The Annual Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hiker Survey (2017)

Check out the most recent PCT Survey results here.

Hello and welcome to the results of the 2017 Pacific Crest Trail Thru-hiker Survey!

I’ve officially closed the books on the fifth year of this project and we have once again increased the number of respondents from the previous year – by nearly 50%! A huge THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to participate. You’re all amazing people.

When I started this survey following my own Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike, I was hoping to create a resource that would help hikers answer all the questions I had prior to starting the PCT. Over the past five years, I have refined this survey and the results in a quest to continue increasing the potential usefulness of this small corner of the internets. However, there’s always room for improvement, so once you’ve had a look at the data, I would love to hear your thoughts in the form of a comment or email.

For those of you visiting one of these surveys for the first time, know that the following should be looked at skeptically; there’s nothing particularly scientific about this data. I did my best to make sure this accurately reflects the data collected from this year’s Pacific Crest Trail class and I tried to remove any obviously bad data (no, you didn’t spend $800,000 on your hike, Respondent 526). My hope is that you find the following thru-hiking data (the best kind of data) entertaining, educational, and/or interesting.

Here you are, the results of Halfway Anywhere’s 2017 Pacific Crest Trail Thru-hiker Survey:

NOTES ON THE DATA

• This year we had 566 completed surveys (up 48% from last year).
• The responses to some questions have been sorted and colorized to normalize the results and (hopefully) make them more useful (e.g. northbound vs. southbound).
• Not everyone meticulously documents the stats of their thru-hike (I guess I’m weird). Therefore, the data is not 100% guaranteed accurate. However, I am hoping people gave their best guesstimates when answering questions.
• For simplicity’s sake, I refer to the survey respondents collectively as this year’s “class“. Remember that this is only a fraction of this year’s PCT hikers and is not necessarily representative of the entire PCT Class of 2017.
• If you’re that kind of person and you find some small discrepancy in the data, get over it – may I remind you we aren’t dealing in exactness here. However, if you find any large or obfeeus, please let me know.

Here are the labels used to differentiate hiker segments:

• THRU: Thru-hikers (all)
• FINISH: Thru-hikers (all) who completed the entire PCT
• NOFINISH: Thru-hikers (all) who did NOT complete the PCT
• NOBO: Northbound thru-hikers (all)
• NOBO-0: Northbound thru-hikers who did NOT complete the PCT
• NOBO-1: Northbound thru-hikers who completed the PCT
• SOBO: Southbound thru-hikers (all)
• SOBO-0: Southbound thru-hikers who did NOT complete the PCT
• SOBO-1: Southbound thru-hikers who completed the PCT

If NO LABEL has been appended to a data point, then I used all data collected.

SOUTHBOUND DATA: I received responses from EIGHTEEN southbound thru-hikers (up from just ten last year). An additional THIRTEEN section-hiking southbounders responded as well, but their responses are not included in the SOBO-0 and SOBO-1 groups.

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THE DEMOGRAPHICS

First, a look at some information that won’t help you prepare for a PCT thru-hike, but that is nonetheless interesting: HIKER DEMOGRAPHICS.

• SEX | 57% Male, 42% Female, 0.36% Gender Non-conforming, 0.18% Transgender
• AGE | 2% <20, 19% 20-24, 29% 25-29, 16% 30-35, 8% 35-39, 8% 40-49, 10% 50-59, 7% 60-69, 0.5% >70
• AVERAGE AGE | 34 (σ = 12.8)

• RACE | 74% Caucasian, 3% Asian, 2% Hispanic, 0.3% African American, 0.2% Indian, 0.2% Native American, 20% Declined to answer
• EDUCATION | 3% <12th grade, 6% High School Diploma, 13% Some College, 7% Associate Degree, 46% Bachelor’s Degree, 22% Graduate Degree, 3% Declined to answer

• COUNTRIES | Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Samoa, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, USA (34 TOTAL)
• US STATES | AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WY (44 TOTAL – where you at Delaware, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia?)

