Pacific Crest Trail Season Kicks Off

It’s almost April, which means birds chirping, people being fooled and, perhaps most importantly, the start of the hiking season on the Pacific Crest Trail! (PCT) Traditionally, there has been a kick-off party for those planning to hike the PCT that takes place at the beginning of April. Unfortunately, that has been canceled for this year due to various reasons. However, that doesn’t mean that plenty of people, thousands in fact, won’t be attempting this arduous journey. Nor should you let yourself be deterred from what is sure to be an epic undertaking.

Traditionally the PCT is hiked from South to North. It’s done this way for a few reasons, namely the weather and the time required. Given that it’s going to take you multiple months, you can expect the weather to change drastically over the course of your hike. Starting in April or May, Washington State is going to still be blanketed under a layer of snow, thus making it much more difficult to do any sort of hiking, let alone ultra-light, long-distance backpacking. By starting down near the Mexican border in Southern California, you can avoid this headache and plan to reach the upper stretches of the trail as things are warming up and snows are melting. Be warned though, on any given year you can expect to encounter sustained stretches of icy, snowy trail. Don’t let that deter you though!

Much like bears descending after hibernation, thru-hikers can be seen descending from their trek into the nearest civilized areas in search of food. Like their ursine cousins, weeks or months of solitude can leave them skittish and fearful of humans.

 

There are a few things that make hiking the PCT different than almost any other hike you will encounter. The first is the obvious one, the distance. The PCT stretches roughly 2,660 miles from Mexico to Canada, going through California, Oregon, and up through Washington. Given that it’s such a long trek, specialized, lightweight gear is often used. It’s definitely a good idea to minimize weight as much as possible. You can check out some of our lightweight offerings HERE. In fact, if you start from the beginning of the trail, it’s likely you’ll see many discarded, less-than essential items that have been shed by ambitious thru-hikers as they realize the enormity of the journey before them.

The second thing that makes the PCT different from many other hikes is the range of weather and seasons one will encounter during the journey. From the sweltering heat of Southern California, you ascend to the potentially snow-choked San Jacinto mountains at 9,030 feet, all in the space of just a few short days. Because of the wild temperature swings encountered by hikers, adequate gear is required to face just about any extreme imaginable, all while attempting to keep one’s pack as light as possible.

If you happen to see one of these elusive creatures, try not to spook them. Instead, offer a ride to Granite Chief to pick up supplies and refill their dwindling supply of granola and possibly deteriorating soles of their shoes.

 

As of the writing of this article, modern science has yet to find a way to allow a human being to carry upwards of four months worth of food at once. (Someday perhaps, but that’s for another article) Much like bears descending after hibernation, thru-hikers can be seen descending from their trek into the nearest civilized areas in search of food. Like their ursine cousins, weeks or months of solitude can leave them skittish and fearful of humans. However, the snap of a beer can being cracked is usually enough to coax them in and, once confronted they are usually docile and friendly.

Given our proximity to the PCT and latitude, we usually start to see hikers appearing in late June or early July. However, because of the potential for heavy snow blocking much of the trail this season, it’s possible that many won’t start to appear until mid-July. If you happen to see one of these elusive creatures, try not to spook them. Instead, offer a ride to Granite Chief to pick up supplies and refill their dwindling supply of granola and possibly deteriorating soles of their shoes. Heck, if you’re feeling like an upstanding citizen of the world, go the extra mile and offer them a ride back to the trailhead to begin the next phase of the journey.

Though most of us won’t have a chance this summer to hike this fantastic trail, we here at Granite Chief are eagerly awaiting tales of marauding crows stealing food in the night, close encounters with (actual) bears, and all of the other craziness that surely awaits any and all travelers bold enough to attempt this cross-country odyssey.