The long-awaited announcement from the US Forest Service and the Pacific Crest Trail Association is finally here. After not issuing any 2021 permits at the end of 2020 (as would have been done regularly), the PCTA has announced that on January 19 they will be issuing PCT permits for the 2021
The Pacific Crest Trail Gear Guide: Class of 2020 Survey
In the third part of this year's Pacific Crest Trail Thru-hiker Survey, we take a deep dive into Pacific Crest Trail hikers' gear. PCT gear lists vary wildly between hikers and (spoiler alert) it's impossible to find a perfect PCT gear list. That said, we can try. I've organized this post in a
The Pacific Crest Trail Hiker Survey (2020)
In the second installment of the 2020 Pacific Crest Trail Hiker Survey, we'll take a look at the hikers who were actually on the trail this year. Normally, this information is covered in the initial survey publication, but because of many hikers choosing to cancel their hikes due to COVID-19, I
The 2020 Pacific Crest Trail Hiker Survey – Part I: NOGO
This late into the year, I'm sure we've all been reminded plenty that 2020 is/was, to say the least, different. The 2020 Pacific Crest Trail thru-hiking season was no exception. I considered not conducting a survey this year as I didn't want to encourage getting on the trail. But since I don't
Pacific Crest Trail Hiker Comparison (Class of 2019)
In preparation for what's going to be a very odd year of hiker surveys (the 2020 surveys for anyone reading this sometime in the future - if the world has managed to survive), I've decided to finish the final member (for now) of the Pacific Crest Trail Survey Family from last year's PCT Class - the
The Best Bear Canisters for the Pacific Crest Trail
The bear canister: an essential piece of Pacific Crest Trail equipment that reminds thru-hikers of what they're truly afraid of out in the wilderness - being torn to pieces by a ravenous bear in the middle of their night (but we all there know there are some scarier things than bears out there). If
Hiking the PCT Northbound: A Stupid Idea
There are two directions to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, northbound and southbound, but there's one correct direction to hike the PCT - southbound (SOBO). If you're considering a PCT thru-hike, do yourself a favor and don't even consider hiking northbound - it's a stupid move. The only way
Hiking the PCT Southbound: A Stupid Idea
There are two directions to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, northbound and southbound, but there's one correct direction to hike the PCT - northbound (NOBO). Hiking the PCT northbound it the only reasonable way anyone should complete this hike. The notion of hiking the trail southbound is absurd -
Why You (Probably) Don’t Need an Umbrella on the PCT
Should you bring an umbrella on your Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike? A question many of you have probably asked yourselves (and that others of you have been asking me). The gear you bring on a thru-hike is something hikers love to research, stress over, and talk about, so it's worth examining whether