Do they still offer the service to people who are not using the “PCT Southern Terminus Shuttle”.

If so how do I contact them to see if they still have spots for the night I’ll be there. They have a phone number listed on google but I’d assume that is for business purposes and doubt they want that being bombarded by PCT hikers.

Thanks!

I need to clean up the miles between chester and truckee from last years thru. Can anyone tell me about snow depth for that section in may,june? I want to do it as early as possible, with minimal snow. Some snow isnt a big deal. Just wondering on average, what conditions might look like in may and june

Finish the sentence with your favorite “You know you’re hiking the PCT when ____”

Hi all, I hiked Nobo in 2022, and am intending to complete the trail this year, and am looking for advice on how best to do so. I've secured a permit, but have about week left that I can update the dates/start location/maybe switch to a flip flop.

I will be hiking with my friend, who also hiked in 2022. I ended at Crater Lake, and she ended at Mounth Shasta. Our original plan was to each start where we left off, and meet on trail, with my friend starting 3-4 weeks ahead of me. But, with Oregon having an incredibly high snow year, and Washington having a low snow year, we are adjusting our plans.

Our current plan is to

• start at Cascade Locks and hike north into Washington

• Stop at around mile 2600 (we don't want to tag the border until the very end)

• Make our way to Crater Lake or Mount Shasta, then hike north to Cascade Locks

  • Crater Lake/Mount Shasta decision isn't made yet. My friend is happy to skip those miles, but it would be great to do them if it's feasible

• Return to mile ~2600 (wherever we left off), and finally tag the border

We would like to start at the beginning of June, and are estimating it will take 2.5-3 months. I have checked the various snow reports, and am struggling to understand what they mean for actual, on the ground trail conditions. We are comfortable with some snow, and will be bringing out micro spikes and ice axes (if we need them).

My questions are

1. Does this seem reasonable? Does it seem possible or do we need to re-evaluate?

2. Is there another way that feels more feasible with the current snow conditions?

Constraints are

• I need to be home by September 15th at the absolute latest, but would prefer to be home by the end of August

• We are trying to complete Washington early, as the fires will be particularly bad there this year (given the low snow year)

• Going northbound is preferable, as it will feel much more like completing the hike that we started

The mod team has been in contact with the PCTA, and we can confirm that the supposed "official PCTA warning" post from Saturday, April 20th, was not, in fact, authorized by anyone at PCTA.

The FB message has been removed, and the PCTA has issued the following statement in response:

• "We've taken down a recent post that was not authorized by the PCTA."

The post on the subreddit that linked to it has been removed because it is untrue.

Again: The PCTA has not issued any statement, "warning" or otherwise, about the hiker.

Hi guys, thanks to everyone who has ever posted and commented on this Page, really helped me plan and I learned a lot! I’ve wanted to do the PCT since 2020 and finally am able to do it with a May 28th Start day. Now that I’m so close to the start, it’s finally hitting me that I’m actually doing. It’s felt like a fever dream and a bit overwhelming with emotions. Any quick last minute tips or advice to help me calm my nerves/could save me from trouble in the first month?

Hey, me and my girlfriend will reach the Sierras in approximately 10 days and we have decided to skip them for now and then come back later. We have not figured out the logistics yet. From where to where it would be the best to skip at this time? And what means of travel would you use?

It seems like organizing where and when to get the bear can isn’t worth the weight reduction. I know it’s ultimately a matter of personal preference, but am I overthinking the complexity of getting a bear can when I need it? What should I carry my food in otherwise?

Edit: Sound like the consensus is to send one to KMS rather then carry it from the beginning. Makes sense. Thanks all!

Redditors on the PCT Week 7 (22 APRIL 2024)

Welcome to our next group of hikers starting this week; , , , , and . Have a great start on trail!

PSA: If I haven't seen any updates from a hiker in the month since their start date, I will start taking them off the list to keep things neat. If you are posting on a different social media than you sent on the form, please do let me know :)

JOIN THESE UPDATES

If you are hiking the trail this year (Thru or LASH) and would like to be added to these posts, please fill out the survey and we'll get you added into future updates. These updates will come on a weekly basis and be put out on Monday AM.

If your socials are set to private, you will get an invite from me (Andi) so I can watch your progress!

If for any reason you'd like to be removed from these updates or if something does not look right, please message me directly.

Happy trails!

The usernames are clickable links that take you to that hiker's social media page for those who choose to share it.

I’m about to buy insurance for my PCT hike and found an offer that is very satisfactory when it comes to cost, conditions and flexibility but there is one catch - it includes trekking only up to 3.500 m/11.500 ft and they don’t have an option to buy a „higher” option. I know that there are 3/4 passes in Sierra that go above, but other than that (and Mt Whitney) do you ever travel above this threshold?

Just for context, I’m from Poland and some options that were recommended here insurance wise are not available in my country

Thanks in advance for your help!

I took a one-day mountaineering course to learn self-arrest and snow travel basics. It was super helpful, and I'm obviously still a beginner at snow travel. During the course, I only used my ice axe and crampons - no trekking poles.

I've seen videos of people using an ice axe and one trekking pole while traversing ridges with a steep drop.

My questions are: wouldn't using the trekking poll potentially hinder you from grabbing the ice axe and properly self-arresting OR lead you to drop/lose your pole if you fell? I know self-arresting is the last/bad option. Is using the pole and ice axe (despite the above concerns) preferable because it'll give you a better chance of not falling? As to that, I generally don't put much weight on my downhill poll in order to prevent a topple downhill.

What do you do? Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I’m starting my thru-hike in Campo next week and just got all my gear together. Its quite an impressive pile, though it’s still a bit heavier than I’d like so I figured I’d drop my and offer it up for adjustments or fine-tuning, comments and criticism. Please give it a look!

Some notes: I had spinal fusion surgery for scoliosis half a decade ago. Hence, I thought the 4.8 lb osprey backpack was a good choice, especially considering I already owned it from backpacking around Iceland in summer 2022. It served me quite well then. Same with my tent, taking the big ag 2-person 1. because I already had it from that trip & didn’t want to spend another $500, and 2. because the extra space would be a bit more liveable. I realize these areas are probably my best bet for shaving off those extra pounds, but I am also thinking I could learn to just live with this weight as it is.

Some ways that I have considered lightening my load: -taking one less pair of socks -leaving gloves behind -going stoveless (at least for some sections) -replacing the big heavy paraframe knife with small Swiss Army knife + built-in scissors

Of course, I can also always just bring it all and mail the stuff I don’t need back home. I’m going to take it all on a shakedown trip sometime in this next week and hopefully learn a thing or two in doing so.

That’s it! Thanks for reading this far.

Hello PCT Hikers,

I am not a hiker and don’t know much about your experience- yet; however I just acquired a small cabin 40 miles north of the southern terminus and wanted to understand what PCT hikers desire in accommodations so I can contribute to your experience. Some questions:

Do you travel in groups- if so, how large? What are basics you require? Laundry services, non perishable food, internet, etc? What would make your lodging experience amazing? What is a reasonable cost per night with the desired amenities?

Thank you for your feedback!

To clarify this is CA Section L.

I'm planning on doing my first thru hike/section hike and was planning on doing section L since it is short enough and close enough that I can take some time off work. My plan was to leave my car in Sierra city or the end of Section L and then some how get a ride back to the beginning of the trail. That way my car is ready to go when I finish.

The only thing that's worrying me where exactly to leave my car and how to get to the beginning of the trail. I've only done loops or there and back trails before. Is parking at the trail head/end of section L cool or would that be a dick move? Is there somewhere is Sierra City that no one would care if I left my car at for a few days?

I'm also guessing Uber isn't really a thing out there. I saw some transportation companies out there but not sure if they would drive up to Sierra City to get me.

Hi

My kit is really comfortable but I’m having one issue. After about 5 miles each day I am getting a pinching feeling in the middle and just underneath my trap muscle in the left side (in the middle). Has anyone else experienced this? If so how can you fix it?

Thanks

Hi all,

I will be starting late as I had a few life events pop up that are prohibiting me from beginning on my permit date.

How does this work with permits if I want to start halfway through California and just hike the second half of the trail? I have an early May permit but will want to start in June as far south as weather will permit me.

Would I be crazy for wanting to take a weekend off to go to Splash House in Palm Springs (2 night small music fest)? My friends would pick me up and drop me back off, but how much of an inconvenience would this create? For people who have done a thru-hike, does time back in society throw you off your rhythm or anything?

Thanks!

• Wikipedia:

• Amazon:

From the Amazon page:

"I wish to speak a word for Nature, for absolute freedom and wildness, as contrasted with a freedom and culture merely civil--to regard man as an inhabitant, or a part and parcel of Nature, rather than a member of society. I wish to make an extreme statement, if so I may make an emphatic one, for there are enough champions of civilization: the minister and the school committee and every one of you will take care of that."

Henry David Thoreau, noted transcendentalist, wrote Walking as a message of the battle between the importance of nature and the pull of the demands of society, while at the same time writing his other environmental work, Walden.

First delivered by Thoreau in 1851, Walking, or also known as The Wild, this essay was not only popular with the public, but also considered by Thoreau himself as, "... a sort of introduction to all that I may write hereafter."

Hi,

I am seriously thinking about doing the PCT next year.

I wonder how likely it is to get a permit in April next year? This would help me to plan the next steps.

Is there a statistic on this somewhere? I haven't found anything on this in my research so far.

Kind regards

My permit starts at Lake Morena but doing an unrelated day hike from Campo to satisfy my OCD, will I get in trouble for not having a Campo start permit if it technically isn’t the same hike?