Image from "Garfunkel", 2011

Watch the 2011 Class Movie - The big snow year. (compiled by JnB) rt.1hour 16 min. (images from 80 hikers)
Other class movies of note: 2012 , 2014 and 2015. You will enjoy these!

See a fun entertaining movie we produced before hiking the trail rt. 4 min.

I unload my pack after the hike - 20 min. movie

Read our journal - planning and hiking, day by day

email us: jackandbarbpct@gmail.com

Fun! A short 4 min video showing the terrain/people from Mexico to Canada.
You will like this as well! To download a copy, see the link below the video.

How much will a PCT thru hike cost? On the low end, $3000 plus transport, on the high end, $8000 plus transport (we came in at about $5500 each). Typical costs below.

Gear - They say a thru hiker looks like a bum with some of the most expensive and high tech camping gear on the market - It is true! Your gear costs will depend on what you already have and how serious you want to get. You might want to plan on $1500 if you need some upgrading.
Transportation to San Diego and from Manning Park, BC from your hometown (unknown costs, depends on where you live and how you travel)
Food - 140 days of food, plan on breakfasts, $1.50 each, lunch $1.50, dinners $5, snacks 5-7 per day at $1.50 each so looks like about $2000 - remember that you are eating for two.
Calories count! Breakfast shoot for 400-500 calories, Lunch, 400, dinner 700. That leaves a whopping 2400 calories for day snacks. At 350 cal per snack, that would be 7 snacks per day.
We also carried a maltodextrine sport drink at 300 cal per liter bottle and consumed two packets per day each so that gave us close to our 4000 cal per day requirement. Find calorie counts for foods here.
Postage - depending on how you resupply or if you have a bounce box. Large priority mail box cost is $18. You will have to ship bear cans and ice axes in and out.
Town stops - best guess, $80 room, $35 food and small quantities of alcohol, $7 laundry, maybe about $110 per stop - this can add up fast, 20 stops will cost about $2500. Many hikers split room costs.

The trail can be expensive. Have some extra $ socked away.

Permits and Planning

It is expected that about 1,000 people will attempt a thru hike of the PCT this coming year (2015). Of those that start, about 60% will make it to Canada. Hikers of all ages will be on the trail but the greatest segment will be those aged 20-29. More complete stats coming soon.

PCTA.org You hike the trail, help them maintain it. Become a member!

Hiking permit information, provide by the PCTA - includes info for climbing Mt. Whitney

Canadian entry permit - Fill out this form online, print it and mail to Canada about 6 weeks before your hike. Note: If you choose, you can turn around at the Canadian border and hike back 30 miles to Hart's Pass where you might get lucky and get a ride to Mazama, WA (forest road), or continue hiking on to Rainy pass (another 33 miles) reaching highway 20 where hitching should be easier.

Hiking FAQs from the PCTA

Camp stove and campfire restrictions - there have been some bad fires in California recently. As a result, you may be restricted in the type of stove you will carry.

California campfire permit - watch a short video, take an easy quiz, print out your permit.

Craig's PCT Planner - Plan your entire hike! Spend some time with this and modify various sections (like in the Sierra, you will not be racking up a lot of miles each day, and in Oregon, you will fly!). Create an account (free). A starting point: 2.2 to 2.5 mph, 10 hour days and 30 min for every 1,000 ft ele. gain.

More on resupply

Mileages from Mexico to Canada on the PCT (from 1990 book, somewhat accurate)

BearCant's interactive PCT altitude map - fun and interesting. Visit CA section "H" to see what the Sierra has in store for you!

Maps: Halfmile's paper map set, 455 pages - Be sure to notice and carry the altitude profile pages at the end of each section. You will NOT want to carry the entire set with you at one time! Put the set in your bounce box or have sections mailed ahead. You can print or download your own Halfmile map set here. (but you may spend more for ink than purchasing from Yogisbooks). See the additional links on right of Halfmile's web page. Yogi also has a two part book with some valuable trail town guides and maps.

Water: Plan each day around water sources. The Southern California Water Report - is an indispensable resource. During the hiking season, it is regularly updated by hikers on the trail. It can be uploaded to your smart phone whenever you have service. (see the HYOHPCT app below) Note: Never rely on water put out by trail angels (water cache), even with an updated water report. A cache that has 50 gallons could disappear in a day or two as large numbers of hikers pass through. Always plan for a dry water cache and carry extra. If you find any water source to be inacurate, please send in an update to the water report at your first opportunity. The driest stretch of trail is Section F, miles 609- 651. You will have to leave the trail on occasion to get water - Do it if you need water, even if it means hiking a few extra miles.

Phone Apps
Halfmile's PCT - if you are taking a smart phone this one is a must have
Guthook's PCT Guide - many hikers use this one as well
HYOHPCT - makes links to valuable info easy
Backcountry Navigator Pro You could download their maps before your hike and add Halfmile's garmin waypoints and tracks as an overlay.

