Well…I am looking into doing this thing this year.
After many long walks on the A.T. and a John Muir hike(love that Vermillion) I am trying to work it out to do it this year.
I have heard people say April 1st-and May 1st for starting.
Now, as per this, I guess I best wait till that time gets closer so I know what the snowfall was and the like.
Any books or suggestions aforin I even attempt to get it all together?>
Lion KIng
is a good place to start. plus you would be supporting another thru-hiker. i think it’s www.pcthandbook.com
zero
i’ve spent way more cash on PCT guidebooks & videos than i care to admit and if i could only recommend one book it would be the yogi book. very practical information in an easy to digest format. the one video i’d recommend is a documentary on dvd avaiable from the guy who made it (think his name’s scott) at www.walkpct.com. they’re each about $20.
also, check out the store at www.pcta.org.
also, consider joining the pcta. they publish a bi-monthly magazine related to the pct that is part of membership.
smitty
Read Ray Jardine’s PCT hiker’s Handbook for lots of interesting ideas. You won’t implement all of them but they are worth adapting or just thinking about. The PCT is very different from the AT.
You’ll probably want to watch http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snotel/ for snow levels later on
Enjoy your hike!
Marcia
Marcia
start at the kickoff party. adzpctko. ususaly around last weekend in april. great to start in that barren landscape with such overwhelming support.
train, train, train. i am particulary emphatic about this since my own lack of training was my downfall on my PCT attempt. its much more stressful on your body right out of the gate than the AT.
and if you are not “ultralight” consider it. people have certainly done the pct heavy, but with 2600 miles in 5 months and waterless stretches of 20 plus miles, having the weight down is key.
jardines PCT book is out of print i think, but most of it is verbatum in beyond backpacking. although there is some priceless pct specific info in the “pct hikers handbook” its what i read all winter.
you will probably want to figure out some maildrops, and in them put cut up sections of the pcta’s books. there are three, one for socal, nocal, orwa. they got maps and descriptions and while not necessary, they really are neccesary. i tried going without them, it blew.
i decided to take a fall biketrip but if i hit the jackpot and can save cash fast this winter then i will see you at the kickoff. good luck.
milo
I’m also an AT03er kicking around the idea of heading to Campo this May. I was just wondering about something you said Milo–
I agree training is cruicial and a lot of thru-hikers decide to just start walking. But can you elaborate on why the PCT is much more stressful than the AT at the beginning? It was my understanding that the trail is graded much better and I can’t see things being a lot harder than having to start in some of those Georgia climbs or in Maine with a full pack. Do you mean the pressure to hike bigger days cause of the little time window? Seems almost every hiker (at least from journals) is able to start at 20 miles and maintain at least that much till that get into better shape
A-Train
Thanks for the nice comments on my book. I put a lot of heart (and miles!) into the book. Yes, the website is www.pcthandbook.com
Still on the CDT, where it is still COLD!
yogi
yogi
i went out to the pct in pretty neutral shape. not bad, but not good either. about the same as when i started the AT. on the first day on AT i did 8 miles. first day PCT, its 20 miles to a reliable water source. i mean you can camp at hauser creek at 16, but its not the best place. anyway, i hoofed 16 pounds of water over this 20 miles and the next day i was real real sore. by mile 6 of day two i had pulled something good. that lead to knee trouble, which i impatiently waited out, but on the next 20 mile waterless stretch i pulled an achilles tendon. good times.
its those 20 mile days, wieghted with water, and that beating sun doesnt invite me to saunter liesurly. i was too fast too soon.
in all aspects, its good to take the PCT seriously. its not as easy as the AT to just wing it. but it is FUN! i want to do it all, and do it right!
milo
appreciate it all.
It is still an idea, but it is slowly blooming. As I aint making excuses, but I have to finish the AT Documentary before hitting it…but it is a Great possibility, in fact teh more I talk about it, the more likely it is.
And Mile my Brotha’, I am lucky enough to be in Glencliff at The Hikers Welcome in Glencliff NH, so I have been hiking about 15-30 miles a week as of late. I know it doesnt sound like a lot, but I still HAVE to get out or I go bananas. Word.
Lion King
As Milo said, although the trail is frequently wheelchair trail - wide and gently graded, winding endlessly through the brush - because of the distances between water sources, from the very beginning, you have to be in good shape. You have to carry at least a gallon of water almost every day. There may be water at 16 miles - or not. And camping at Hauser Creek is interesting because it is on a major smuggling route - at 3:00 in the morning you hear the tramp tramp tramp of many feet. There may be water in the caches, or you may be out of luck - you can’t count on it being there when you need it, even if people just before you found water there. They may have gotten greedy and drunk it all (you’re supposed to top off your bottles, not use them as your primary water source). Sun can drain you, and may require taking a few hours to rest in the shade in the middle of the day, which shortens the miles you can do. The Scissors Crossing stretch - 26 miles to water, totally exposed to the sun most of the way, comes in the first week. You may run into snow on the third day out, in a high snow year. The PCT is worth doing, but it can be grueling, especially in the beginning when water is such an issue. You do get used to it, and the heat, but they are both constants all the way into Oregon.
Ginny
Hey lion king –
I’ll be on the trail no later than May 1st. Look for me.
Peace.
Nightfever
you also have, on the PCT, the relentless sun. There were times when I would have killed for a nice shady AT uphill. A lot of the speed on the PCT is from hikers running from the sun… am I wrong?
That being said, I would not do it again without an umbrella and/or a big sun hat.
