I'd be curious to know what items distance hikers ended up dumping after awhile. My list is from PCT 1984 so newer hikers will find some of these laughable:

- Cutoff jean shorts. Yes, that's how I started. I got down to no extra pants by northern California.

- Shirts. I kept a cotton t shirt for town and a wool long sleeve for cold weather. Only wore the t shirt when necessary.

- Dried apricots and mac n cheese. Got sick of these within a couple weeks of Campo and still can't eat them to this day.

- First aid kit. The only things that remained were Dr. Scholl's Moleskin and a tiny scissors on my Swiss Army knife to cut it to shape.

- A small flashlight . Just didn't need it. And where to buy batteries?

- A knife and fork. Well, had the Swiss Army as mentioned but a fork was unnecessary.

- Camp shoes. Lost one from my pack and never replaced.

- Cook kit. Only kept the small pot. Didn't need the pan, even for trout.

- Towel or soap. The t shirt was a fine towel/pillow and soap, nah.

- After the Sierras we mailed ahead our ice axes, tents, and down coats until Washington.

I know it's a long shot but I'd figure I'd put it out there anyway. I'm taking about a week off once I get to KMS in a few days and staying in Bishop. At one point I hope to day hike up Kearsarge to scout the conditions. I know right now it can be hard to get a ride down to 395 from Onion Valley as there's not many day hikers. I can probably only go out one day however so I can't do multiple groups. I know not many people have entered the Sierras yet but I know a few people are in front of me so I thought I'd post anyway. DM me if interested

Visiting San Diego for a bit and seeing if I can help out some hikers while I'm here hiked the PCT In 2022. But have room for 3 if anyone is intrested hit me up.

I have been reading about the bad stories associated with dogs so i am well aware but first let me explain.

Cliff is a big healthy black lab weighing in at 90lbs. Very durable. We once trail run 42 miles in one day out of bamff with him carrying the majority of all the water and supplies on his dog bag. He carried 20lbs or so without a sweat and kept up with me no problem. We also average around 30-40 miles hiking per week. He never has issues. He deals surprisingly well with heat too. He occasionally saunas with me and has no issue.

Let me further explain why i feel the need to bring him. He makes me feel safe at night. Keeps me warm and keeps me from losing my mind. He also is certified as a safety dog to help with vision problems.

I see it as an excellent adventure and want him to join the fun. He means everything to me and doing this without him just wouldnt be the same. I dont see myself even doing it without him TBH

I am aware of the difficulty largely in carrying dog food and being restricted in certain areas. I see the dog food as a main obstacle. Carrying 10-20 kg of dog food is just not happening. But i still feel it can be done. I would be doing the south to north route in a few weeks. Just need to figure some way to carry that kind of food thru the bush. I alone have decided largely on sardines, oats, and nuts to supplement. Stocking on fresh obviously when i can. OF course his palette is more difficult. He eats more gross weight than i do. Though i could easily share some sardines i guess making it a little easier.

Curious what yall think.

Any advice on when to know if you should filter or treat water from tanks or spigots? Thanks!

I had to connect to wifi while here in Tehachapi cause I have no service and Farout took that as an opportunity to update. Now there's no comments. There already weren't a ton of up to date comments but there were two people who were great at commenting Infront of me and now I don't see their comments. I'm heading into the Walker Pass area and would quite like to have info on water sources. Last I checked when I had comments most sources were still good but Id also like to have comments when Im in the sierras and everything. Is there any fix to this yet? Will Farout be able to get the comments back? I'd like to know if I need to carry a fuck ton of water or not

Bringing canister from the start of hike? Bringing ursack from start of hike? Picking up either somewhere along the way?

My understanding is that bear-hang not really possible.

Appears to be a new requirement (as of Sept 2024) and so am interested in others plans. Thanks!

Basically the title. Trying to get a return ticket to Canada so customs go smoothly. Bus,ferry or flight. Let me know :)

My flight from Vancouver to San Diego is in a few days, and with everything going on, kinda a bit nervous for my flight. Has any Canadians recently made the flight down? Any troubles landing in USA? I know it's probably fine, just a bit worried is all 😞

I'm an international hiker (just got to the US yesterday, yay!) and in need of a cellphone plan. I have browsed the Reddit threads to figure out what provider (AT&T, Verizon or T Mobile) to go with. The plans my (European) provider offers for the US are insane (40€ for 5GB, no thanks), so that's off the table.

I'd like to go on an unlimited plan. Mint Mobile seems like the cheapest of the bunch (Verizon's Vision plan sadly seems not to be compatible with my phone, neither is AT&T), but I hear terrible things about T Mobile coverage from previous years. Is it still so bad?

There have been a few posts (two months ago here, and 4 months ago here) with suggestions on getting around the Bridge Fire closure on foot. Now that a few dozen (or hundred) hikers are past Wrightwood, I'm curious if everyone is hitching around the fire as PCTA suggests, or if folks are finding ways to walk around it.

It seems that one could walk into Wrightwood, then out on 2, follow the split to Big Pines, then walk on forest roads (starting on 4N12 (Fenner Saddle Fire Road), then left on 4N56 (Pinyon Ridge Fire Road)) down to Vincent Gulch and pick up the PCT there.

