My brother and I have done the Oregon/washington sections of the PCT with our dog and are about to embark on the entire PCT this summer. Has anyone done the entire thing with Chacos? They are amazing for summer Oregon/washington but is the snow in the sierras hard packed enough by summer and is something like forester pass doable with only an ice axe and no micro-spikes for two athletic experienced 20 year olds?
Clint
I did all of the PCT but a few miles of the high Sierra in Chacos, and was fine. I very happily carried trail runners as a backup in the Sierra, even though I only wore them when the snow was heaviest, probably less than 10 miles total.
I love hiking in Chacos, but they’re not at their best in spring snow. Early fall snow is better, actually, as it will pack down below your feet. Spring snow is granular, rotten, and likes to pack in between the footbed and your foot.
I ran into significant problems in Colorado last year with only Chacos. (My sneakers were in the next maildrop after the snow issue started.) I was strongly wishing I had something that I could kick better steps with and that had more “grab.” The snow was rotten enough that slipping was a real problem and I was pretty uncomfortable in some areas.
Chipper
I hiked a portion of the JMT in Chacos during a year I had extensively backpacked and dayhiked in the southeast in them with no problems. The Sierra trails were the only negative experience I had - something about the granite-weathered soils of the trail really tore up my feet and gave me lots of blisters.
Backtrack