Halfmile's GPS tracks and waypoints. We just love this guy! GPS Garmin tracks and waypoints covering the entire trail, even without an electronic map, you will have a track to follow - but you might prefer to leave the gps at home and use the Halfmile phone app instead

Halfmile's trail notes - also worth having in pdf on your phone or printed out

Google Earth - if you have GE, then download Halfmile's kmz file here and play around with it! How Fun Is This!

PCT-l online forum, read the archives, ask questions

A very informative site with lots of useful links (PlanYourHike.com)

A very comprehensive FAQ page (Postholer.com)

Equipment

Gear Weights - Skin out weight vs base weight

A thru hikers gear list with a base weight of 9.5 lbs

Our gear list - lightweight but not ultra-light

See many more gear lists here

Some tent suppliers: ULA, Gossamer Gear, Z packs, Osprey, Golite, MLD (Mountain Laurel Designs), six moon design

Bear Vault BV500 - see a bear try to break in!

Watch ice axe self arrest video better yet, take a winter mountaineering course and practice self arrest when you get into a snowy area. Another good video here

Proper use of hiking poles It's not rocket science but do learn how to run your hands properly through the straps and use the straps to your advantage.
Note: purchase an extra set of tips for your poles and plan to have them mailed to you when your tips burn out - most just knock off. Watch this video. Tom at Kennedy Meadows helped us replace ours.

Cell phone coverage - We were surprised to find reception in some of the most out of the way places but mostly, you will have no signal. It appears that Verizon has the best coverage on the PCT.

Food

What hikers eat is across the board. Some go to great lengths to prepare meals, others boil up a package of Ramen noodles and dump in a can of tuna fish. Big trail items seem to be Knorrs packages, Idahoan mashed potatoes and the like. Dehydrated food is best as it carries the most calories with the lightest weight. Some hikers dehydrate meals at home and pack them in their resupply boxes. Others carry olive oil and dump some into every dinner. Oils have more calories per weight than anything else. Some hikers have hot oatmeal and coffee every morning, some cook lunch. Some eat dinner early and hike on to their campsite. Only you can decide but you should be counting calories.

Breakfast for us was either granola with powdered milk (350 cal) or a 230 cal Oatmeal-on-the-Run bar (no longer available). We would start snacking an hour or two later. Lunch would be pb&j on tortillas, bread or bagels, sometimes salami and cheese, sometimes with chips like pringles or fritos. After lunch, we would eat more snack items (gorp, candy bars, lara bars, kind bars etc) throughout the rest of the day. We only heated water once per day (dinner) and lived almost exclusively on Mountain House meals (460-520 cal). We found a great deal at CostCo, qty 10 two person meals for $40. There was a variety of four different meals too. Barb and I consumed a 2 person meal each evening. From Oregon to WA, I would regularly have a desert of Jello Chocolate Pudding - serves 4, I would eat the entire package (add powdered milk and water, 240 calories). Sometimes I would crush up some fritos and dump them in the dinner pouch - YUM! My go to snacks were snickers (dark chocolate), M&Ms, PayDay bars, Lara Bars, pre-packaged GORP and beef jerky. I also had a home packaged maltodextrine sports drink (sugar and electrolytes) at 300 cal per liter that I would sip on throughout the day (2 packs per day). I would sometimes burn through 5 or 6 snack items per day.

Good info on Food This website, planyourhike.com has lots of other valuable information as well.

Pack Light, Eat Right

Food and lodging at the towns along the PCT. Reviews of trail towns (somewhat dated info)

Trail Magic - NEVER plan on trail magic for your next meal and if you plan to assist hikers, please try to avoid hosting unattended caches. Never leave your trash at an unattended trail stop. Better yet, take any trash you find at one with you. If you plan to cache water for hikers, visit your site periodically and police the area, removing all of your empty containers. Have a plan to keep your empties from blowing away in the wind.

Note: A welcome stop at Donna and Jeff Saufley's Hiker Heaven (Agua Dulce, mile 454). They are friends of ours, tell them we said 'Hi from Jack and Barb". As for all trail angel stops, check in advance to see if they will be open when you pass through.

Fuel availability on the trail (an entry on the PCT-l)

You might also consider multi-vitamins and in particular where it is hot, electrolyte replacements (sodium, potassium and magnesium especially). You should be getting plenty of Vitamin D from the sun.

Photography - we have lots of info here

Training for a thru hike: By February or March, start walking. Walk some more, climb hills, stairs, or steep streets. Walk some more with a light pack on. Eventually try to complete 15 miles once a week, for about 3 weeks before your PCT hike. On the off days do 3-5 miles. You should be able to do 15-20 miles at the start. The first leg, Campo to Lake Morena is 20 miles. If you are in shape, get a ride to Campo with a day pack and do the entire 20 miles ("slackpack") in the first day. Don't forget to sign the register at the Southern Monument, and carry sufficient water.

