Day 28

Start: Stealth Site, mile 443.7

End: Tentsite, mile 470.5

Miles hiked: 21.6 miles, 26.8 trail miles

After our headache of a night last night, Sun and I slept in a bit and didn’t leave camp until around 7:30. The mosquitoes were a bit better this morning; they didn’t attack us with as much fervor as yesterday, even when we stopped for water at a lake.

The lake, Junction Lake, was such a serene place. Little baby ducks swam in groups across the water while the morning sun warmed the air. At one point, the mother duck came squawking in, flying this way and that way across the pond, throwing water in all directions. I’m not quite sure what the drama was about, something to do with the baby ducks, but eventually it was resolved since the squawking stopped.

This morning, Sun and I were moving pretty slowly. We were both tired from the night before. My pack felt unusually heavy and I missed the spring I had in my step on that first day out of town. A couple of miles later we reached Blue Lake, but it was a bit too early, cool, and windy for a swim. It was a beautiful spot though. The NOBOs we passed said it was an excellent swimming spot.

Sun and I climbed slowly up, taking a lot of breaks, almost one every 1.5-2 miles, which wasn’t really our style. I guess we had bitten off more than we could chew yesterday. We topped our climb of the morning and enjoyed the snippets of cell service and the warmth of the sun.

Then it was miles of downhill, passing a few NOBOs on the way. Our progress was further slowed by the huckleberries that lined the trail; I got a bit behind because they were so good!

We finally reached a parking lot with picnic tables and a pit toilet and decided it was the perfect place for lunch. Sun was hoping that we would find trail magic again, but no such luck despite all the cars that passed by on the gravel road. Lunch felt a bit more civilized this time since we had real tables to eat at instead of a bare patch of ground. Out big debate was whether to continue 12 miles on the trail to reach our goal campsite or take the 10.5 Panther Creek road walk alternate. If we walked the trail, we would have to climb with a long water carry and dry camp. But if we took the road, we could save a few miles and camp with water. We couldn’t decide what to do, so we decided to leave it for after our lunchtime rest.

Sun allocated 30 minutes for a nap while I relaxed in the shade. When nap time was up, our answer was clear: the road walk!

As we started down the road, we were immediately sidetracked by all of the big, juicy huckleberries that lined the road. We lost at least 30 minutes because there were so many to pick. We also found blackberries that tasted like candy. Yum!

As we walked, cars passed in either direction, but we still didn’t find the magic we had hoped for.

After a number of miles and a number of breaks, we reached Panther Creek Falls, one of the attractions of this alternate. A quick detour, they were worth the walk. Eventually, we were pooped and more than ready to be done with our long day. As we passed the Panther Creek Campsite, full of casual hikers and campers, the smell of hot hamburgers wafted over to us. If only we could have one!

After a few more minutes, we found our site and squeezed our tents in with a couple who were almost done with their section. After dinner, we had just enough time to get a few camp chores done before the daylight started to fade.

And that’s a day in the life of a PCT SOBO hiker!

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Kyoto may be the historical heart of traditional Japanese culture, but current conditions are making it a less attractive placer for locals to visit.

Aside from maybe Tokyo, there’s no other city with more of a “must-visit” reputation than Kyoto for travelers to Japan, who flock to the country’s former capital to tour its historic temples, beautiful gardens, and otherwise get a glimpse of Japanese traditional culture. For a growing number of Japanese travelers vacationing in their home country, however, Kyoto is becoming a city they feel like they can leave off their itinerary.

Tokyo-based data/research organization Blogwatcher recently released the results of its analysis of travel patterns during Japan’s 2025 Golden Week holiday season, which straddled the end of April and beginning of May. Examining mobile phone location data, Blogwatcher determined that there were significant drop-offs in the number of Japanese visitors to five of Kyoto’s most famous sightseeing spots compared to just two years prior. Japanese visitors to Fushimi Inari Shrine plummeted by 40.4 percent compared to 2023, and both Kiyomizudera Temple and Kinkakuij/the Golden Pavillion’s numbers of Japanese visitors fell by roughly 25 percent. Shimogamo Shrine and Byodoiin Temple both had slight upticks in Japanese visitors in 2024, but reversed course in 2025 and had approximately 10 percent fewer domestic visitors than they’d had at Golden Week in 2023.

▼ Byodoin’s Phoenix Hall is so famous that it’s even depicted on the 10-yen coin.

