You will meet other thru-hikers on the trail, and the struggles and exertion will often be shared. Before you go, learn some simple map-reading skills and basic first aid. And take the time to balance your pack with weight distribution to make the hike as comfortable as possible.
The greatest skill you can carry is the knowledge of what your body is capable of doing. Knowing your limits — both physical and mental — will help your "cruise control" stay set. Gear: Along with your physical preparation and time management, the tools you use are equally essential and can make or break the trip.
A several-liter backpack, warm but lightweight sleeping bag, and sleeping pad are a must. Rain gear, a down jacket, extra socks, trekking poles, a hat, sunglasses, trail shoes, a backpacking stove, a water filter, a headlamp, and base layer clothing are all necessities. You can mail boxes to yourself before you leave, for pickup at various post offices, or plan to get food from grocery stores.
If you do choose to hitchhike, know that people who live near the trail understand the need for hikers to get to town and many are thrilled to see you. The Pacific Crest Trail Association has an online application, and you should apply early in the year to secure an available start date.
Many dates are limited to a certain number of hikers and those who apply late must start on dates available. Many major airports are within a reasonable drive from the trail. San Diego is nearest to the Mexico border for the northbound hiker, while Seattle is the nearest to Canada for the southbound start. Portland , San Francisco , and Los Angeles are close enough to the trail to be accessible.
Get more travel inspiration, tips and exclusive offers sent straight to your inbox with our weekly newsletter. How to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. BMC hill walking ambassador Chris Townsend enjoyed a rather less tempestuous hike back in , when the trail was still being established.
Though its popularity has grown since, the whole length of the route, taking six months to complete on average, has still been completed by less people than have climbed Everest. His book about the experience, Rattlesnakes and Bald Eagles, was published last year — any Hollywood producers out there?
I was excited. I had no idea if I could do it or not but I relished the challenge. In those pre-internet days getting information was very difficult. Warren Rogers of the Pacific Crest Club later merged with another body to become the Pacific Crest Trail Association was a great help with the organisation.
Without him it would have been really difficult as opposed to just difficult. Desert flowers beside the trail in Southern California. Photo: Chris Townsend. I thought I was well-prepared. I started at the Mexican border in the desert. I had no idea how hot it could be there in early April or how dry it would be. There were a few short sections I wanted to get through as fast as possible because I hated them — the clear-cut logging area south of Snoqualmie Pass, for example.
The biggest challenge on the walk was the deep snow in the High Sierra. This varies from year to year. Many hikers skipped this section or walked up the roads below the mountains. I was determined to stick to the trail and joined up with three American hikers who were planning on going through the snow. I already had an ice axe but due to my experience in the snow in the smaller mountain ranges in Southern California I bought crampons and snowshoes as well.
I needed both. The longest section took 23 days so I set off with a ridiculously heavy pack that I could barely lift. Once I reached Yosemite National Park the nature of the challenge changed as the snow began to melt, making river crossings very difficult and hazardous. Larry Lake crossing a swollen river in the Yosemite Wilderness. If so, I will then return to the exact same spot I left the trail and continue on. I This method is used and accepted durning most ultra-marathons in which there is a high level of risk i.
Badwater In the event of a fire closure where no walkable alternative is available i. Eagle Creek Fire Closure I may need to take a vehicle then. No vehicle will be pre-arranged as I would consider that to be supported. Currious- what are the restrictions on using a food resupply service, such as the Sonora Pass Resupply paid service that delivers a box to you on the trail at Sonora Pass, where resupply options are otherwise poor? Would using such a service make your hike no longer "self supported"?
The guiding principle of self supported is that you can use whatever is available to everyone, and that is commonly used. A paid resupply service that is available to anyone would be fine. Paying your friend to bring food for you would not. I think you could get into a gray area if you use some kind of service that isn't commonly used. I could imagine a person getting a food drop by helicopter and claiming that's available to anyone, but to me that's obviously supported.
I guess when in doubt find out what Williamson did! Unfortunately, I most likely won't be attempting the FKT this year. On my way out to the trail I got an appendicitis and needed immediate surgery.
It may be too late to start by the time I heal up and get my fitness back. If you are interested in the PCT, you really need to apply for this on January 19 and only January 19! It is possible to do the PCT with permits for each jurisdiction, but that would total a mind-fuddling 20 permits. Clay Evan wrote this outstanding article on permitting the 3 US long trails - a must-read for anyone considering the big 3.
I have long admired the athletes and thru-hikers of this fabled trail and have considered this the challenge of a lifetime and boy has that lived up to the billing thus far! Although I have been a long time trail and ultrarunner, I consider myself a novice in the thru-hiking world.
It is important to me that I maintain the ethics and culture of the hikers before me as I consider myself an honored guest in their world. With that as a backdrop, I want to be transparent about the fire reroutes that I have encountered and what myself and my team have done about the fire reroutes to maintain the integrity of the FKT attempt.
As I move towards the Lionshead Fire Closure, one of the major current fire closures on the PCT, I thought it would be important to give the community an update on how I have managed getting around the closures and how my chosen reroutes relate to the PCT route. All of these tracks will be made public when I ultimately complete the journey to Canada.
Reroute 1. June 8, Bobcat Fire: mile marker MM to For this closure I was able to approximately parallel the PCT along Highway 2 with the reroute distance being 17 miles. Reroute 2. July 10 and 11, Lionhead Fire: MM This is the most complicated reroute with many nearby roads and trails closed due to the fire damage. First, at MM
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