THE BASICS

Here we’ll take a look at DATES for thru-hikes, whether hikers were on their FIRST THRU-HIKE, what trails people ALREADY HIKED, whether hikers BEGAN ALONE, and what everyone thought about TRAIL EVENTS.

Of the thru-hikers this year, 69% were on their first long-distance trail and 31% had already done a long-distance hike.

The trails most commonly hiked by those with experience were:

• THRU – DID YOU BEGIN ALONE? | 67% Yes, 33% No
• THRU – WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE TIME DID YOU HIKE ALONE? | 55%
• THRU – WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE TIME DID YOU CAMP ALONE? | 20%

• NOBO – MONTH STARTED?
  • 5% March
  • 66% April
  • 28% May
  • 1% June
  • 1% July
• NOBO – AVERAGE START DATE | April 23
• NOBO – MOST POPULAR START DATES | April 10, 14, 25, 30
• NOBO – AVERAGE DATE LEAVING KENNEDY MEADOWS | June 11
• NOBO – HAPPY WITH START DATE?
  • 70% Yes
  • 24% No, would start earlier
  • 6% No, would start later

NORTHBOUND START DATES

• NOBO-1 – AVERAGE START DATE | April 25
• NOBO-0 – AVERAGE DATE LEAVING KENNEDY MEADOWS | June 12
• NOBO-1 – AVERAGE DATE LEAVING KENNEDY MEADOWS | June 10
• NOBO-1 – AVERAGE END DATE | September 21
• NOBO-1 – AVERAGE COMPLETION TIME | 150 days (σ = 17)

NOTES: 77% of hikers who said they would have liked to start later began before April 23 and 69% of the hikers who said they would have like to start earlier started after April 23.

• SOBO – MONTH STARTED? | 6% June, 94% July
• SOBO – MOST POPULAR START DATES | July 10, 12
• SOBO – AVERAGE START DATE | July 9
• SOBO – HAPPY WITH START DATE?
  • 53% Yes
  • 35% No, would start earlier
  • 12% No, would start later

• SOBO-1 – AVERAGE START DATE | July 10
• SOBO-1 – AVERAGE END DATE | October 10
• SOBO-1 – AVERAGE COMPLETION TIME | 117 days (σ = 10)

Now let’s look at whether hikers TRAINED for the PCT. I had everyone RATE THEIR FITNESS on a scale of 0 (Overweight, lazy waste of life) to 10 (Godlike superhuman) with “Average Joe” in the middle at 5.

• THRU – DID YOU TRAIN FOR THE PCT? | 53% Yes, 47% No
• THRU – AVERAGE FITNESS LEVEL | 6.2 (σ = 1.4)
• FINISH – AVERAGE FITNESS LEVEL | 6.4 (σ = 1.3)
• NOFINISH – AVERAGE FITNESS LEVEL | 6.1 (σ = 1.4)

THE HIKING

How much time did this year’s class spend actually hiking?

Here are the HIKING STATS, including DAILY MILEAGE, number of ZEROES/NEAR-OS taken, and whether hikers FLIP-FLOPPED, hiked WHITNEY, hiked the ENTIRE PCT, or would hike the PCT AGAIN.

• FINISH – AVERAGE DAYS ON TRAIL | 148 (σ = 18)
• FINISH – AVERAGE LONGEST DAY | 37.7 mi / 60.7 km (σ = 7.8 mi / 12.6 km)
• FINISH – AVERAGE DAILY MILEAGE | 18.2 mi / 29.3 km (σ = 2.4 mi / 3.9 km)
• FINISH – AVERAGE ZEROES | 18 (σ = 9.5)
• FINISH – AVERAGE NEAR-OS | 15 (σ = 7.6)

• WOULD CONSIDER HIKING THE PCT AGAIN? | 88% Yes, 12% No

• THRU – DID YOU FLIP-FLOP? | 37% Yes, 63% No
• THRU – DID YOU SUMMIT MOUNT WHITNEY? | 61% Yes, 39% No
• THRU – DID YOU HIKE A CONTINUOUS/UNBROKEN FOOTPATH OF THE PCT?
  • 14% Yes, and I did NOT skip the fire closures.
  • 38% Yes, but I skipped the fire closures.
  • 11% Yes, but I may have missed a few miles here or there.
  • 17% No, I hitched past/skipped some small sections.
  • 20% No, I hitched past/skipped large sections.