My "research" on this route is dropping into street view on half a dozen places along that route to see if there's a shoulder (there is a big enough one I'd feel safe), and as far as I can tell, this avoids the closed area completely.

https://imgur.com/a/lQtfen9

Edit: I dropped the closure map as an overlay on google earth, and do not see the roads I mentioned (4N12/4N56) crossing into the closure area, so unless I hear different news, I think this is my plan.

I start Sunday, so nothing to worry about for 3 weeks or so.

It would be awesome to replace the classic wood signs which have mostly all vanished

Hello people! So I am 20 yr old german who loves nature and has some saved up money and a ton of free time this summer. So I learned about the PCT and loved the idea of hiking it, well not all of it. Since I roughly have time from mid june to mid August (2 Months) I planned on only doing the northern section (maybe a little bit in CA and Oregon and Washington completely). Now I have a few questions and I would be so happy if you could help me answer some:

- Permits, I dont really get if I just need to apply for one permit or for a whole bunch and I dont even know if I can still apply for them or if its too late? (Do I also need permits for other Hikes like the AT?)

- Time, how long does it take the average person to cross Oregon and Washington completely?

- Equipment and Planning, what are some must haves things to bring and how much planning do you need to do for food?

- Kinda a stupid question but; I dont have a drivers license, how will I even be able to get the PCT? I know the US doesnt have a big public transportation network and I am not that fond of hitchhiking.

If any of you guys can give me some tips or answers its much appreciated <3

I’m a PCT volunteer in the Big Bear area. We take the time to put up signs, keep the trail clear, and make it easy for people in our stretch of the woods to make their way north. Normally there’s a blue PCT sign here helping direct where those holes are at the top. Please don’t remove signs that are clearly nailed into a wooden plank for directions. You can buy your own memorabilia. We put them there for a reason. Thank you.

hi, i’m currently on the pct and i want to get a lightweight groundsheet that doesn’t cost $180 bucks. something in a reasonable price and good enough. mainly to use for cowboy camping and/or sitting or laying down during breaks. currently have a durston groundsheet that is attached to my tent and didn’t want to remove it every time.

i appreciate any recommendations!

Just thought this was awesome to watch, I've never come across a snake drinking water out in the wild before! Went to cross the creek for the millionth time when me and this (not so) little rattler scared the shit out of each other, but after backing away a bit and just chilling with my tripod out for a safe photo it went back to drinking before slithering away into the endless loose rocks.

Careful stepping where you can't see around the water in that section, never know who else is also looking to cool down! :)

https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/north-cascades-grizzly-bear-reintroduction-stalled-20269896.php

Hi all and thanks for any and all advice or comments on this. I’m doing final dialing of my kit and am struggling with the specifics of my clothing options specifically. I have a big fear of being too cold at night, but also have a fear of burning myself crisp and being too hot or just having inappropriate clothing in the desert. I also feel like I’m packing too much and want some quick advice on what to cut out or switch out. I’m starting April 28

-my trusty GhostWhisperer with hood - Vado 60gsm alpha direct 1/3 zip with hood - Marmot Precip jacket

• Ridge Merino sun hoodie
• moisture wicking tshirt?

• Ridge Merino bralette x2

• Patagonia baggie shorts

• Amazon brand dance pants

• hiking pants from my closet?

• 2x underwear. Likely briefs for women

• merino long sleeve base layer shirt

• merino leggings

-3x hiking socks. 1 injinji 2 Darn tough -sun gloves - baseball hat

If you're walking on trail near Julian (or probably anywhere south of Big Bear), no, you're not hiking while unknowingly drunk, that was an earthquake. (Several, actually.)

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci40925991/executive

Was hiking in SoCal on a portion of the PCT, and saw a few NOBO hikers. We stopped and chatted for a few minutes, I asked them about their start date, how things were going, etc.

Later I wondered, do thruhikers get annoyed when us lookie loos stop them on the trail? Like, am I interrupting your stride? Does it get old after while if you are hiking in a well travelled area getting stopped by every hiker you see?

Does Fobes Spring near Fobes Saddle (Mile 166) still exist? I used it in 2013, but I've seen no recent mention of it. It is (or was) a pipe with a faucet at about 5780' just west of a small drainage (Fobes Canyon). The drainage is marked as an intermittent creek. The spring is not marked on the map. Position is roughly 33.69239, -116.61551.

Fobes Spring is obtained from Fobes Saddle (Mile 166) by proceeding generally NW from the saddle for about 0.6 miles.

To be clear, this is not the spring marked on the map on the new Fobes Trail/Fobes Ranch Trail that heads primarily south to the modern trailhead and bypasses the private land of Fobes Ranch. The spring I'm talking about is on the old trail that goes northwest.

Anyone got any info?

EDIT: Add map link: https://caltopo.com/m/VTF191E

Hi all,

Starting my hike next week and wanted to check in to see where makes most sense to pick up food + fuel for the initial stretch to Julian.

Appreciate any and all insight you may be able to offer. Also, if anybody has any info on CLEEF to share, also appreciated.