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In late 2010 I decided to try to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. After many months of preparation, I began on April 29, 2011, at the southern end of the trail, on the border between California and Mexico. After many months of walking, including several major delays (one lasting over a year!), I reached the northern terminus at the Washington - Canadian border on October 10, 2014. I had done it - but not exactly in record-breaking time.
I had heard of the PCT some years ago; I had even hiked a section of it: the 211 mile John Muir Trail, which coincides with it from Mt. Whitney to Yosemite Valley. But the rest of its 2,650 miles I hadn't touched. I figured I had better tackle it before I got much older.
Here's a map of the trail: it's the red line starting on the U.S. - Mexican border, through California, Oregon, and Washington, and ending at the U.S. - Canadian border.
As I began my research, I had a lot of questions that needed answering. How long does it take? How easy or hard is it? Am I too old to attempt it? Should I go north to south, or south to north? What about finding food and water? When should I begin? What should I bring with me? Is it safe to hike alone? What about bears? Snakes? Bad weather? Wildfires? Other hikers?
One question I answered right away: When should I begin? I decided to start as soon as possible, at the beginning of the next hiking "season": April / May 2011.
So I had a lot of questions. Fortunately, there were plenty of answers; I just had to do the research. Which I loved. I kept a record of my preparations, which you can see here.
As I learned about what I should carry with me (oh, the fun I had, going through camping catalogs and visiting recreational equipment stores!), I gradually began to assemble my hiking supplies. I had entered the world of ultra-light hiking, light in every way except cost. Click here for a spreadsheet of everything I would be carrying with me (well, almost: food, water, and fuel are not on the list: these items, because they have no fixed weight, are never included in one's "base weight".
A more useful map is the bandana I carried. It includes a list of the important reprovisioning places on the trail, along with their mileages from the start at the Mexican border:
I documented my hike with written notes in a series of 5 notebooks, and of course I took lots of pictures. In the pages that follow, you will be able to follow my progress. In the meantime, here is some fun stuff.
On average, I would hike about 15 miles a day; some days I only covered maybe half that; other days, maybe twice. And some days I didn't hike at all.
To thru-hike the CDT you must hike along its entire length from end to end in a single trip. As for me, I completed the PCT in disjointed sections, one even going south, and separated by large gaps of time:
May 1 - Jun 27, 2011: Start to Kearsarge Pass (mile 784). NORTHBOUND
Jul 20 - Jul 24, 2011: Burney Falls (mile 1419) to Dunsmuir (mile 1506). NORTHBOUND
-------------------------------------------- 3 year gap -------------------------------------
May 19 - Jun 5, 2014: Dunsmuir (1506) to Callahan's (1725). NORTHBOUND
Jun 22 - Jul 10, 2014: Ashland (1721) to Sisters (1984). NORTHBOUND
Jul 21- Aug 20, 2014: Belden (1289) to Vermilion Valley Resort (877). SOUTHBOUND
Aug 26 - Sep 24, 2014: Skykomish (2471) to Sisters (1984): SOUTHBOUND
Sep 3 - Oct 9, 2014: White Pass (2302) to Canada (2650). NORTHBOUND
There are hikers who have done the "Triple Crown": The Pacific Crest Trail, The Continental Divide Trail, and the Appalachian Trail (about 525 hikers all told). And a very few have done it in a year or less.
The fastest completion of the Pacific Crest Trail is 52 days!
Everybody gets assigned a trail name by other hikers; mine was SOLAR SAM, given to me because I used a solar charger for my iPhone (it never worked very well). One of my favorites: GRENADE, because he jumped on an alcohol fire to put it out.
The average age of a PCT hiker is 34. I was 70. I believe I was the oldest on the trail. Several times other hikers, once they found out my age, would take my picture. Woo woo, Solar Sam the Celebrity.
At the other end of the age spectrum: I met SUNSHINE (11 years old) on the trail with her dad BALLS. She was trying to become the youngest PCT hiker.
