If there's one piece of gear that causes Pacific Crest Trail hikers the most headaches, it's the bear canister. Most northbound PCT thru-hikers pick up their bear canisters at Kennedy Meadows and then ditch them at either Sonora Pass (Kennedy Meadows North/Bridgeport) or Echo Summit (South Lake
Forester Pass Guide: Approaches, Crossing, and Snow
Forester Pass, the 13,153 ft / 4,009 m pass named for the United States Forest Service workers who "discovered" it, is the highest point on the Pacific Crest Trail and is the first Sierra pass encountered by northbound Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) thru-hikers (and the final pass crossed by southbound
Glen Pass Guide: Approaches, Crossing, and Snow
Glen Pass, the 11,969 ft / 3,648 m pass named for Forest Service ranger Glen H. Crow, is the second Sierra pass encountered by northbound Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) thru-hikers and the eighth encountered by southbound John Muir Trail (JMT) hikers. It's located 11.6 mi / 18.67 km north of Forester
Muir Pass Guide: Approaches, Crossing, and Snow
Muir Pass, the 11,969 ft / 3,648 m pass named for John Muir, a Scottish-American naturalist, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist, and nature-enthusiast, is the fifth Sierra pass encountered by northbound Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers (and the fifth encountered by southbound John Muir Trail
Pinchot Pass Guide: Approaches, Crossing, and Snow
Pinchot Pass, the 12,093 ft / 3,686 m pass named for Gifford Pinchot, the 1st head of the United States Forest Service, is the third Sierra pass encountered by northbound Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers (and the fourth encountered by southbound John Muir Trail hikers). It's located just 9.8 mi
Mather Pass Guide: Approaches, Crossing, and Snow
Mather Pass, the 12,093 ft / 3,686 m pass named for Stephen Mather, the 1st Director of the National Park Service, is the fourth Sierra pass encountered by northbound Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers (and the third encountered by southbound John Muir Trail hikers). Despite it not being as high
What the new PCT permit rules mean for thru-hikers
The Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) announced this week changes to the long-distance Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) permit that will impact all thru-hikers. Scary stuff, I know. But why!? Why are there even more restrictions being imposed on PCT hikers? All these people want to do is go live
Best Section Hikes of the PCT: The Sierra
The Sierra is widely regarded as the "best" section of the Pacific Crest Trail (although Washington is usually a close second). If you're looking to hike only a small portion of the PCT, then practically any section of the Sierra would make an incredible section hike (except maybe for the section
The Kennedy Meadows To Vermilion Valley Resort (VVR) PCT Resupply
Resupply on the Pacific Crest Trail (how you get yourself more food and/or supplies) is one of the major logistical obstacles that hikers face every year (although I would argue that, barring any special dietary restrictions, resupply is a relatively simple thing to deal with - but that's another