A Little Info About the PCT

When I was a kid, my family hiked some of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) on long weekends and for vacation.  I always enjoyed it.  I still remember the first time I heard about the entire trail and that some people actually walk the WHOLE THING!  This seemed unfathomable to me at the time.  Actually it seemed pretty unfathomable until a few months ago.  Raising kids is a very time-consuming endeavor and there wasn't much time to think of an adventure such as taking 5-6 months to hike from Mexico to Canada.  With 3 of the 4 in college or beyond, and Harley graduating high school next year, my mind can wander to the possibilities of attempting the hike.

Many people are aware of the Appalachian Trail.  It's the most famous of the National Scenic Trails in the US.  It runs from Georgia to Maine with top elevations reaching approximately 6000 feet.  (I'm going on memory here, so don't quote me!)  It also has shelters approximately 10 miles apart the length of the trail for thru-hikers to camp.  It draws more hikers than its lesser known counterpart, the Pacific Crest Trail.  Here's a little information from www.pcta.org...

"Zigzagging its way from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) boasts the greatest elevation changes of any of America's National Scenic Trails, allowing it to pass through six out of seven of North America's ecozones including high and low desert, old-growth forest and alpine country. Indeed, the PCT is a trail of diversity and extremes. From scorching desert valleys in Southern California to rain forests in the Pacific Northwest, the PCT offers hikers and equestrians a unique, varied experience. Located within driving distance of San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, and Seattle, the PCT is both easily accessible and blissfully wild at the same time. Whether you'd like to explore the PCT for weeks on end, or just a weekend, it offers the best of the West - the Mojave Desert, the Sierra Nevada and Mt. Whitney, Yosemite National Park, Marble Mountain and the Russian Wilderness in Northern California, the volcanoes of the Cascades including Mt. Shasta and Mt. Hood, Crater Lake, Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Rainier, and the remote Northern Cascades."

All of this in 2650 miles with a high point of 13,200 feet.  Wow!  What more can I say?!?!  Sign me up!