It’s not hard to imagine what’s discouraging Japanese travelers from visiting Kyoto. The weak yen continues to make Japan more affordable for foreign travelers to visit than it’s been in a generation, and with so many of them including Kyoto in their Japan travel plans, the city’s attractions are crowded and its hotels expensive. The Kyoto Tourism Association’s data shows that through the first five months of this year, the average price per night for a stay in a Kyoto hotel is around 50 percent more than it was just two years ago. Those cost increases are relatively easy for inbound foreign visitors to soak up as they leverage the favorable exchange rate, but for Japanese travelers, who are already getting hit in the wallet by rapidly increasing consumer prices without equivalent wage increases, the idea of paying inflated prices to go someplace clogged with tourists is no doubt feeling like a less enjoyable way to spend their diminished disposable income.

However, as Kyoto is looking like a less attractive destination for Japanese travelers, they’re becoming more drawn to Nara. Blogwatcher tracks domestic visitor numbers for 33 of Kyoto Prefecture’s top temples, shrines, and historical tourism sites, and 37 in Nara Prefecture. During Golden Week in 2023, Japanese travelers showed an overwhelming preference for Kyoto, with its top sights receiving nearly 70 percent more Japanese visitors than Nara’s. In 2025, though, more Japanese travelers visited Nara’s major sights than Kyoto’s.

Japanese visitors to major temples, shrine, and historic sites during Golden Week
● Kyoto 2023: 746,000
● Nara 2023: 446,00

● Kyoto 2025: 559,000
● Nara 2025: 561,00

It could be argued that Japan is still in the middle of the initial wave of its inbound tourism boom. Residual pent-up international travel demand and the weak yen are doing a lot to make the country a trendy and affordable choice for visitors from abroad, but it’s still not entirely clear whether their intense interest is going to be permanent. As a result, it’s likewise too early to say whether huge crowds and high prices have turned Japanese people off to the idea of traveling to Kyoto entirely, or if they’re simply putting their Kyoto plans on the back burner for the time being. After all, if the shrines and temples you’re going to see are already centuries old, holding back for a year or two to see if the tourism congestion has settled down doesn’t seem like all that long of a wait. For the time being, though, it really does look like Japan’s travelers aren’t nearly as excited about the idea of visiting Kyoto as they were just a short while ago.

Source: TBS Cross Dig with Bloomberg via Golden Times
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: Pakutaso
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Snap buttons have been a staple of Western Wear for decades, but the style has finally infiltrated mainstream fashion to the point where some of my favorite lifestyle and adventure brands are incorporating the snap in their kits. Why are pearl snap shirts so popular again right now? Because most of us are doing our best to look like we’re extras on Yellowstone. But also, there’s a lot of functionality to those pretty snap buttons. Cowboys relied on them because they were easy to fasten and unfasten on the fly, and that’s still true today, even if you’re riding a bike instead of a horse. Not only do the best pearl snap shirts add a bit of spice to a vanilla button down, they’re practical too, allowing you to put on the layer quickly, and rip the shirt off like Clark Kent walking into a phone booth.

I’ve spent the last six weeks testing out several pearl snap shirts in a variety of situations, from paddling excursions to camping trips to après surf taco sessions. I’ve worn them in the stifling humidity of the Southern Appalachians and the dry, crisp climate of Southern California. I was on the hunt specifically for button down shirts that look good in social situations but also perform well on outdoor adventures. What I learned is that not all snap button shirts are equal. Some are more pretty than practical, while others simply can’t handle the demands of activity during a hot, summer day. But I found half a dozen pearl snap shirts that I absolutely love, each for different reasons—some are stylish layers meant for running long miles, while others are classic upgrades to your date-night wardrobe. These are my six favorites.

Best Pearl Snap Shirt Overall

Poncho: The 1969

$80 at Poncho

Poncho shirts have become my go-to this year partly because of their fit (Poncho gives you options for regular or slim fit in every size), and partly because they’re loaded with thoughtful design details for outdoor use. The 1969 has a sunglasses loop on the chest, a hidden zipper pocket that’s big enough for your phone or a small case of flies, and a lens cloth on the hem to help you keep glasses and camera lenses clean. The fabric is a light and stretchy mix of nylon and spandex that has UPF 50+ protection, and dries fast and breathes well, even in the humid summers of the Southern Appalachians. But my favorite features of this shirt, are the interior mesh panels on the chest and shoulders, as well as two large vent panels on the back, all of which help circulate air in the spots where you need it most. The result is a super versatile shirt that excels in a variety of situations, from casual to light cardio. I wore the Poncho on long travel days, date nights, pub crawls, and days at the beach.