There was a classic Hiker Challenge from Hiker Heaven to the Anderson's: 24 miles, 24 hours, 24 beers (others slack pack your pack, you carry only the beers). I learned later that 4 tried, and all made it. The winner (BANDIT) complained that he run out of beer 6 miles before the end. He says he could have consumed 36 beers.
Did I ever get lost? Yes, several times. Apparently it happens to everyone.
Did I always hike alone? Yes, with very few exceptions. It's difficult to find another hiker who hikes at your pace - especially if you are about three times as old as the average hiker.
Did I ever think of quitting? Never.
What were the worst parts? Hiking in snow. Hiking in really hot weather. Running out of water. Mosquitoes. Rain.
What were the best parts? The incredible scenery.
What was the most difficult part? Fording a swollen stream near Kearsarge Pass: Five of us joined together and inched across in hip deep water. We were all pretty frightened.
Some trail vocabulary:
Slack packing: backpacking without carrying a full backpack. Generally, you'll carry a daypack, but not all your gear, like your tent and sleeping bag. Someone else gets it to your next destination. I never slackpacked.
Flip flopping: A flip-flop has you starting somewhere in the “middle”. You’ll head one direction, reach the end, and then return to your starting point and head the other way. Flip-floppers will generally have a less crowded experience, both in town and on the trail. I flip-flopped.
Gram weenie: someone obsessed by weight.
Hiker box: stuff left by hikers for others.
Trail Crack: What you see when some is kneeling over fixing his/her tent. When you see someone's butt crack, call out "CRACK KILLS". Cf "Plumber Crack"
Trail Magic: an act of generosity toward a hiker when they are not expecting it; whether that be providing food to eat, a drink on a hot day, a ride into town, or even a bed to sleep in.
Stealth camping: the act of camping in an area that is not necessarily meant - or even legal - for overnight camping. I did a lot of stealth camping.
Zero Day: A day in which you don't hike at all. Typically taken in a town where you can reprovision, do laundry, eat at a restaurant, stay in a motel for the night, Over the course of my PCT hike I probably took about 20 zero days.
Thru Hike: Hike the entire trail, from end to end, in one trip. I took seven trips, with a three year gap in between.
Trail Angel: A term of endearment given to people who have provided Trail Magic in the form of direct kindness and generosity to hikers. I encountered a lot of Trail Angels on the PCT, and always with great pleasure. There was no better feeling than being surprised by a Trail Angel setup beside the trail, with maybe a barbecue, a table laden with food, and even a portable shower. Trail Angels are often hikers who want to give back what they received from Trail Angels during their PCT hikes. One famous Trail Angel invites hikers to her house close to the trail, loans them robes while she washes their clothes in a row of washing machines, feeds them from great vats of food on her several stoves, and directs them to convenient camping spots in her back yard. She also sold very good quality marijuana. She became so famous she had to institute a "maximum stay" policy of 3 days. I stayed two days.
Vitamin I: ibuprofen, the drug of choice by hikers.
Trail Rules:
No babies
Don't be a douche baby
Don't die
Corollary: If you must die, make it spectacular
Reprovisioning. One of the more complicated duties of a PCT hiker. You must send packages of food and equipment ahead, typically to post offices in the towns near the trail. I probably sent at least a dozen boxes of provisions ahead.
Maps. I didn't carry any paper maps. Instead, I had an app on my iPhone that showed the PCT and my position on it. That wasn't enough to prevent me from getting lost several times. I also carried photos of the pages of Yogi's PCT guide: invaluable information on the towns along the way, how to hitch to them, there to stay in them, etc.
All that follows comes from the 5 notebooks I kept during my hike, supplemented by my photos. Click the Next button to start. (You can return to this page at any time by clicking the Return button at the bottom of each page).
I received this medal after completing the Pacific Crest Trail.
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