The Pacific Crest Trail
The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) spans the entire United States'. It is a hiking trail, approximately 2600 miles long, that runs from the California/Mexico border East of San Diego to the Washington/Canada border just South of Manning Park B.C.. The PCT is a National Scenic Trail and it passes through six of the seven North America ecozones. As the name alludes, the route follows the crest of the Pacific mountain ranges running South to North across California, Oregon and Washington. These are: the Laguna, San Jacinto, San Bernadino, San Gabriel, and Tehachapi Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, Marble Mountains, Siskyou Mountains, and the Cascade Range. The lowest elevation on the trail is 180 ft above sea level and the highest is 13,200 ft above sea level atop Forester pass in the Sierra. Closely passing the tallest peaks in the lower 48 and the three deepest lakes in the nation, the trail passes through three national monuments, seven national parks, 24 national forests, and 33 federal wildernesses.
For more information about the trail check out pcta.org.
For more information about the trail check out pcta.org.
A Thru-Hike
Of course it is wonderful to have trails like this accessible for day hikes and backpack trips, but some of us are lured by the continuity of the PCT to hike every mile. "Thru-hike" is the term given for a long distance hike covering the entirety of a trail.
At an average hikers' pace, 15-20 miles per day, the trail can be hiked in 4.5 to 5 months. The ideal weather window to hike over 16 degrees latitude on the US West coast is just about as long. So every April, keeping the Sun at their backs, 300 or so ambitious hikers set out from the southern terminus to hike from Mexico to Canada on the PCT. (Some folks go South, but they encounter a shorter weather window and fewer hiking companions.)
The PCT is a trail through the mountains. As such there are times the trail is covered in snow, washed away by the winter storms, covered with blown down trees and desecrated by fire. Though there will be snow hiking and trail reroutes and it is unlikely that a hiker will be able to stay exactly on the trail the whole time, the goal is a continuous hike from Mexico to Canada.
The last weekend of April is host to the Annual Day Zero PCT Kick-Off party 20 miles North of the Border at Lake Morena, California. This coincides with the most common time to start the hike, so all the thru-hiker hopefulls get to meet each other. Like me, many people take on the endeavor independently. But string out 300 people on a similar quest and there's a good chance they will spend some time hiking, camping and laughing together.
Me
I am planning to thru-hike the PCT. I'm leaving at the end of April 2012 and planning to take 4.5 months to get to Canada. My home base is my Mom. She will be mailing me the packages I've prepared ahead of time, as well as uploading pictures and transcribing my handwritten journal to this site. It is really fantastic to have this kind of support. I may be hiking solo, but I'm definitely not doing this alone. Aside from the community of hikers on the trail a group of my friends is going to meet me around half way and spend a few days in the Mountains.
The PCT adventure feels like a logical leap to me, but if your not sure why I'm interested in walking on a trail for month after month I'll try to tell you. I love nature. I grew up car camping with my family and exploring the creek behind my house with friends. My mom taught me to appreciate the beauty of nature and the simple joy of going for a hike (though I probably complained about it when I was young). My mom told me stories of Sierra club trips in the High Sierra and backpacking trips she used to take. I always knew I wanted to be a backpacker. My first backpack trip was an simple overnight in Lassen National Park with my good friend Beau. We were so over-packed and over-prepared it was funny. That hike spent a few miles on the PCT; that same summer a friend of mine from college was out thru-hiking the PCT. I wondered when he had passed by that spot, and how far he had come to get there.
I've been on what many consider "a lot" of backpacking and climbing trips since then. Though, to me it never feels like enough. When my feet reach the pavement at the end of a trip I feel like I was just getting good at it, and feeling comfortable in the backcountry. Getting that feeling after a hike on part of the PCT is especially thought provoking, knowing that the trail continues just beckons me to keep walking.
I am intrigued by endurance feats, wilderness, solitude and simplicity. These are some of the things I seek. Ultimately, I hope to better understand my desire to go on this journey by doing it. I'm inspired by my amazing friends and family, and I hope to inspire some to take a simple walk in nature.
The PCT adventure feels like a logical leap to me, but if your not sure why I'm interested in walking on a trail for month after month I'll try to tell you. I love nature. I grew up car camping with my family and exploring the creek behind my house with friends. My mom taught me to appreciate the beauty of nature and the simple joy of going for a hike (though I probably complained about it when I was young). My mom told me stories of Sierra club trips in the High Sierra and backpacking trips she used to take. I always knew I wanted to be a backpacker. My first backpack trip was an simple overnight in Lassen National Park with my good friend Beau. We were so over-packed and over-prepared it was funny. That hike spent a few miles on the PCT; that same summer a friend of mine from college was out thru-hiking the PCT. I wondered when he had passed by that spot, and how far he had come to get there.
I've been on what many consider "a lot" of backpacking and climbing trips since then. Though, to me it never feels like enough. When my feet reach the pavement at the end of a trip I feel like I was just getting good at it, and feeling comfortable in the backcountry. Getting that feeling after a hike on part of the PCT is especially thought provoking, knowing that the trail continues just beckons me to keep walking.
I am intrigued by endurance feats, wilderness, solitude and simplicity. These are some of the things I seek. Ultimately, I hope to better understand my desire to go on this journey by doing it. I'm inspired by my amazing friends and family, and I hope to inspire some to take a simple walk in nature.
Donations
I've had several folks ask me if I'm hiking for a cause; some hikers raise money for a charity through their hike. While there are many personal motivations for setting out on this trek, I hope to inspire others to make a connection with nature, and pass it on. A relationship with nature has profound psychological, sociological, and physiological benefits.
I urge everyone to support an organization dedicated to wilderness and environmental education and/or preservation.
Some organizations to consider are:
Pacific Crest Trail Association
Tuolumne River Trust
Trail Center
UC Santa Cruz Recreation Dept
Big City Mountaineers
I urge everyone to support an organization dedicated to wilderness and environmental education and/or preservation.
Some organizations to consider are:
Pacific Crest Trail Association
Tuolumne River Trust
Trail Center
UC Santa Cruz Recreation Dept
Big City Mountaineers
Prior to creating this site I made a few entries to a trail-journal at postholer.com/kschmidt