What should a hiker wear on the Pacific Crest Trail? I put together my clothes based on my experience on the Appalachian Trail, and that turned out to be a poor fit for the PCT. Read on, to find out why, and see what I’d take if I did the trail again.
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One aspect of any thru-hike that hikers have little control over is the weather. Mother Nature is fickle and can change on a whim. A difference of a few days can cause great changes in how a hike proceeds. While the weather can be planned for, luck also plays a big role in how the trail unfolds.
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I’ve previously said that nothing prepares you for a thru-hike quite like actually doing a thru-hike. With the Appalachian and Long Trails under my belt, I felt I had a good idea of what I was doing when I first set foot on the PCT. But, the PCT is a quite different beast from the AT, and as I made my way up the trail, the PCT made its own distinct impression.
It’s been nearly six months since completing the PCT — and a few days short of a year since I began the trail — which makes it long past time I write up my thoughts on the trail.
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Six months ago, I left Campo, California, and began my second epic-length adventure. Slowly but surely, I hiked my way through the Southern California desert, the snow-covered mountains of the High Sierra, the lava fields of Oregon, and the forests of Washington. Through dirt and snow, river and forest, smoke and fire, heat and cold, I made my way ever further north along the mountain wilderness of the Pacific Crest Trail. Today, finally, that adventure comes to its end.
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The penultimate day on the trail may have started off slow, but the afternoon was full of beautiful scenery and an epic lake as my six-month-long journey nears its conclusion.
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