Ready, Set, GO - The PCT Adventure Begins

 Stats: Monday night 5/2, MM 0

(0 new miles, 0 total miles, 2,650 to go)

Danny, Mike, and Don

Here we are, ready to go. Hope we remembered everything! Whatever we didn't bring, we'll buy along the way.

Tuesday we fly out to San Diego, from there we take a bus to Campo, a town on the border where the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) begins. We stay overnight at Cleef's campground, then set out on our hike Wednesday morning. We're excited to get started!

Our packs, in airline-ready travel bags

The PCT is a 2,600 mile hike from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon, and Washington. It's the second longest hike in what's known as the hiker's Triple Crown: Appalachian Trail (AT), PCT, and Continental Divide Trail (CDT). Since I had already hiked the AT, and Mike had been thinking about the PCT, we decided to go there. You can find out more about it at www.pcta.org.

The PCT is a bit different from the AT....

• It's longer. 2,600 miles compared to the AT's 2,200.
• Harder to get water in the first 700 miles of desert, and possibly in other places.
• Sierras are at 12,000 feet elevation, and could have snow and ice all year round. 
• Most of the trail is above 5,000 feet and can be quite windy.
• Because the PCT is not as up-and-down as the AT, people are generally able to hike more miles per day. So it should not take longer to hike than the AT (5-6 months).
• Trail crosses more streams and rivers.
• Towns are further away from the trail, so more hitchhiking.
• No shelters, only camp sites.

...but also the same...

• Trail Angels supply water and food along the way.
• Trail has hostels, trail towns, and resupply points, although not as frequent.
• Breathtaking scenery, surrounded by God's creation.
• People come from all over the world to hike it.
• A mix of people, men and women of all ages, some first time hikers, will be hiking with us.

As with the AT hike, I'll be talking to Mary and sending her pictures so she can post an update weekly (hopefully). I also have a transponder and a Mapshare site where you can track the progress - I'll try to update that site daily. You can access my Mapshare site here. The password is nailgun.

Can't close without recognizing and thanking our wonderful wives, without whose support this journey would not be possible. We appreciate them more than we can say. They're the best!

Elaine (Danny), Mary (Don), and Jackie (Mike)

Let the adventure begin!