Why you shouldn't (or should) thru-hike the PCT? (D-115: 2592.1 - 2613.1 - Nero @ Mazama, D-116: 2613.1 - 2642.6)

Over the last 116 days, I have had plenty of time to think about what's good or bad about this thru-hike and just in case, one of you is thinking about doing a PCT thru-hike, here are my thoughts about why you shouldn't or should do it.

 Why you shouldn't do a PCT thru-hike

- It is very tough physically and mentally

- There is less than 50% chance that anyone starting it will finish

- Almost everyone seems to have negative physical effects including weight loss, muscle loss, days & days of tired legs & feet etc

- You will definitely get scratches, bruises and cuts, if you are lucky. If you are unlucky, major sprains, muscle tears & other hike-ending injuries. Btw, most people who stop do so 'cos of injuries.

- You will trip & fall down multiple times (when the avg number of steps is 50000 - 70000/day over uneven paths, the law of large numbers takes over and some of those steps will lead to falls)

- It is an expensive activity, with a bulk of it for gear. Other big expenses include lodging & meals during in-town days and flight tickets. Of course, the biggest one which most people don't even count is the loss of income for about 6 months.

- You will be away from your family and friends for a looooong time and you will miss them and miss them a lot

- This is after all a meaningless activity - walking from from one end of the country to the other for no purpose

- Also, there is not even any special recognition or even a medal/certificate at the end 😀, unlike a race

- You will be uncomfortable lots and lots of times (I would say, at least 25% of the time) - either too hot, too cold, wet, dirty, sweaty, stinky, hungry or more likely, a combination of some of these

- You will be tired of eating the same type of food for days on end

- You have to setup & take down your "whole house" everyday

- Even if you do everything right and manage to stay healthy & keep going, external factors like wildfires and snow, as well as gear breakdown may prevent you from finishing all parts of the trail

- Tons of mosquitoes & flies!!!

- The trail is dangerous in some sections. And there is a very, very, very small possibility that you could die (one thru-hiker died this year possibly due to high altitude sickness or some other underlying cause)

Why you should do a PCT thru-hike

- It is very tough physically and mentally, and a great personal challenge. You can stretch your limits!

- If you manage to finish it, it should give you immense satisfaction and confidence in your abilities - both physical and mental

- You will definitely meet dozens & dozens of interesting people from all over the world

- You will most likely make a few lifelong friends

- The trail is long enough that you will have to take a break from work (either quit or take a sabbatical or something similar) which means you won't have to think about work at all

- The trail will throw a lot of challenges at you and a lot of times, things will not go as planned. Learning to deal and overcome these are sure to enhance your problem-solving skills & ability to deal with unexpected situations.

- Food will never taste as good as it does on the trail or the first time you have it in-town. You will truly begin to appreciate & enjoy it to the fullest extent.

- Even small comforts that one takes for granted in regular life like electricity, flush toilets, showers, cell signal, clean clothes, a bed etc will become luxuries and you will enjoy them as such

- You will truly enjoy nature and things like clean air, absolute quiet & solitude, star-lit nights, warmth of the sun, the coolness in the shadow of a tree, ice-melt water etc

- For sure, you are guaranteed to see spectacular sunrises and sunsets

- You will enjoy the immense kindness of strangers

- You will see animals - both big and small - in their natural habitat

- You will get to experience and see truly beautiful places, most of which can only be reached on foot

How about a Section hike instead of a Thru-hike?

Doing a section at a time, of whatever length you like, might be an interesting compromise. Doing 500 miles at a time, or say, 3-5 weeks at a time will give one a full backpacking experience (incl resupply strategy, town visits, long hiking days, etc) and it is long enough to be get fully engaged too. One will also tend to enjoy the hike knowing there is a reasonably close enough end-point. Everytime one starts a section, there is more appreciation of the backpacking experience & the beauty of the sorroundings, rather than getting jaded over the period of a loooong thru-hike. Additionally, one is more likely to find a shorter time period to get away from work, family and other commitments. Most importantly, you can choose to hike at the best time possible for that section rather than be forced by the rest of your schedule as in a thru-hike.

In any case, whatever one chooses, it is always better to hike than not to hike 🙂

Trail notes:

A few interesting things from the trail

When I woke up to frozen shoes a few days back, I didn't want to wet my dry socks right away. So, put my feet in gallon-sized plastic bags, before putting on the shoes. The bags last for a few hours at least.

This fern-like plant growing by the trail-side smells of wet socks and it is horrible. The first time I smelt them, I thought it was my socks esp as it was a wet day and my shoes were wet too. However, I have smelt the plants even on dry days subsequently and everytime I pass by them. Wonder what they are?

Berry season is almost here. Lots & lots of blueberries along the trail. Unfortunately it is still too early in the season and they are not ripe yet. Another indication of berry season - bear poop full of berries is everywhere.

Quite a few backcountry campsites in Washington on PCT (& presumably on other trails too) have open-air box toilets like these. And sometimes they have fantastic views too 😀. Never saw these in CA or OR.

Guess broken bridges work as well as intact ones!

(overgrown trail video link)

The trails in WA are definitely not as well maintained as in CA or OR. Lots of blown down trees on the trail (some of which require acrobatics to go over) as well overgrown plants covering the trail. It was so bad in some sections that you couldn't even see the trail till you pushed the plants aside. And if you go through early in the morning or right after rain, your pants will get thoroughly wet from the dew/rainwater on these plants. Maybe the lack of maintenance is due to the lack of resources or a shorter hiking season or environmental conditions...I don't know.

Data:

D-115: 

D-116: