Believe it or not, the very first step you make hiking the Pacific Crest Trail does not take place outside, but behind a computer. It is only fitting for me, I guess. You see, you need a permit from the Forest Park Service and the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) if you plan on hiking for more than 500 miles. That permit grants you permission to pass through every National and State Forest you pass through all the way to Canada!
The reason for this process is to protect the fragile ecosystem. At noon-thirty my time today, the system will release thirty-five permits for each day from March 1st to May 31st. If I fail to get one today, they will release an additional fifteen permits in January for the same window.
The date you aim for is a personal decision. Hiking the PCT is like a race with some gates. The finish line in Canada must be reached by October 1st. The weather in Washington gets sketchy quickly after that date. Even though I am an experienced winter camper, I don’t want to be trapped in the snow in the middle of nowhere. So, starting early would seem to be the best choice as that would give you the most time to complete it. But, there is a catch!
After hiking some 700 miles of desert, you eventually reach the town of Kennedy Meadows South near the base of the Sierra Mountains. This is the town where you swap your desert gear for your mountain gear. The snow pack in the Sierra Mountains is measured in yards. In general, you do not want to attempt this high-elevation section until June 15th. For the average hiker, it takes 40 days to complete that seven hundred miles.
Now, I may be slow, but I’m not March 1st slow. So, I have decided that I want to start my hike on one specific day — April 6th. This is the one-year anniversary of my best friend, Dennis, passing away. It gives me enough time to walk at a relaxed pace.
Once you complete the Sierra Mountains, it is a race to the end. It normally takes about six months to complete this hike. Of those six months, four of them are in California.
So I sit in an empty house waiting for 12:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time, when every like minded crazy person dreaming about hiking north is going to sign up for a limited number of permits. It is going to be a mad rush! I’ve heard horrors about this process.
Wish me luck. Yes, I am nervous.