>80% NOBO, but challenges (snow, fires)
ALDHA Gathering October 11
Why the PCT? Greatest diversity, 7 National Parks, 5 State Parks, 50 Wilderness areas, well designed (less steep, <15% grade, more do-able in some ways), trail tread, switchbacks, mtn crags, lots of VIEWS! Destiny or history. Parts of JMT, OR skyline, WA Cascade Crest, so sometimes not up to standard
almost 50% of PCT is wilderness, 20% for AT. 489,000 ft elev gain (464,000 – 515,000 for AT) Highest elev 6,643 Clingman’s Dome, 13,153 on PCT (altitude sickness – feel like crap, headache, nausea, lighthead – HAPE=shortness of breath at rest, fast heartbeat, blue lips. HACE = confusion, loss of coordination, hallucinations) treat?
Success rate ~50% pre-Wild (2012, 2014), ~25% after, Numbers >4200 in 2022, down to <3000 NOBOs, quota now
NOBO or SOBO or Flip-Flop? Snow level, snow experience, time constraints, sociability (it’s about the people!) permits
If low snow, start NoBo early (late March/ early April) Ray (Jardine) Day (SEI) for avg year: June 15
If high snow, consider flip-flop. Maybe low snow at N end (El Niño?) but don’t re-start at N terminus, start N at Cascade Locks to Canada, then flip and head south (start late June to late July), get through Sierra by October (harder)
SOBO – can’t start until late June-late July, unless experienced with snow travel
Navigation: Far Out app crowd-sourced, helpful, download when wifi available, doesn’t need connection on trail.
Overall Info: PCTA.org; The Trek at thetrek.co/pacific-crest-trail/
Differences/Challenges
No shelters, pay attention to Far Out for campsites (gets harder in NorCal, OR, WA), carry a good lightweight tent or tarp (Yes, it does rain/cold in SoCal). More flexibility than shelters. Cowboy camping, pros and cons. (Try it!)
Desert
water: first 650 miles >50% desert or chaparral, (BUT sky islands) dry. Need to know distance to next water source, have 6 L capacity, take in electrolytes. First 20 miles no water or shade (be prepared). Don’t rely on reported caches (exc 3rd Gate at 91.2). Some long stretches in NorCal and Oregon, also. Sierra – plenty! (but bear canister) Filter or treat. (aqua mira)
Rattlesnakes, esp in SoCal. Horned Lizards
Heat and sun: umbrella (problem w/poles), long sleeves and pants, sunscreen, hat (if no umbr)
Snow: varies year-to-year, consider snowpack in multiple spots – San J’s (155), San B’s (235), San G’s (355), Tehachapi’s, Sierra (700), Crater Lake, Cascades. May need to carry microspikes and ice axe, snowshoes? Sun cups a pain, hike early in day. Monitor on Postholer, snotel, crowd-sourced Far Out. Don’t cross snowbridges. If snow in San J’s, ship microspikes + ice axe to Paradise Vly Café
Snow info: https://www.postholer.com/snow/Pacific-Crest-Trail/1
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/sswsf-snow-survey-and-water-supply-forecasting-program/national-water-and Scroll down a bit to Interactive Map
Also, see The Trek.com for “Navigating High Snow on the PCT” TheTrek.com
Stream Crossings: Danger correlates with snow level, Two deaths in 2017, Don’t do it alone! Check out strategies in links:
https://thetrek.co/?s=Stream+Crossing+safety
https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/backcountry-basics/water/stream-crossing-safety/
Fires: our hike, Nor Cal and Washington State. Lightning , Watch Duty, Trail closures at PCTA.org and signed, but stay alert! Closures are serious! Sometimes there’s a detour, sometimes shuttles, sometimes not. Smoke.
https://closures.pcta.org/ https://app.watchduty.org/
Weather: Hot and exposed in south, sometimes rainy in Sierra afternoons, thunderstorms be careful. Cold and rainy at north end. Days of 36° high and 34° low and rainy. Nowhere to stop for lunch, fill pockets with food and tp, etc. Worst in “carwash” clearcuts. Feet are cold and wet, sealskinz neoprene. Snoqualmie Pass stories.
One trail-hardened veteran of the AT said this is the first time he has ever cried from misery while hiking.
One hiker arrived at the Summit Lodge at 9:30 this evening, then proceeded to hyperventilate for a few minutes, just from the release of not having to hold it together anymore.
Bugs/Mosquitos: PCT not particularly buggy in most places. But lots of mosquitos in the Hi Sierra to Sonora Pass if NOBO. Volcanic soil north of there, so better drainage than granite. If SOBO you will have mosquitos in much of WA and OR. Recommend you carry a tent that has mosquito netting, have a headnet, bug repellent, and clothes they can’t bite through. Ticks: some Westen Black-Legged ticks, mostly in SoCal, but some in OR/WA, very unlikely but possible to get Lyme or Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever
Trail Conditions: Lots of maintenance needed, can’t keep up with it. PCTA has ~90,000-100K volunteer hours per year. So blowdowns and underbrush, washed-out trail (esp in burn areas), damaged or swept-away bridges.