Hygiene - Practice good hygiene and you will increase your odds of staying well. Be careful when dipping your hand into a big bowl of chips or popcorn that many other people are dipping into. Need we say more?

Injuries - Shin splints, tendinitis, and stress fractures are due to overuse and pushing yourself too hard. Take it easy especially at the start of your hike. If you develop a problem, take a few days off to rest and assess the extent of your injury. It is better to leave the trail and come back the following year than ruin your body forever.  Also watch out for infections. A small wound can easily get infected on the trail. If you see lots of redness and swelling, seek medical attention asap.

Sun Protection - Bring a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses. Especially in the desert, on snow, and at high altitudes, keep covered up. We wore long pants and shirts (lightweight) so we wouldn't have to use as much sunscreen. Our Dr Shade gloves were great in protecting our hands both from the elements and the blisters that could form from the hiking pole straps.

Keep an electronic journal Postholer is a good, free online journal portal. You could go old school and can carry a notebook and even colored pencils or write electronic journal entries to your phone and upload them when you get to a town. We carried a very small voice recorder and each evening, recorded miles hiked, trail conditions and things that happened during the day. It helped us remember what happened each day. When we were in towns, we would transcribe and upload to postholer. You could use the recorder app on your phone for this. If you want to send up more than 5 images to a Postholer journal, contact Scott at and he will set you up to a max of 15 per page.

Facebook has become a popular site to stay in touch with fellow hikers in your year. Search for Pacific Crest Trail 2018 (enter your year). A class movie may be produced by someone in your class. They will need your pictures and movies to make a super video (usually about 1 hour long). Look or ask for info on facebook. Find the videos on youtube or vimeo.

First Aid We carried about 1/4 lb of first aid. It was mostly an insurance policy. You should have blister pads and/or moleskin and an antibiotic cream like neosporin or bactracin. We also carried Cipro, a strong antibiotic, Flagyl, for giardia and some very strong painkillers (hydrocodone), all by prescription from our doctor. Don't forget your "Vitamin I" - Ibuporphin - the most popular pill on the trail!

Hitchhiking tips Remember, you do not have to take a ride if it doesn't feel right. Just say "You know, I'm gonna pass but thanks anyway for stopping"

A complex undertaking (essay)

Trail Names - A name might happen to you. Most people knew us as JackandBarb or JnB. Barb got her name Boo Boo from a screw up when we were slacking section a. Jack got his from carrying tequila all the way to Canada. Names with one to three syllables are best (Tequila Jack = "TJ")

Stuff at home - Plan ahead. How will you mail be collected or forwarded? Are you leaving your home empty? Who will take care of your pets or houseplants? Any bills that you will need to pay?

SPOT Satellite GPS locator beacon Allow your friends and family to plot your progress and see where you are each day. If you have an online journal with postholer, you can set it up to automatically pinpoint your whereabouts on a map. If things go really south, press the "help" button and search and rescue will find you. Device weighs 4.6 oz with (3) AAA batteries. NOTE: There is a gen 3 out now that is even better than the gen 2 that we used. You can find used Gen2 units on ebay. Let your signal beam up for at least 15 minutes to insure reception by a satellite. Information page on SPOT here. Regardless of whether you use one of these or not, it is a very good idea to stay connected with at least one person off the trail. Reassure family and friends while you are gone - Do check in regularly and let your friends and family know that you are ok. Tell them when you plan to check in again.

Travel with other hikers, especially in the Sierra, especially if it is a big snow year or you are in extremely hot conditions. Keep tabs on your crew.

A hiker card - These cards are fun to have and are not very expensive. We chose a picture we shot while on a training hike in April and went online to Vista Print and in 30 minutes or so, had our order complete. We ordered 500 cards ($ 30) and used almost all of them. We had them at the kickoff and put 10 cards in every resupply box.

Our hiker stats - miles per day etc

Purchase or borrow and inexpensive scale for weighing your gear. Our postal scale would weigh up to 10 lbs.

Leave No Trace - The Seven Principles

Somewhere along the trail, after the 700 mile mark, plan to spend a zero or nero (no miles) day on the trail. Danger, it might become addictive! (we spent only one nero day at mile 774).

What day should you start? Assuming you are going NoBo and not a super speedy hiker, the best time to start is sometime from early April to early May. Your decision should be based on the current snowpack in the Sierra. On a normal snow year, you will want to reach Kennedy Meadows (mile 702) around June 10-20th. You can find current snow statistics on postholer but you must register (free) to view this page. Try to keep your start date as flexible as possible. To see what dates the current hikers are shooting for, go here (it would be best to avoid starting on the peaks). The graph shows March, April, and May. And, check this out, the location of the "average" hiker (this would be the herd) - data culled from 302 journals. This is extremely useful data for planning.

Do you have any exceptional resources that we can add here? Email the link to us.

Link #1 Backpack45

Contact Us: JackandBarbPCT@gmail.com