i am very suprised to only get one hit so i am posting again. which is harder AT or PCT. one more thing which trail should i start with i have hiked on the at and am planning on taking a year off from school but i dont know which trail to hike. any thought are helpful.
boy who wanders
Well, I haven’t thruhiked either but have hiked substantial sections of both. It’s a very difficult question to answer because both have very different facets. The AT has over all higher elevation gain/loss than the PCT yet the PCT traverses higher country than the AT. The AT is very organised - by which I mean that it’s very well marked and documented. The PCT takes more care to follow and more planning. You will also see less people on the PCT for sure.
I believe that alot of folks start off hiking the AT because it is more popular than the PCT. I did meet people out west who’d hiked the PCT but never the AT because the PCT was right there on their doorstep. The east is heavily populated and that population has easy access to the AT hence more people hiking it.
Do what you gotta do, if you love hiking you’ll love both trails. If you’re young and single you’ve got all the time to anything you want to do.
Cheers
Cheers
well i got all the time in the world isnt it great when your single and dont have anything that stops you form hiking. cheers how you kid. was the lt this summer nice.
boy who wanders
Well here we go out on a limb…Ask an ATer and they will say the AT and the reverse will be for the PCT…Each trail has its own ups and downs (you can laugh at that, its ok) What i think may seperate the two and its only going to get worse is the bear problem out on the PCT…They have a problem bear thats getting into certain bear canisters and so may destroy it this week…If the bears all learn to open these canisters how many will be destroyed before they worry enough to start closing sections of the trail… Out here we have had problem bears for years and dealth with them but know i wonder if they are winning the battles…
And then there the water?snow difference to deal with…So see YOU climb out on a limb to answer that ? of yours…come do both and you tell us !!!
cheers to you too
meadow ed
I think destroying the bear will be a last resort according to what I’ve heard from the local rangers. If it’s a bear in a frontcountry environment repeatedly getting into vehicles and/or being aggressive, that’s one thing. But in a backcountry setting like Vidette Meadow, it’s the hiker’s responsibility to either carry a different and more bearproof canister, or close the area to camping, thus removing the bear’s acccess to hiker food. But I doubt they’ll close the trail.
As to which trail to hike? Try the AT first especially if you enjoy the social side of the trail. It’s logistically easier. Then tackle the PCT.
Good luck either way!
Cap’n
Since you started the thread with a surprise of getting only one hit on your first post, it seems that you are a sociable person. The AT has more people on it, and more frequent town stops.
For those reasons and because you this is your first long distance hike, I would suggest the AT.
From what I have read, the PCT runs the gamut of hiking terrain and conditions, from desert to snowy peaks, brutal heat to stretches of ice hiking and fording frigid fjords (ok, not fjords, but it sounded better than creeks :tongue). I personally would not make it my first backpacking expedition.
Wild Hare