I was reading somewhere that over 1000 hikers have registered to hike the PCT this summer. Is this correct and does this make it a record summer for the PCT? I heard that last year there was something like 600 attempting the trail. Who keeps records? I might be the classic “hate my dead end job so I’m hiking the pct”…
Brett
Does this number include section hikers as well as thru-hikers? You’d probably have to check with the PCTA to see how many permits they issued this year. I have no idea if your number is accurate or a record. I say go for it though. There’s nothing like a long distance hike to get over your hatred for your job…or make you hate it even worse! 
Either way you get to go hiking all summer!
ducky
I read the same article. No way is it 1000, assuming we’re talking about hiking the the whole trail. I help stock the water cache at mile 91, and if there were anywhere near that number, the cache would be empty a lot of the time, and it isn’t. There may a ‘record’ number but, based on counting I’ve done at the border register and other things, it’s likely between 400-500.
Al H.
The hiker permit that the PCTA issues isn’t just for thru-hikers as they also give one to section hikers if they say they are hiking more then 500miles. I don’t know where some of those newpaper articles got the 1000 hiker figure. There is not anywhere near 1000 thru-hikers on the trail this year as no one that I know has seen those numbers here in SoCal at any of the major hiker gathering points.
If you want a feeling for the total number hiking the trail, you can ask L-Rod at Hiker Heaven in Aqua Dulce how many pass through this spring. You can also contact the Dinsmores in Washington this fall to see how many remained on the trail and have almost made it to Canada.
Miner
I think one of the best ways to tell is to check with the Warner Springs P.O. because almost everyone sends a box there. You made me curious so I checked. The postmaster said he believes they received right around 350 boxes this spring. Throw in a few extra who might have tried to resupply out of their tiny store and I think you’ll get around 400 total.
There were about 180 2010 thru-hikers at the kick-off and the organizers estimated about 300-400 total. Probably pretty accurate. The other thing you can check is call the Saufley’s (numbers in Yogi’s book) around the end of June and ask them how many hikers they hosted. That should give you a good idea also.
Robocop
Approximately how many “starters” finish the PCT? I’m guessing 50%. Do the other trails have similar start/finish ratios?
bowlegs
Definition of “finishing” the PCT aside, in 2008 the ratio was better than 50%. I believe in most recent years, closer to 60% of those who start in Campo end up in Manning Park. This has to be considerably higher than both the CDT and AT. It seems to me just from reading journals, that the majority of CDT hikes do not “finish” , and the vast majority of AT do not either.
Sorry i have no actual data. This is just based on what i saw out there for the PCT, and what i’ve read for the others.
markv
I think what you are saying is close to 60% of the class of 2008 who started in 2008 finished in 2008… I find that hard to beleive.
Then if you say there was 180 thru hikers at this years adz and that means 220 or so who started did not show up at adz. Keep in mind that there is a fair number of hikers who never reach Aqua Dulce so well Donna know how many folks she sees she counts noises not boxes, say 20 & of hikers get a second box at WSs that would make the count different then how many showed up…
Every year a fair amount of hikers from previous years jump on the trail north of Campo and go all the way to Canada. That makes them thru hikers indeed but may not be 2008 hikers. Having kept records of hikers who made it to Canada for over 10 years i can tell you its a slippery slope to know exactly.
I agree perhaps that the PCT has the highest ratio of finishers but i am not so sure of how many do it in a single year. Then again maby i am wrong on this, there is after all no one sitting in Manning Park checking off the list from Campo. Andrea may know how many folks she gets but not how many skipped whole sections to arrive at her place…
meadow ed
I hike the PCT in large sections. I would guess I am not the only one. Not all those on the PCT start in Campo and not all go by the Dinsmores. I am from Washington and had other resources. I don’t know of any way to tell how many are on the trail any one year if you include section hikers. A lot more than just the thru hikers.
Medicare Pastor
Your right that lots of others are on the PCT who are not doing a thru hike… I guess up in Washington many of the trails connect to the pct so folks might do 20/30 miles of it then loope off on another trail. Keep in mind that in So Cal you don’t have much of that connection of trails so months go by and you only get a handful of folks doing the desert sections…
meadow ed
need some transportation advice. I’m flying into LAX and meeting a PCT thru-hiker friend at kennedy meadows (store probably). I need to get from the airport to Kennedy Meadows. Any advice?
Latenite
You could contact Squatch. I don’t know what his plans are this year, but he lives in L.A.
Treehugger