by anything yet.... But I have had some very close encounters with some angry rattlesnakes while walking through the desert.

How long did you prepare/plan for this endeavor?

I made a trip to Washington last September and ran around in the Cascade Mountains and fell in love with the feeling of being alone in the wilderness. That's when I decided I was going to hike a thru-hike of some sort. So I had about 6 months to plan and prepare for my hike.

You've got a background in art and design, describe the path that led you towards the still image and the camera.

I have been a designer for around 11+ years and have always loved color and composition in my work. I tend to focus on those two elements the most when I design, and I also loved to tell stories through my work with a more conceptional approach when I could. So, I felt when it came time to get involved in photography I would just focus on those same elements and tell those stories through my images. There is something about freezing a moment in time that really infatuates me. I have always been curious about each area of the design world and kinda worked my way around every approach to expressing my self creatively that I could. I have gone from print design, to video animation work, to digital design, website design, and then finally started to try out the photo world and fell in love with it and haven't turned back. What I find I like about taking photos the most is that, I was already out there creating new adventures, and the camera just allowed me to capture it in a creative way.

Brandon Explores - Photography by Lexington SC native Brandon SharpeBrandon Explores - Photography by South Carolina native Brandon Sharpe

Talk about some of the challenges that you've experienced so far.

I think the biggest hurdles out here are the day to day struggles and mental battles you go through as a thru-hiker. Things like where do I go and dig a hole to use the bathroom, or how many miles do I have to do today to make sure I get to town in a certain time to pick up a package, because I am about to run out of food and the post office isn't open on Sundays. Timing is a huge challenge out here, as well as the weather challenges you face day to day as you go up and down over mountain passes at 13,000 feet. Keeping your health and attitude in check are some the most important things and hardest things to keep regulated out here but you do what you can with what you have.

Where and when will people have a chance to see the photos you've shot with the DSLR – as opposed the camera phone and Instagram feed we see here?

I will be posting all of my full frame shots from my DSLR up on both my website (www.brandonexplores.com) as well as my 500px site. (500px.com/brandonexplores) I will have most of these shots going up sometime around October as I sit and go through the thousands of shots I have taken while on this journey.

How much total gear (weight) and what camera gear are you carrying?

When I started this hike I had a tremendous amount of extra gear that I didn't need, but figuring all that out is all part of the journey. I now after around 1,050 miles have managed to get my base weight of my pack down to around 25lbs. As for my camera gear I carry a Cannon EOS M (small processor) with a nice 10-20mm lens and one gorilla pod to stabilize when I need it for those low light shots. It's total weight is around 5lbs I would say, but worth every ounce in my opinion.

What's it like traveling by foot through such radically changing environments? It snowed in the desert right?

Traveling by foot has been awesome. Being able to move across the country at a slow 3mph has been really great, as it gives you a lot of opportunity to take it all in as you pass by. It has really allowed me to take in all the different ecosystems and environments as I move through each section of the trail. While in the desert I got snowed on twice actually. This was all a result of a late season snow system that came through and made the upcoming high Sierra passes quite the challenge as well.

Brandon Explores - Photography by Lexington SC native Brandon SharpeBrandon Explores - Photography by South Carolina native Brandon Sharpe

If you could bring one extra item on this trip what would it be?

Hmmm, I really wish I could have a computer with some editing software on it with me. One of my favorite things to do in my photography is the post editing process. This is prob because of my background in design. Where I typically try and keep all my work completely natural and true to the scene, I have always found peace in color correcting and fixing any of the small impurities I see in a shot.

How has your body adapted to the physical demands of the trail?

When I started this journey 1,050 miles ago I was in the worst shape I have probably been in. I wasn't exercising or doing anything nearly as close to hiking a thru-hike so naturally it started out kind of rough. In fact at the end of the very first day of hiking I got really sick and threw up like 5 times from dehydration and exhaustion. This was definitely a scary and defeating moment for me, but over time my body as changed and began to repair and recover it's self after each day of hiking 25+ miles. Over some time my body has adapted for the conditions I am facing day to day, and now I am happy to report I am in the best shape of my life.

What about mentally?

Mentally out here is a strange thing to deal with. It really seems it's all about how you approach each challenge and situation and what you want to try and get from the experience. Some days are harder than others, but as a thru-hiker it's your job to keep your mentality in check and try to stay positive. It's the only way you will get through it, because once you start to let it decline it's much harder to come back to a good place than it is to stay in the bad. Also there is always most likely a good view to distract you from your worries.

What is cellular coverage like out there?

Cellular coverage is kinda random out here. I find that when we were in the desert of Southern California I had service pretty frequently due to the surrounding towns in the areas. As we got to the high sierras and the wilderness sections service became non existence, but in all honesty I wouldn't of had it any other way.

Who is the most interesting person that you've met on the journey so far?

This is a hard question to answer, as almost everyone you meet out here has a pretty amazing story to share. I think if I had to answer I would say that a man by the name of "TED" picked me and a couple of other hikers up and let us squeeze into his little Toyota truck, while we were hitch hiking one evening to town. He had some many amazing stories to tell from his time of hitch hiking across the US as well as across the world really. Not only that but he was one of the most down to earth and humble human-beings I have ever met. I honestly will never forget him.

What's next?

That's a good question. I have a lot of ideas in the works currently and trying to narrow it down a bit, but I am thinking that there is a whole world out there, and I would love nothing more than to go explore and see it all, while sharing my stories through the art of photography.

Check out the latest from Brandon Sharpe on Instagram: Brandon Explores