As much as we all like to think that we’re going to succeed, I can guarantee you that not every would-be thru-hiker who begins the PCT will make it to the end. Here’s what’s probably going to happen to you (if this year’s class is any indication).

DID YOU COMPLETE THE PCT? | 48% Yes, 52% No

• NOFINISH – AVERAGE MILES FINISHED | 1,306 mi / 2,102 km (σ = 662 mi / 1,065 km)

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THE RESUPPLY

For those of you thinking about setting off on a Pacific Crest Trail adventure, you’re probably wondering about resupply (aka how and where do you get your hiker fuel aka food).

Here’s this year’s RESUPPLY STRATEGY, including the number of BOXES sent, and where hikers SUGGEST MAILING a box.

• FINISH – AVERAGE RESUPPLY STOPS MADE | 26 (σ = 6.8)
• FINISH – AVERAGE BOXES SENT | 10 (σ = 6.4)

The average number of boxes sent by hikers who said they would like to have sent FEWER boxes? Twelve. The average number of boxes sent by hikers who said they would like to have sent MORE boxes? Nine. The average number of resupply boxes sent? Ten.

So if you’re taking this advice and looking to send TEN resupply boxes (which also fits with the strategy of only sending yourself SOME boxes), the places you should send them – according to this survey – are (from Mexico to Canada):

• Warner Springs (Desert)
• Kennedy Meadows (Sierra)
• Sierra City (NorCal)
• Crater Lake (Oregon)
• Shelter Cove (Oregon)
• Trout Lake (Washington)
• White Pass (Washington)
• Snoqualmie Pass (Washington)
• Stevens Pass/Skykomish (Washington)
• Stehekin (Washington)

NOTE: Many hikers simply answered “Washington” in response to the “where would you definitely suggest mailing a box” question, since the resupply options in Washington are limited (think gas stations and convenience stores). It’s not impossible to resupply at these places, but if you’re picky, tight on cash, or just like resupply boxes, then consider yourself warned.

I also asked where hikers resupplied. I have used the following colors to indicate the popularity of each stop: In geographical order, starting at Mexico, here are the most popular resupply stops (aka everywhere at least 70% of respondents said they paid a visit to): OVER 66%, 33-66%, LESS THAN 33%.

But what about hitchhiking? I asked hikers which resupply stops they had difficulty making it to from the trail. The top responses were:

1. Lake Isabella (Desert)
2. Etna (Northern California)
3. Independence from Kearsarge Pass (Sierra)
4. Lone Pine (Sierra)
5. Yosemite Valley (Sierra)
6. Chester (Northern California)

Need help figuring out where the cool places to go are? Here are hikers’ FAVORITE and LEAST FAVORITE resupply points (for each section):

THE GEAR

If there’s anything that can compete with resupply for “most time spent thinking about before a thru-hike”, it’s gear. Getting gear together for a thru-hike can be a challenge, especially if you’re in the majority of hikers who haven’t attempted a long-distance trail before.

So let’s take a look at the PCT Class of 2017’s gear, shall we?

• THRU – AVERAGE BASE WEIGHT (START) | 19.49 lb / 8.84 kg (σ = 8.7 lb / 4 kg)
• THRU – AVERAGE BASE WEIGHT (END) | 16.51 lb / 7.49 kg (σ = 6.6 lb / 3 kg)
• THRU – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON GEAR | $1,560 (σ = $912)

• FINISH – PAIRS OF SHOES USED (AVERAGE) | 4 (σ = 1.2)
• FINISH – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON ENTIRE HIKE |$6,221 (σ = $2,548)

For more on PCT costs, check out How Much Does it Cost to Hike The Pacific Crest Trail?