On the American West Coast Trail, which I will finish TODAY, the sun has been brutal but lots of sunblock, umbrella, hats, and long breaks in the shade make it possible.
Also, let it be known I stareted the PCT in 03 on MAY 17, when is was WAY HOTTER than when the AZDPCTKO folks left. So my advise is biased.
Get Yogi’s book. I used the “first edition”, which was no where as complete as the current rendition, and had the insight unvailable from the politically and horse-user biased PCTA materials.
4 MILES TO MEXICO!!!
:cheers
tha wookie
Yep…sun protection in the desert and the High Sierra are must haves.
Do wear a wide hat. Wear long sleeves (and long pants if you are really prone to burning). Sunglasses to protect those eyes. Chapstick is a good idea as well.
Wookie, congrats on your West Coast hike!
Mags
Cool, and thanks guys. Congrats Wook, you da man, whats Next? I hear the Ice Age Trail is awesome.
And Fever…thats the time I owuld be out there to catch the opening gig.
Thanks again all…still a while to go, and I will know for sure, as always with me, within a week or so of my actual starting date.
L to the K
LionKing
wookie, you do usually have a small body of water to your right, dont you? and a few stores to your left? must be a real bitch, man.
aw, just joshin ya. congrats.
El Keezy- keep on hiking. you will rawk the PCT.
milo
Start too early, before April 1, and you’ll get cold and possibly, maybe, rain. Start too late, after May 15, and the desert will surely boil your brain. I couldn’t imagine doing the four miles from the water fountain at the bottom of Fuller Ridge to the Pink Motel in the June sun. Yeowtch. That lower Sonoran zone is nuttin’ to mess with.
If you start around the kickoff party you’ll enjoy mostly full or well-supplied water caches. Plus, they hand out up-to-date water and cache information at the party. Aqua will be your cross to bear on the PCT. And there’s water alerts (12+ mile stretches without water) in the data book all the way into Washington.
raru
Aloha All! Okay, you’ve generated quite a few questions and additional thoughts for my thru next year. That’s forewarning! I’ll start off slow though. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions/advice.
Is April 5 “assumed” to be a bit too early to start at Campo? I am hoping to hike a few weeks, return for the Kick Off, hike a couple more days and then… I have an Alaskan Cruise and land trip (2 week total) already paid for that I’m not missing. Upon return I’m hoping that those that began at the Kick Off will be at or about the same area I left. Feasible?
Any recommendations for how to train to start off doing 20+ miles? As a DC daily commuter, time is somewhat limited for practicing 20 mile hikes or even walking three hours on a treadmill (or some such regime). I’m headed back to the gym for strength and endurance training (squats, lunges, etc) but distance…?
Is a lightweight umbrella really feasible on the PCT desert? I can understand the need but something in the back of my mind says – WIND! Correct me please.
Does anyone know where the Olympic volleyball players get their sunglasses? They wrap around, stay in place and look good to boot! (They may be because they’re in great shape and young but that’s beside the point.) I don’t even know the name brand. Would love to get a pair for the hike though.
Okay, enough for the moment. Thank you again for any and all sage wisdom, advice, comedic replies. Aloha!
Aloha! Ann
Over the next two weekends, the Gatherings for the two major Long Distance Hiking clubs will take place. ALDHA-West (www.aldhawest.org) this weekend at Donner Pass in California. ALDHA (www.aldha.org) on the following weekend.
Both are greatest resource for gaining first hand information about any of the long trails in the US.
For thoes interested in getting a copy of Yogi’s PCT Handbook. I’ll have copies at the Six Moon Designs booth.
I’ll also have the new Lunar Solo 1.5 pound tent (http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/store/shopexd.asp?id=33). This little ultralight tent is designed for the needs of the long distance hiker.
Ron
Six Moon Designs
Ron Moak
Ann - if you want to train for endurance, just getting in the miles, the C&O is right out your door. There are also a lot of bike trails you can hike after work -
For a more strenuous long hike, the Catoctin is long enough to make some good training hikes, and hiking in the Shenandoahs on weekends (hike from the bottom up, then back down again - e.g. Buck Ridge is a good workout).
Starting in early April means you may run into snow and colder weather than you had expected. The PCT goes through desert up to mountains then back down to desert then back up high again. Mt. Laguna on your third day may have snow. The San Gorgonios certainly will. If you are prepared for it (warm bag and tent) and are good at reading your map so you can navigate when the trail is covered in snow, then you shouldn’t have too much trouble with an early start. There won’t be any water caches, but that early most of the springs should be running anyway, at least, if they get the usual winter rains.
Ginny
Aloha Ginny/All!
Good to hear from you. It’s been a long time. Hope all is well with you and yours.
Thanks for the info. You’re absolutely correct about the C&O canal. As a matter of fact I have a short bike ride planned along it later in October. (Hoping for lots of fall color.) The Shenandoahs are great too since I cross them when heading to the cabin but that’s not all that often. As with most folks, finding time is a problem. I won’t bore you with the commute, work schedule and the rest just know that unfortunately there’s not much left in between. Sadly. It’s beginning to look like it’s the treadmill in the evenings – dang it! Besides a good workout, would the Catoctin give me a good idea of what the PCT is actually like?
Snow, huh. Not high on this Hawaii gal’s list. What is the earliest you would recommend? I can always start later, still go to the Kickoff and Alaska. I was just attempting to tie this together to join the majority of the class two weeks after the kick off. Any suggestions?
Thanks again to all for any and all suggestions/advice. Aloha!
Aloha! Ann