Like any journey, Mica Marquez's incredible 2,659-mile hike begins with the first step.

And, of course, before that, people dreamed of hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail that stretched from Mexico to Canada. This dream, the initial seed of inspiration, was planted when she was in school at Reed College in Portland.

"A friend said,'Does that hike sound cool?'" Mica said. "I think that sounds really cool."

Nearly 15 years later, Mica embarked on her incredible journey-alone. And, although no adjustments were made before her long journey—"My adjustment was hiking," she said—Mica flew to San Diego in mid-May 2016. After about five months (155 days to be precise), Mica was done.

Despite falling and breaking his nose during the hike, despite losing his way (for a while) and facing a huge tri-state challenge, the 36-year-old Mica finished the game. This is something she hadn't done two years ago. When she was diagnosed with Lyme disease by a doctor, her first attempt to hike the Pacific Ridge Trail unexpectedly stopped in northern California.

"I'm very sick," said Mica, who graduated from Olympia High School in 1999.

Mica didn't start from where she left for the second time, but from the beginning, right at the US-Mexico border.

"I want to complete the whole thing in one trip," Mica said.

Mica is carrying a 17-pound backpack with dehydrated food, water and tent. The longest day is 35 ½ miles. This is a long and short trip in northern California. Her shortest day is zero mile, she just stayed in her camp, resting and enjoying the view.

"I did a lot of what you call zero-days," said Mika, who works for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. "That's when you only stay in one place. You don't go anywhere."

The shortest time for her to actually get up and hike is 9 miles. This is a progressive recovery day. There was a one-week "vacation" because she took time off to attend her cousin's wedding and family reunion. But as the greetings and congratulations ended, she went straight back to the trail, starting from where she left.

Usually, mica heats her meals on her single stove. She ate a lot of pastrami, rice, macaroni and cheese, not to mention Snickers. Surprisingly, she said it’s not that difficult to store more food along the way. Small shops have never been so far away.

"You will never be far away from civilization," Mica said. "There is actually a place where you can get a cell phone receiver and order pizza and deliver it to the starting point of the trail."

Mika didn't do that. But Snickers is always a good substitute.

Water has never been a real challenge, because Mica is not so particular about her water source. In most cases, she will fetch water from lakes and rivers and carry as much water as possible with her. Sometimes she drinks melted snow or water from a cow trough. When there is a shortage of water, she digs holes in the soil.

"And you want to fill it with enough water so you can scoop out the water," Mica said.

However, in Southern California, water is definitely an issue.

"Some people will leave water catches," Mica said. "So they will leave a pot of water, and you can fill it up. Some people think this is cheating."

Although Mica did not do a lot of preparation for the long hike, she is not a novice hiker. She has completed the Wonderland Trail many times, a 92-mile hike on Mount Rainier. Moreover, she participated in trekking courses through the National Outdoor Leadership School and learned outdoor skills for camping and trekking. During the one-month course, Mica estimated that she hiked several hundred miles.

"I didn't even get any blisters," she said.

But some accidents happened. She broke her nose when she fell down on the road. "That hurts," Mika said. Then it was the time when her leg got stuck in the buttocks in the snow. After struggling for about 10 minutes, she finally stretched her leg out. But not her boots, nor her socks.

"So I stand barefoot in the snow," Mica said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I just broke down at that time. I sat down and cried. It was a terrible pass. The uphill and downhill were really steep."

Eventually, Mica dug out her boots and socks and walked through the steep snow.

Throughout the adventure, Mica met other hikers and would travel long distances with them. "It can be very social or very lonely," she explained. "It depends on your trip or your day. If you want, there are enough people out there and you will meet someone."

Sometimes mica can't be seen by one person. Otherwise, she will join the group all the way. She would hike hundreds of miles or a day with another person or group of people. Or, she might see hikers everywhere along the trail at different times.

"Then someone decides to stay in the town, or they want to increase or decrease the mileage that day," Mica said. "You will be separated without any uncomfortable feelings. You will not feel abandoned. That's how things are."

Every once in a while, when Mica stares at the picturesque scenery along the way and the towering cliffs are overgrown with trees, she will be overwhelmed by the magnificent scenery and the miracles of the earth. "Every once in a while, you stop and look around and realize that this earth is an amazing place," she reflected.

During her hike, Mica wrote a blog post, documenting her feelings and the beauty of the moment. She has many "wow" moments.

"Look at these granite walls that have been around for a long time, I can't even understand," Mica said. "And the waterfall that falls from here has existed for a ridiculous amount of time. They will stay here for a long time after I leave. It is very humble. It makes you feel small, but it's not bad."

Her sense of accomplishment is part of the reward. "It's a feeling of'I'm worse than you'," Mica said with a smile. "I'm not more than that. This is something I'm really proud of."

That sense of accomplishment is like getting a college degree. This is earned, not for you. "Yes, you have to earn it," Mica said. "Every point. You have to win every point of view you get. This makes it even more special because you have to hike 1,600 miles to see that view."

The memory of these views is a reward. And the ability to say "I did it." Moreover, she might do it again. "Absolutely," Mica said when asked if he could do it again. "it's beautiful."