The Pacific Crest Trail is one of the great footpaths in the United States of America beginning at the US border with Mexico. The trail runs through California, Oregon and Washington ending at the Northern Terminus at the US-Canadian border. It’s roughly 2,659 miles with ranges in elevation from just above sea leave at the Oregon-Washington border to 13,153 feet at Forester Pass in the Sierra Nevada. The trail passes through 25 national forests and 7 national parks.
The trail is divided into five main sections:
Southern California
The Sierra Nevada
Northern California
Oregon
Washington
When I think of the magnitude of walking 2,659 miles, I become overwhelmed. I try to envision what I will be like in the Sierra Nevada after having already walked 700 miles in Southern California. What will I have seen, experienced, loved, dreaded? Those are the thoughts that are with me as I continue to plan this adventure. I’ve read so many online blogs filled with advice about what to expect. But until I am actually on the trail feeling my feet carry me forward toward each landmark, it all seems foreign and very far away.
I am going to think of each section as its own hike. To begin, I just have to get myself from the Southern Terminus at Campo CA to my first resupply – Warner Springs. That is my hike. That will be my goal for those first days.
And then I will get myself to the next resupply and then the next until suddenly I am 200 miles into the hike and walking 20+ miles per day is the norm and my body and mind are equally up for the challenge each day.
I think about the dry dusty landscapes of Southern California. I try to comprehend the majesty of the Sierra Nevada that rise high above into the clouds. I anticipate the lush green of Oregon and then I fast forward to the incredible beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the Cascades of Washington till I approach with both exhilaration and sweet sadness the Northern Terminus. Will I run to the monument? Will I walk with steadfast assurance till I place my hands along the wooden edges and silently kiss the blazing landmark? And will I look back the way I came, walking 2661 miles and be overcome with everything I have experienced? I simply cannot wait to find out.
The Pacific Crest Trail. Summer 2018. Here I come.