• AVERAGE SLEEPING BAG TEMPERATURE RATING | 18°F / -8°C
• AVERAGE BACKPACK SIZE | 56 L

Here are the MOST COMMONLY USED “Big 4” items: PACKS, SHELTERS, SLEEPING BAGS, and SLEEPING PADS (I know it’s the “Big 3”, but I like to include sleeping pads; I like symmetry). This year, I’ve added a SATISFACTION RATING for each piece of gear (based on responses from hikers).

But in addition to the big-ticket items, hikers also need to consider what they’re bringing in the STOVE, WATER TREATMENT, BEAR CANISTER, and SHOE departments. Here’s the most popular gear:

For more on gear, check out the Ultimate Pacific Crest Trail Packing List.

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THE HEALTH

The question of water treatment and hygiene is a big consideration for hikers (however, it’s typically something you worry less about as the trail goes on).

Here are the stats on hiker HEALTH and WATER TREATMENT.

• DID YOU FILTER WATER? 58% Yes, 41% Sometimes, 2% Never
• DID YOU GET SICK? 11% Yes, 89% No

Now we can get to the fun part and take a detailed look at who made good choices with their water sources out on the PCT. We all know that you want to look cool in front of your friends and not filter your water, but it turns out there are risks to that badass thru-hiker lifestyle.

THE LIKES AND DISLIKES

I asked hikers what PCT RESOURCES they found most and least valuable when planning their hikes. If there was overlap (aka listed as a “most” and “least” valuable) I took the difference.

*I just want to thank everyone who supports the site and encourages me to keep doing what I’m doing – so THANK YOU!

THE FEAR, REGRETS, AND ADVICE

I included this year a question asking if hikers ever felt LEGITIMATELY AFRAID on the trail. More of this will be included in a future post, but for now, here are some that stood out to me:

• Glenn Pass. Took a route that we were unable to backtrack on and this is where I fell and had to self-arrest.
• I felt kinda creeped out at Hikertown, but at least there were a bunch of other hikers there I knew, which helped.
• Lightning and hailstorm on the Oregon Skyline Alternate! Had never dealt with lightning on trail before and it wasn’t until I was experiencing it firsthand that I realized how much danger I was in. Would be good if there was more awareness of this.
• River crossings.
• I was attacked by a Rottweiler just north of Hikertown. I fought it off of my dog and then myself.

Now for Class of 2017 wisdom: what would you have DONE DIFFERENTLY if you were to do it all over again?

1. Researched gear more and started with a lower base weight (more on PCT gear here).
2. Trained more before starting the PCT (more on PCT training here)
3. More pictures and videos on the trail (think other hikers, campsites, and YOU).
4. Stressed less and not planned as much before starting (more on PCT planning here).
5. Saved more and spent less money (more on how much a thru-hike costs here).

I also asked this class what ADVICE FOR FUTURE PCT HIKERS they had. Here are some of my favorites:

• Don’t eat the plants. Don’t take chemical treatments out of hiker boxes. Don’t get waterproof boots wet ever, but wear shoes in the crossings. Glissades are awesome and save time, practice them and stay in control.
• No matter how much it hurts, push and make it through the first two weeks. They’re the hell weeks, the initiation. After that, you can will your body to handle anything on the trail. And just enjoy it and don’t take it for granted.
• Unless you have a restrictive diet, don’t assemble your resupply boxes before your hike. Your tastes and caloric needs will change, you will alter your plans and decide to go into towns with friends, and it’s easy to send yourself boxes from on trail.
• DO NOT LISTEN TO PEOPLE IN TOWNS OR ON THE TRAIL. There was an insane amount of fear-mongering this year and much of it was for absolutely no good reason. Hike what you feel comfortable hiking. If you feel like you can handle something that doomsayers are saying is impossible, take some extra food and go see for yourself. There are too many people who try to shit on your Sunday for whatever reason and most of what I encountered was not reality.
• Don’t follow the herd – do what you want to do, and not what the people around you/the people you’ve been hiking with want.
• Gear doesn’t make the hiker and solid planning doesn’t do the hike for you. Adaptability is what’ll get you through.
• You probably don’t need a lot of the stuff you will start the trail with.
• Pick up your poo paper, trash, and respect for sleeping hikers.