Best for Summer BBQs

Criquet Performance Seer Sucker

$124 at Criquet

Performance seer sucker? Yeah, it’s a thing. Criquet’s version is a really lightweight, wrinkle-free blend of cotton, nylon, and polyester that’s super stretchy and does a good job wicking moisture. The pearl snaps are a nice touch, and Criquet adds collar stays in the lapels to help keep the look crisp. The shirt is too pretty for hardcore adventures, but it’s proven to be the perfect layer for summer barbecues and afternoon happy hours in the full sun. And the wrinkle-free claim is legit; this shirt looked great after being stuffed in a carry-on for days. Seer sucker isn’t just for the Kentucky Derby anymore.

Best for Date Night

Howler Brothers H Bar Snapshirt

From $63 at Huckberry $85 at Howler Brothers

Maybe the most “Western” snap shirt in this roundup, the H Bar goes a step further than just pearl snaps by adding some traditional Western detailing on the chest. It’s a pretty shirt, and it’s less performance-minded than others I tested, mostly because it’s made from a 50/50 cotton/polyester blend that honestly isn’t built for adventure. It’s not as stretchy and doesn’t wick moisture quite as well, but that’s ok, because I’m not always doing something hardcore. Sometimes, I’m trying to look nice for my lady, and that’s where the H Bar comes in; this is a date night/out on the town/try your luck at line-dancing kind of shirt. And I love the relaxed style.

Best for River Adventures

NRS Drifter

$90 at REI $90 at NRS

If the Howler Bros H Bar was meant for après, the Drifter was built for adventure. This long sleeve snap shirt is made from a light, breezy material that’s designed to get wet and dry fast. A really comfortable mesh lining on the chest adds breathability and next-to-skin softness, while double-zipper front pockets add storage for fly boxes, notebooks, phones, and other small items. I was originally put off by the long sleeve nature of the shirt, but you can roll the sleeves up high on your biceps and lock them down with buttons, giving this layer added versatility. The snaps are the same color as the shirt material, so they’re subtle. I prefer my buttons to make a statement, but I understand not everybody is into that sort of flare. I really like the hidden buttons beneath the collar, which keeps it in place, and the microfiber wipe on the hem is a nice touch on this pearl snap shirt.

Best for Fishing

Kuiu Vented SS Snap Shirt

$99 at Kuiu

Much like the Drifter, Kuiu’s Vented SS is designed for doing cool stuff in the wild, with a stretchy and lightweight material that’s given an extra layer of breathability thanks to added ventilation in key areas. Kuiu doubled down on breathability with a mesh lining that covers the shoulders and a wide strip of larger air holes down the center, all of which are hidden by a large vent on the exterior of the shirt. Perforated fabric beneath the arms also promote airflow where you need it the most. The four-way stretch material has a buttery next to skin feel, and one of the chest pockets has a zipper to keep small items safe when you’re on the move. Kuiu offers a variety of styles in the SS snap shirt, from camouflage to solid prints, but I like the topographic-inspired design, which is borderline floral without screaming “look at me!”

Best for Running

Rabbit High Country SS

$75 at REI $75 at Rabbit

The High Country doesn’t have a lot of frills—there is no microfiber lens wipe or sunglass loop—but it’s the best snap button shirt I tested in terms of performance. Rabbit is a running-specific brand and while the High Country looks like a date night shirt, it’s actually designed for moving fast in hot weather. Made from mostly recycled polyester with a hefty amount of spandex, the High Country is a super stretchy, lightweight layer that breathes well and dries fast. The entire back panel is perforated for extra ventilation, which I appreciated on muggy days in the Southern Appalachians. The metal snaps are minimalist, so they don’t weigh down the front of the shirt or chafe when you’re moving fast. You also get two chest pockets that snap shut, so you can securely carry a gel or card on a run. I wore this shirt on hikes, trail runs, and rounds of golf and was constantly impressed with how it handled moisture in the southern heat.

Graham Averill is a travel and gear columnist for Outside. Read his review of his favorite summer hiking shoes here.