Resupply:
Pick a strategy: send packages or as-you-go. General delivery hold only ~ month, need ID, PO hours, someone at home; as-you-go limited, herd, some hiker boxes in town. Or combo.
https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/thru-hiking-long-distance-hiking/resupply/
Most carries are 2 to 5 days. In High Sierra, longest roadless stretch of any trail in lower 48 (203) and tougher, so fewer miles/day (18?). Figure 11 – 14 days for Hi Sierra. So Kennedy Meadows (start of Hi S) to Red’s Mdw (908) is 203 mi. If lo snow and fast, you can do it, but at what cost? (Hitch & Cabana Boy).
Muir Trail Ranch (860, $115 + post) is 154mi, to VVR (880, $40 +post, but..) is 185, BEST – To Kearsarge Pss Jct (90 mi), then 7mi to Onion Vly. Hitch to Independence, little there, but bus to Bishop. Or **get friend to hump in resupply**.
https://muirtrailranch.com/backpacker-resupply
At Red’s Mdw/Devil’s Postpile take shuttle bus to Mammoth Mtn, then bus to town (Yay!- 2 Zeroes! Condo!) (but Dev P’s road closed Monday to Th morning in 2026; expected to be completed end of year.) Hi snow closed, take trail to Duck Lake.
Keep in mind size of Bear Canisters. Carry food in canister Kennedy Mdws South to Truckee (Lake Tahoe). All smellables. Eat in different spot. Keep near camp okay. Use as seat. Have changed behavior, saved bears. (Tangent) Bears: Shenandoah vs Sierra. Mother & cubs, look big, human. Hunting in north, so… Rent from Triple Crown https://www.triplecrownoutfitters.com/
Cost is ~$10,000
Permits: a kind of lottery system, only one needed to thru-hike. Quota of 50/day for NOBOs (start south of Sonora Pass) – 35 in Nov, 15 in Jan. SOBOs, 15 permits/day available on second release day, Jan 14, 2027.
1.) Read thru info on https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/permits/.
2.) REGISTER online between Oct 15 (10:30 am Pacific time) and Oct 22 (3:00 pm).
3.) NOBOs, On Nov 3, check email for your randomly-assigned sign-up time the next day.
4.) Log in and sign up for an available date.
5.) You can check status online, will get email once approved.
6.) Permit will be emailed to you 3 weeks before start date. Print it and carry on hike.
If you don’t get a permit, or you want to change your date, monitor availability (M-F) and apply if a good date becomes available. Also can participate in second release date Jan 14, 2027. (Registration re-opens Nov 5 to Dec 11 if not prev registered.) Same process as before. SOBO permits released then.
SOBOs – 2nd release date, 15/day for June 15 – July 31, Have to start at Hart’s Pass and hike North for 32 miles. (This is a 32-mile south hike at end for NOBOs). There’s a road ; hitchhike.
Trail Angel near Northern Terminus: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1138994346676895/
Lots of info on pcta site, eg how to link w/partner, also CAFire Permit https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/permits/california-fire-permit/
Getting to the trail in Campo
1) public transportation http://sandiegopct.com/departing-to-pct-trailhead/
2) PCT Southern Terminus Shuttle + CLEEF https://pctsouthernterminusshuttle.com/
Free Flyer shuttle from airport, Old Town Transit Center, REI, Green Store, $
CLEEF – shelter, tents, dinner talk, breakfast
Places to know about:
So Monument -0
Eagle Rock – 106
Warner Springs – 109
Paradise Valley Café – (152) pkgs?
3 Mtn “Sky Islands”
Cross I-10, desert – 209
McDonalds at I-15 – 342
Mohave Desert w/aqueduct – 518
Kennedy Mdws Store – 705 shower, eat https://www.kennedymeadowsgeneralstore.com/home
Triple Crown Outfitters + Grumpy Bear’s Restaurant at Kennedy Meadows: https://www.triplecrownoutfitters.com/ https://grumpybearsretreat.wordpress.com/
Mt. Whitney/JMT – 768
Forester Pass – 781
Evolution Valley – 848
Devil’s Postpile/Mammoth Lakes – 908
Yosemite/Tuolumne Meadows – 944
Kennedy Mdws N – 1018
Tahoe – 1092
Midpoint – 1325
Blackberries (road walk to Seiad Valley)
Blue/huckleberries – OR and WA
Drakesbad Guest Ranch – 1352
Mt. Shasta – 420 miles
Burney Falls – 1421 store, ice cream, showers, fish
Crater Lake – 1825 jct
Timberline Lodge – 2100
Eagle Creek Waterfalls
Cascade Locks/Bridge of the Gods – 2150 – https://www.pctdays.com/
Goat Rocks/Knife Edge – 2250
Urich Hut – 2350
Snoqualmie Pass – 2396
Stehekin Bakery – 2575
North Monument – 2656
Manning Park
Canada: no longer allowed to enter. At monument, turn around to Hart’s Pass (30 mi). No Manning Pk.
PCT Trail Days Aug 20-21, 2027, Cascade Locks https://www.pctdays.com/
Scout’s Book: Journeys North; the Pacific Crest Trail
advice – prepare/get in shape, don’t get crushed. Mental state, positive people, things to look forward to..
If you haven’t backpacked much, go out for a week
Journal!
Make wise decisions!