We are setting out to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail, a ~2,650 mile trail that spans the length of California, Oregon, and Washington. We start our hike on May 2nd at the California/Mexico border and are hiking North until we reach the northern terminus at the Washington/Canada border.
If you are asking yourself, ‘Didn’t they already do this?’, the answer is: sort of. We met atop Mount Katahdin on July 1st, 2013, the first day of each of our thru-hikes of the Appalachian Trail (ugh, I know, too perfect and romantic… don’t worry, we didn’t like each other until after our hike, so it’s not too cute of a story). Sherpa went on to complete her southbound hike of the AT in December 2013. Wolf Bird had to get off trail around mile 700 (or 900 if you count the fact he also hiked the Long Trail) as he found out that Mabel, his dog who was also hiking the AT, had cancer. Mabel is all better now, and since a few years have passed since our time on the AT, we are itching to get back out on the trail again, this time on the West Coast. We want to share a trail that is new to both of us.
The PCT is about 500 miles longer than the AT (~2100 miles), but both trails take about 5 months to hike. Why would a longer trail take the same amount of time as a significantly shorter one, you ask? Good question. The PCT is graded for pack animals, whereas the AT is most definitely not. This basically translates to being able to walk much longer days on the PCT as compared to the AT, where rocks, roots, and frequent ups and downs limit days to about 20-25 miles. On the PCT, 30 mile (and 30-mile-plus) days are doable… at least that is what we have heard/read. We are both not in hiking shape so the thought of a 30 mile day likely sounds just as daunting to us as the most non-hiking-oriented person.
The PCT requires a bit more proactive planning than the AT. We will be mailing ourselves food to small towns that lack decent grocery stores, which is something we only did once or twice on the AT. We also will have to carry water for some long waterless stretches in the California desert. Perhaps the most notable difference is dealing with the snow and threat of snow. The 2016-2017 winter has been a record-setting one in the Sierra Nevada, to say the least. We will face the challenge of this record amount of snow in the Sierra, along with high stream crossings due to the snow melt. We can’t let it hold us up too much, as we need to reach the northern terminus in Washington before the first snowstorms arrive, which typically happens some time in October, although it could of course happen sooner.
Unfortunately, because the PCT crosses some extreme terrain and ecosystems–think dry, hot desert, and miles and miles of snow–our dearest Mabel will not be joining us on this hike. It will be the longest that Wolf Bird has ever been away from her, and will definitely be one of the most difficult mental/emotional parts of the hike. Wolf Bird’s awesome friend Erin will be caring for Mabel and I’m sure pampering her like a princess. We like to think that Mabel will appreciate us giving her a break this time around, especially after hiking 700 miles of the AT with cancer…
For me (Sherpa), the preparation for this hike has been a bit more daunting than for the AT, where I could just leave my belongings at my parents house and I conveniently had my job and apartment conclude just prior to my hike since it was a yearlong fellowship. This time around, we both have had to quit our jobs, not re-sign our lease, store all of our stuff, figure out what to do with Mabel, etc. All this extra prep has felt like more of a challenge and sacrifice to me (Sherpa), but I think that only increases my commitment to undertaking this journey. Wolf Bird says it’s business as usual for him (that’s a direct quote), since he had to do many of these things when he hiked the AT. That being said, he is leaving a job that he enjoys with a lot of really nice people.
So, that was a lot of facts and details. Let those logistics not overshadow the more important part, which is that we are super excited for this journey! We don’t know what to expect but are excited to experience new and beautiful places and share in the experience together. As difficult as it is to leave behind all the comforts of home, we are excited to live a more simple life with just the bare necessities and remind ourselves what really matters.
We left Portland on April 10th and will be visiting friends and family along the East Coast until we fly to San Diego from Knoxville on May 1st. If you are interested in sending us letters or care packages along the way, we will be posting the mailing addresses of towns where we plan to stop.
Good bye for now and we would love to hear from all of you, our friends and family!
Love,
Sherpa & Wolf Bird