There is a lot of information in these responses, so I will be making a separate post with ALL (some) of the responses. After all, one of the top resources reported by this year’s class was “former thru-hikers” and now that’s exactly what they all are.

THE OTHER PCT SURVEYS

• Pacific Crest Trail Hiker Survey
• Pacific Crest Trail Survey: The Gear Guide
• Pacific Crest Trail Survey: The Resupply Guide
• Pacific Crest Trail Survey: Hiker Breakdown
• Pacific Crest Trail Survey: Horror & Heartbreak
• Pacific Crest Trail Survey: Advice For The Future
• All PCT Hiker Survey Posts

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Finally, another BIG THANKS to and all the other hikers who completed this year’s survey, including (but not limited to): 12 pack, 2.Toe, 6 Strings, 8Knots, Adaywithout, A-GAME, A.M., Achilles, Acorn, Afghan, Afterburners, Aloha, Alps!!, Altitude, Amnesia, Arrow, Asiago, Atlas, Atom, Awesome, Baby Carrots, BABY JESUS, Baby Lips, Bacon, Badass Mama, Baloo, Bam Bam, Bananaman, Bananas, Bandcamp, Bandit, Bartender, Beagle, Bear Steps, Bearfoot, Bedazzled, Beez Neez, Beta, Big Bird, Big Daddy, Big Sky, Bigfoot, Binchicken, Birddog, Birdie, Blawesome, Blazing Saddles, Blis, Bluebunny, Blue Steel, Bolts, Bonsai, Boo, Bottom, Boulder, Brakecheck, Braveheart, Breakfast Beer, Bucket, Buddha, BugJuice, Bullfrog, Burns, Bushwhack, CamelBag, Canary, Candyman, Captain Underpants, Carefree, Cat Weazle, Charlie Brown, Chaski, Chaunce, Cheerful, Chef, Chewie, Chief Meowmeow, Chill Step, Chopper, Chopsticks, Chuckles, Cockblock Moses, Coldblooded, Commie, Convict, Cookie Monster, Cougar, County Dump, Couscous Balls, Crackers, Creamer, Crispi, Crumbs, CRUSH, Curiosity, Czech Yogies, DaBear, Dadjokes, Dandilion, darwin, Dasani, Data, Dave, Daybreak, Daydream, Death Wish, Deep Bush, Delayed Gratification (D.G.), Dirt, Dirt Squirrel, Do-Over, Doc, Donkey Kong, Dope, Dora the Explorer, Dorothy, Dory the Explory!, Double Bag, Double Snacks, Dr. Turtle, Dr. Fly, Dr. Legs, Dr. Zoom, Dragon, Dragonfly, drifthead, Drumsolo, Duracell, Eleven, Emperor, Energiser Bunny, Ent, Erratic Wolf, EXPRESS, False Start, Fancy, Fastball, Fibonacci, Finesse, FiveStar, Flanders, Flash, Fly Trap, Fortune Cooky, Forward, Fox, Fracture, Franger, Fresh, Fresh, Frizz, Frontflip, Frosty, Furball, Garnet Turtle, Gentleman, GG, Giggles, Gigglez, Gilligan, Gilmore Girl, Gimpy, Glass Half Full, Glow Worm, Go Go, GoPro, Gourmet, Grandaddy Long Legs, Gretel, Grizz, Gummies, Gusha, Halftime, Happy Heidi, Happy Hour, Haymaker, Hazard, Hell Bent, Hey Girl!, High Risk, Highway, Hikelopedia, Hitch, Hopeless, Horsecage, Hummingbird, Iced Tea, Invisible Man, Jen, Joe Dirt, Jukebox, Jumper, Jupiter, Just Bob, Just