As with the abundance of acronyms associated with the Pacific Crest Trail, an entirely new collection of words joins the vocabulary of the thru-hiker as well. As someone new to thru-hiking, I found myself wondering what many of these things meant, and whether or not I should expose my ignorance
The Many Names Of The Pacific Crest Trail
So how long is the Pacific Crest Trail (a question that should be included in the FAQ, but isn't because nobody asks it). Well, the "official" length of the trail can fall anywhere between 2,600 and 2,700 depending on your source, but most thru-hikers go with the 2,660 number (that's miles - see
The Thru-Hiker Superiority Complex
You just hiked 30 mi / 48 km and now, inside your sleeping bag an hour past sunset, you study your maps and find a river 26 mi / 42 km further up the trail from your current campsite. This is where you will camp tomorrow; it will be glorious. You drift off to sleep imagining the spectacular
Tent Envy – Why Bigger Isn’t Better
Look at all these people. Chairs, cots, two-burner stoves, coolers, tents large enough to walk around in. To walk around in!? Are you kidding me?! I am currently camped at a particularly nice "campground" that resembles more of a "bring-your-own-room hotel". We have got ourselves flushable
The PCT: Three Second Thru-Hike (VIDEO)
It takes a long time to walk the 2,600 miles of Pacific Crest Trail, and a good percentage of those miles offer very little in terms of scenery, wildlife, or enjoyment in general (aka most of Oregon). Before I started down the PCT I eagerly watched any video or even raw footage to pump myself up
Getting Super High On The Pacific Crest Trail
If there is one thing hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail do on a regular basis it is getting high. In fact, most people get higher on the PCT than they ever have been or will be in the rest of their lives. It is something that brings people together and provides a common ground for relating to one
Being Homeless In Town
"Do the two of you have any money?" Not normally what you expect to be asked when you sit down at the local diner for breakfast, usually it's more along the lines of "how are you?" or "can I get you something to drink", but on this particular morning in the hick town of Bridgeport, California,
Trail Names On The Pacific Crest Trail
When you venture out into the wild on a long-distance hiking trail, it is tradition to take on a trail name (because you don't want anything that happens on the trail to come back and find you in the "real world"). Convicted serial killer? Famous athlete? Just unfortunately named? I'm looking at