Help - PCT Section Hike Planning

imported
#1

Hello everyone. I am asking for a bit of guidance from the PCT thru-hiking community.

Here I am. Spring is washing over the shores of Lake Superior where I make my home, the ice is breaking up like a jigsaw puzzle, the gulls and the geese are returning. The snow is all gone. Spring represents an opening up, an unfolding, new possibilities arise. And here I am, finding myself considering the possibility of a four month stretch on the PCT. Time-wise, I just can’t afford a full length thru-hike as I am a student.

I am wondering, from those of you who are experienced with the PCT, where would an ideal starting point be and what direction should I travel if I were to begin in late April and hike until the end of August?

I have done almost no research about seasonal PCT issues such as snow and so I am entirely ignorant about what sections of the trail are closed and when. In my dreams, the most appealing section to hike seems to be from Yosemite to the Canadian border. But it seems that such a route might not be conducive to the snowy season.

Does anyone have any advice for me?

Nightfever

#2

Why not start at Campo and hike to Manning if you have 4 months? Check out Stretches journal stats from last year.
He hiked the whole trail from 4/25 to 9/9, but took 26 zeros. Limit your Zeros to 15 or so, average about 21 a day, and whammo, Mexico to Canada baby! Good luck!

Tim H

#3

Is it easier to push big miles on the PCT than the AT?

Nightfever

#4

Still though, I wonder what would be the most ideal section to hike (1,000-1,500 miles) in the timeframe of mid-April to late August. Anybody have any thoughts?/

Nightfever

#5

The sierra in a high snow year will make it tough, but
thru’s generally pull big miles through Oregon and into Washington…I’ll let the vets of Both trails comment further. Good luck. I’ll be on the JMT during PCT thru
season, hope to see you out there!

Tim H

#6

try hiking from El campo to the Orgeon boarder, it’s lot of miles and you can hike the entire state of California
:cheers

toastyjosh

#7

April 23,24 &25th are the dates of the PCT kick off party at Lake Moreno, 20 miles along the PCT from Mexico. You could not plan a better start because all the support is there for you. You fly in to San Diego, Bob Reiss drives you to the border, you get the desert water locations at the party and pick up a hiking partner if you want one.
You would get the wonderful, unusual experience of hiking in the springtime desert.

If your pack is light enough you can start the trail with 20 mile days and enjoy your hiking. If you are psyched and motivated you can continue with your 20 mile days because the PCT has a smoother trail bed and more gently graded trail than the At does. The miles come quickly as you eagerly look into the vast distances or look for changes in views around the bend.

Then you would have strong trail legs as you enter the Sierra. Do not leave Kennedy Meadow too soon and you will have the time of your life.

I had been backpacking for three years beginning after my 50th birthday when I thru hiked the PCT in 4 months and 3 weeks with no particular deadline rushing me.

I do think more is better and tend to go, go go when excited and I think the PCT is about the best trail out there!

Happy hiking!
…GottaWalk

Marcia

#8

As others have said, if you are starting at the end of April, start at Campo. You don’t want to go through the Sierras before June (the ‘standard’ is June 15 to begin the Sierras, though you can start earlier if you don’t mind a lot of snow and serious river crossings). Have your ice axe mailed to Kennedy Meadows or Lone Pine. Then just go as far as you go. You can probably reach Cascade Locks at the Oregon Washington border fairly easily in four months. We did the whole trail in 5 months 5 days, averaging 19 mpd. The PCT is smoother and much better graded than the AT - generally about 5% with a maximum of 10%. It makes it easier to hike faster (2.5 - 3 mph) since you aren’t watching your feet every step and you don’t slow down for the climbs. Since there aren’t many shelters or established campsites, most hikers hike from dawn to dusk (with a long midday break in the desert) - which make 20-30 mile days a commonplace. If you choose to have a leisurely hike, you can, but the water situation (long distances between water sources, sometimes 20-35 miles) tends to make you push harder than you would on the AT. We would stop for views, photographs and swimming and still hiked 23-25 miles on most days.

Spirit Walker

#9

I wonder what former PCT hikers had spent on their trips. In my cursory investigation this fall into the John Muir Trail it looked like maildrops were incredibly expensive (I did learn on the AT that maildrops can be more of a hindrance than a help and I would plan to rely on them less) and that there seems to be less ‘trail services’ in towns (such as hostels, shuttles, trail angels) on the PCT than on the AT.

I mostly curious what people’s dollar to mile ratio was. To be safe, I was thinking that two dollars per mile would be adequate. Does that sound like a reasonable estimate? I still have to work this summer to save for the hike in '05.

Thanks everyone?

Nightfever

#10

While collecting data for my book, I asked previous PCT thru-hikers how much they spent on their thru-hikes. Here’s a synopsis of what they said:

Garlic Man (AT’02, PCT’03): just over $1/mile.

Mags (AT’98, PCT’02): guess about $3000, not including gear.

Gnome (AT’99, PCT’03): probably about $4000, including transportation, not including gear.

Bandana (PCT’03): guess about $3000.

d-low (AT’00, PCT’02): $3000-$4000, includes some but not all gear.

Taatree (AT’01, PCT’03): about $5000, includes some gear and cost of maidrop food.

Suge (PCT’03): about $3000, including transportation.

Cupcake (PCT’02): guess $4500, including gear.

Glory (AT’02, PCT’03): $2500, including gear.

I ate way more on the PCT than on the AT, especially in town. I think $2/mile is a good estimate for planning purposes. Just make sure you allocate enough money to replace worn out gear during your hike (shoes, hiking pole tips, socks, shirt, etc). And make your money count. Drinking a 6-pack of coke when you get to town doesn’t do you any good. Buy a quart of gatorade instead. Make smart choices on your food. Don’t do maildrops—they’re a waste of money both on postage and food choices. It’s easier to spend money when using a credit card than when paying in cash. Keep that in mind.