Lucie, Karaoke, KB Sunshine, Kemosabe, Kilty, Kirby, Kit Kat, Koala, L-Train, Lady, Lady Victoria, Laughing Gas, Leeloo, Legs, Lickity Split, Lieutenant Dan, Lil’Engine, Liter Bit, Littlespoon, LL Cool Juniper, Locomotive, Long Legs, Lost & Found Lucky Foot, Macgyver, Mama Bear, Mappy, Master Splinter, Mayor, Medicine Man, Megaman, Mercury, Metric, Midnight R, Mighty Mouse, Mittens, Mixed Bag, Mojo, mom, Mongoose, Moonshine, Mosey, Mother Fire, Mountain Goat, Mousetrap, Mr. Clean, Mudkipz, Muffin Man, Mugsy, Munchies, Naps, nascar, Nec, Necktie, Nemo, Neo, Neon, Newsfeed, Noodle, No Fucks, Norsman, Not Yet, Numbers, Ocelot, Oddball, OhmBoy, Olaf, OneDay, Optimistic Turtle, Orca, Otter, Outlaw, Paakin, Pabst, Pacer, Papa Home, Papa Oats, Patches, Paul/Right Turn, Payless, Peanut, Pencil, Penguin, Phoenix, Physsie, Pickles, Picky, Picnic, Pika, Pineapple, Pinecone, Pine Needle, Pingaling, Pippi, Pocket Rocket, Pooh Bear, Potato Volcano, Pre-K, Prince, Quill, Quork, Rainbow Wheel, Rambo, Ranger, Ranger Stabby, Rawhide, Redshank, Rescue Bird, Research, Rest Step, Rewind, Right Roach, Road House, Rock Dancer, Rockqueen, Rudolph, Runner 5, Sailcat, Salamander, Salty Dog, Salty J, Samwise, Saunter, Scaredy Cat, Scotch, Scotty, seabass, Seabiscuit, Shade Baby, Shades, Shady Bones, SHAGGY, Shakedown, Shark, Sherpa, Shine, Signals, Silver Fox, Six Toes, Sketti, skydog, Slimfast, Sling, Slow Fall, Smiles, Smiley, Smokes, Smokey, Smurf, Snack Block, Snackmaster, Snake, Sneaky Elf, Snowcone, Snowshoe, So It Goes, SoHo, Sole Sister, Space Jam, S&M, Spatula, Speedy, Spice, SPiDERBiTE, Spill, Spirit, Spokes, Spotted Owl, Spring, Squirrel, Stacks, stats, Stench Walllll, Sticks, Still Josh, Stove, Stretch, Strider, Sultry bear, Sundance, Sunkist, Sunrise, Super Feet, Supersonic Seahawk, Sushi, Swedish Fish, Sweetfeet, Taco, Taco Slap, Tacocat, Tailspin, Tapeworm, Tarahumara, Tasty, Tatters, Teen Spirit, Ten Gallon, Daddy Fat Sacks, Morning Struggles, Tesla, THE AMBASSADOR, The Brain Turtle, The flow, The Kid, The Kraken, The Mayor, The Mermaids, Thicket, Thirsty Detour, Thumper, Thunder Fluff aka Fluffy, Tofu, Tots, Trash Mule, Trash Panda, Tripod, Troll, Trooper, Trudge, Twister, Twizzler, UB, Uber Frog, Ungerwhere, Unicorn, vagabond runner, Vaya, Venus, Vibrant, Walnut, Warren-T, Wasabi, Waves, Weasel, Whisper, Whitespot, Whiz, Whoopie!, Wild Vagabond, Wilder, WingIt, Winky, Winter, WIP, Xtra-tuf, Yard sale, Yeah Yeah, YIPPEE, YoBear, Yote, Zeus, Zman, and Zorro

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I spent a lot of hours putting this together and would love your feedback. Please COMMENT BELOW or get in touch to tell me what you think!

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