Pacific Crest Trail

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The Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance mountain hiking and equestrian trail that runs from the United States border with Mexico to its border with Canada. It passes through the Laguna, San Jacinto, San Bernardino, San Gabriel, Liebre, Tehachapi, and Sierra Nevada ranges in California, and the Cascade Range in Oregon and Washington states. The Pacific Crest Trail is 2,650 miles (4,240 km) long. It was designated a National Scenic Trail in 1993. The Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail form the "Triple Crown" of long distance hiking in the United States. The PCT was conceived by Clinton C. Clarke in 1932; however it was not given official status until the National Trails System Act of 1968.

Thru-hiking

Each year, about 300 people, commonly called thru-hikers, attempt to hike the entire trail from end-to-end. The trip usually takes between four and six months. Around 180 complete the hike each year. Most thru-hikers start from the Mexican border and reach the north end of the trail before the first hard snow. Picking up supplies along the way, usually packages sent to them via mail, most hikers cover about 25 miles (40 km) per day.#redirect

The trail may have been first thru-hiked in 1970 by 18-year-old Eric Ryback. Wilderness Press, the publisher of Ryback's 1971 book The High Adventure of Eric Ryback, later claimed that Ryback had "cheated" by accepting rides for part of the distance. Ryback sued for $3 million, but dropped the suit when the publisher produced statements from people claiming to have given Ryback a ride. The truth of Ryback's claim is still debated today.

The first person confirmed to have thru-hiked the entire PCT, as well as the first person to hike from south to north, was Richard Watson, who completed the trail on September 1, 1972.#redirect The first woman was Mary Carstens, who completed the journey later in 1972 accompanied by Jeff Smukler.#redirect

The first person to have thru-hiked the entire PCT both ways in a single continuous round-trip was Scott Williamson, who completed the "yo-yo" circuit on his fourth attempt in November 2004. Williamson traveled a total of 5,300 miles in 197 days, covering an average of 35 to 40 miles per day when not in snow, wearing an extremely ultra-lightweight pack, which "without food, weighed about 8.5 pounds".#redirect

Locations of interest

The following areas or points of interest are found along or adjacent to the route of the Pacific Crest Trail. They are listed from south to north to correspond with the itinerary typically followed by through hikers to take advantage of the best seasonal weather conditions.

Vasquez Rocks	Kings Canyon National Park
John Muir Wilderness	Ansel Adams Wilderness
Devils Postpile National Monument	Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park	Castle Crags Wilderness
Crater Lake National Park	Mount Hood Wilderness
	Glacier Peak Wilderness
North Cascades National Park

Campo, California, near the trail's southern terminus at the U.S.-Mexico border
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Cleveland National Forest
Big Bear Lake
Cajon Pass
Angeles National Forest
Vasquez Rocks
Agua Dulce, California
Walker Pass
Owens Peak Wilderness
Kings Canyon National Park
*Forester Pass, highest point on the trail
John Muir Wilderness
Ansel Adams Wilderness
*Devils Postpile National Monument
Yosemite National Park
*Tuolumne Meadows
Desolation Wilderness
Lassen National Forest
*Lassen Volcanic National Park
McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park
Shasta-Trinity National Forest
*Castle Crags Wilderness
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
Crater Lake National Park
*Crater Lake
Willamette National Forest
*Three Sisters Wilderness
**McKenzie River
Mount Hood National Forest
*Mount Hood Wilderness
**Lolo Pass
Cascade Locks, Oregon, lowest point on the trail
Bridge of the Gods
Mount Adams
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
*Goat Rocks Wilderness
*Norse Peak Wilderness
*Alpine Lakes Wilderness
*Henry M. Jackson Wilderness
*Glacier Peak Wilderness
Mount Rainier National Park
*Chinook Pass
Snoqualmie Pass
Stevens Pass
Lake Chelan National Recreation Area
*Stehekin, Washington, last town along the trail, 10 miles (16 km) from PCT by NPS bus
North Cascades National Park
Boundary Monument 78, northern terminus at the U.S.-Canada border

External links

[Pacific Crest Trail Association] — Non-profit that maintains and promotes the trail, and provides advice to hikers
[Mailing list for prospective thru-hikers]
[General long distance hiking tips]
[Tell It On The Mountain - Multi-part television series-in-the-making. Follows hikers as they make their way along the trail]
[PCT Trail Jorunals]— Read on-line journals of PCT hikers.
[Hiker Heaven in Agua Dulce]

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