Basically, save as much money as you can, they GO HIKE!!!

yogi — www.pcthandbook.com

yogi

#11

Why do not do a thru-hike? A four month pace may be in the realm if you are up for some moderatley high mileage days and/or few zero days.

My own thru-hike took 4 mos 16 days. I had to slow down in Oregon and Washington because I was going too fast! Suspsect could have finished it sooner if I pushed it.

Take a light pack, be in good shape prior to the hike, find a good strategy for blister prevention and a 4 mo hike (or so) is within the realm of many people.

Only you can decide if you want to do a trip like that. But if you can, go for it!

Mags

#12

Ok. It seems unanimous that I find a copy of Jardine’s PCT Handbook but it appears that on Amazon, there is not a copy for less than $50. So I must ask you all, if I’ve already got a copy of Beyond Backpacking, is it still worth it to spend that much on his PCT Handbook?

Are there any other recommendations for handbooks if I do not opt for Jardines? I understand Yogi is in the process of compiling one, are there any other hiker-tested handbooks?

Thanks everyone.

Nightfever

#13

I’ve got both Beyond Backpacking and the out-of-print PCT book. Beyond Backpacking takes the original PCT book and expands on it. The one major thing the PCT book has that the other doesn’t is proposed itineraries. All Jardine’s itineraries arrive at Kennedy Meadows on June 15—which is known as “Ray Day”. Some people like having itineraries.

What I think is important to take from Jardine’s books is the overall idea of lowering pack weight, that ounces add up to pounds. I do believe, however, that it can be dangerous for novice hikers to jump in head-first using Jardine’s ways. Remember that Jardine is a very experienced outdoors person. His methods are great for experienced people, but I’ve seen many novice hikers on the AT and PCT who were essentially unprepared because they didn’t know how to choose a campsite, how to read the weather, how to ration water, etc. They read Jardine’s book, hit the trail with very lightweight gear, then get into trouble. I like Jardine’s theories, I just think that people should be careful.

By the way, my book is not in process, it’s complete. You can order it at www.pcthandbook.com.

yogi

yogi

#14

Jardine, like Yogi, reports what he has done, and what has worked for him and his wife in the many years of his experience. He just happened to invent practically everything he does, and has a much higher understanding of the gear and techniques as a consequence. He wrote “the book” on the PCT, founded ALDHA West, and continued on to revolutionize backpacking with his creations. The concepts in his books are not extreme or dangerous. They only appear that way to the institutionalized model of backpacking.

However, Yogi does have a good point: his methods require thought and awareness (which he discusses in his book), because they focus on integrating your hike with nature instead of the traditional insulating from nature. For that reason, when I talk about his teachniques in backpacking classes, I distinguish them from the other more traditional techniques by calling them “skill techniques” or “skill gear”, meaning it requires a bit of skill to exercise them to their maximum potential.

 A tent verses a tarp is a good example. Tents are made so anyone can easily set them up with little learning (and it always sets up the same way), but a tarp can be pitched in many different ways, often based on how the hiker reads the weather (wind patterns, sunrise location, ect.). But, after you learn the skill, you are far more versitile and incoporative of natural conditions. In other words, it's not the "dummy" gear that's marketed like cafeteria food (easy to stomach, but not much spice). Read every page, not just the gear. It's all there, on many levels.

Anyway, gotta go to the market, but I say you can rely on Yogi’s for intenerary planning, and Ray’s Beyond Backpacking book for technique and high-experience gear ideas. $50 for his first book is not worth it IMOP if you have his other one already.

enjoy it!

Tha Wookie

#15

Maybe “theories” was the wrong word to use. To use a more appropriate trail term, “Ray’s way” is good. It works. I like it. I subscribe to it (mostly).

I do, however, caution novice hikers to be very familiar with their gear. As The Wookie pointed out, a tarp is very versitile shelter. But, you can’t just take a tarp because it’s lighter than a tent. You must practice and learn different ways to set it up. Many (not all) novice hikers jump on the trail with a tarp because they’ve read that it’s an appropriate trail shelter. Then they pitch it incorrectly, get soaked, and risk hypothermia.

I guess my point is this: read Jardine’s book, learn from it, then PRACTICE your techniques before hitting the trail.

yogi

#16

In asking about PCT guidebooks, I guess was wondering which book(s) are considered indispensable in providing with information about the trail itself, not necessarily the techniques (I already feel comfortable in that department). I guess I wante to know what is considered a good book for planning and a good book to have in the pack. While on the AT, I was comfortable just carrying pages from the Data Book, I felt fine without the maps and without the specific section books for each state. Would the PCT Data Book suffice in the same way? Or should I supplement it with maps, other books, etc?

Again, thanks to everyone, especially Yogi, for helping me with these questions. I feel very supported by the community on Trail Forums.

Nightfever

#17

The Data Book alone isn’t enough. You also need the Schaffer guidebooks, which have both maps and text description. I also like the Tom Harrison JMT maps.

yogi

#18

I used the Shaffer books (wordy but necessary), the data book, the PCT town guide (only three or four pages per stretch), the data book, and Yogi’s book (Which was not in book form then, but collections of statements from hikers only). If I did it again, I’d carry everything (in ripped out sections, of course), EXCEPT the town guide, which had innaccurate info and poor maps.

Don't go out there with just a data book. It is nothing like the AT. You at least need maps of some sort, especially anywhere that might have snow (High Sierras, northern Washington)

Tha Wookie