The PCT, or Pacific Crest Trail, is a hiking trail that runs 2650 miles long.  A common misconception is that it runs along the coast and that its name is The Pacific ‘Coast’ Trail.  As you can see by the map it is very far from the coast and in fact runs along the ‘Crest’ of the mountain ranges.  Yes, I will be walking (hiking) the whole thing.  Since I am heading Northbound, or NOBO, my hike starts near Campo, CA, just north of the Mexican/American border and ends in Manning Park, British Columbia, 9 miles into Canada. Nearly everyday I will be waking up, slinging my pack on with all my gear, food and water, and walking an average of 25 miles per day.  Yes, the length of a marathon.  I say ‘nearly’ because there will be days I will not hike (these are called ‘zero days’) and will rest, eat out, take in a movie, put my feet up, remember civilization, etc..  Roughly every 7 days, on average, I will be stopping in a town, postal drop-off, or the like, to re-supply.  In another blog I will talk more about food, gear and re-supplying.

Hiking the PCT is a seasonal thing which runs from around mid-April to around the end of September.  So how long will it take to hike? 5 months. Yep, 5 months. I’m hoping to start in the 3rd week of April and finish by the 3rd week in September.  But, at this time I do not know my exact start date because I have to obtain a special permit which allows me to legally hike the PCT and the permits are not available until sometime in January or February.  Even the PCTA (Pacific Crest Trail Association) has not announced when they will be available, so those details are yet to come.

• PCT