Backpacking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)

[Manfred]

Companion forum thread to: Backpacking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)

When I was relatively new to BPL I read about Malto’s PCT hike and thought to myself that I want to do that too once I’m grown up. Now that I’m 60, I

[Manfred]

You can read  day-by-day descriptions and find daily photos in this blog.

[Alex (he/him)]

Wow! Thanks for sharing! I would love to do a long trail someday but it will probably be close to retirement age like yours. It’s inspiring to hear your story, thanks!

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I’m 59 and heading out next month to try to hike across Colorado and maybe also New Mexico. I’m pretty worried about my fitness for such big mountains but I do have all the time I need without worrying about making big daily miles. The PCT is so beautiful with the desert flowers and views. The CDT amazes me with the sky. As a life-long Southern Californian I rarely see such amazing skies.

Looking forward to reading more of your blog.

[Alex (he/him)]

Diane – I live in New Mexico. I’m sure you’ve already thought of this, but please be cautious about the CDT south of Cuba in the summer due to dehydration / heat exhaustion risk! Otherwise sounds like a glorious adventure. Have you looked at the “Northern New Mexico Loop”? It’s a month-long trail that includes that nice CDT section. I think the suggested weather windows are May/June and September?

[Tom D.]

This is great Manfred. I don’t know if you remember running into me and my sons on the JMT in 2012, we talked for awhile approaching Crabtree Meadow. Great to see you still hitting the trail with your wife, and on the PCT no less!

[Terran Terran]

Mission Creek probably benefitted from the flushing. It can get vastly overgrown with roots sucking up much of the water. What you did find would be full of decaying leaves.

I got a text the other day from an old friend saying “no more long hikes”. I still plan them in my head. At 67, I no longer have the ambition. I’ll be driving around Colorado this summer. Fishing and doing a lot of short hikes. Just getting out there just because I still can.

Nice write up.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I think by the time I get to NM it will be September. I will probably save NM for next year.

[Manfred]

In my last day in the Sierra section I finally saw a bear. Amazing and exciting!

The picture won‘t upload here, so you will have to look for it in my next blog post about today.

[AK Granola]

I’m about to turn 60. I wish I was in shape enough to do the PCT. Maybe I could still get there. But I’ll enjoy all the hikes and backpacking trips I can do, no matter how long.

I’m really enjoying your blog Manfred. The post on Reverse Diet is really interesting. I hope you will post more about how the long miles affects your weight and energy level, and any strategies you resort to.

[Manfred]

The dream stays alive – walking from Mexico to Canada in continuous footsteps. The Shelly Fire closed a big part of the PCT and I road walked 100 miles around it in a record heatwave to keep the my footsteps continuous.

https://pct2024.wordpress.com/

[AK Granola]

“People in shiny new cars were speeding by, but these poor people stopped to help someone who was worse off than they.”

I have experienced this more times than I can remember. Whenever I have hitchhiked, it is never the rich who pick me up, even as a solo woman. It’s working class or clearly poor people who lend a hand. Most of the time those offering a ride have to clear space, because they have lots of stuff, kids, dogs, etc. in the vehicle too. But they find room. I once got passed by multiple giant RVs and people who waved at me, until finally a rusty little pickup stopped filled with an entire family and all their belongings (or so it seemed). I wonder why it is that those who have more are even less generous? Perhaps those with less know what it’s like to be on foot, and know what it means to have someone help.

[Manfred]

Crossing the Bridge of Gods into Washington on Sunday was a very emotional moment as my son was waiting on the other side to cheer me on. So far I walked around three wildfires and several more are raging in Washington. Wish me luck that I can make it in continuous footsteps all the way to Canada.

https://pct2024.wordpress.com/

[David Thomas]

Wow, CA and OR done already.  Congrats, Manfred!

[David Thomas]

I passed along to Manfred greetings from former BPLer Doug Ide who lives an hour from the PCT on Route 2 in Washington and offered to meet up and get Manfred showered and housed if he wants before returning him to the trail.  And that he way overstocked on butane canisters during the pandemic (although, Doug, last I backpacked with Manfred, he had an alcoholic Caldera Cone set up).

[Manfred]

What an amazing community BPL is! Thanks again to Doug for his generous offer! And thanks to David for that little dose of humor about the drinking habits of my Caldera Cone :)

Thanks again to Hiking Malto for the inspiration he provided with his trip report many years ago! My journey along the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada has been an amazing adventure. Hopefully my trip report https://pct2024.wordpress.com/ can be such an inspiration for someone else.

[AK Granola]

Congratulations! Sounds like a fabulous hike, and I’m very envious! Did you really only have 3 thunderstorms the entire way? I had more than that on my first 5 day trek on the JMT. Some day maybe I’ll have time to do a section.

Your blog is great. I really like: “I found that the PCT is just a means to an end – to be out in nature for a long period of time.” and your comment that you were high on life. Maybe that young man will eventually discover it too.

[Manfred]

Thanks! Interesting that you mention the thunderstorms. When I backpacked the JMT during the summer in the past thunderstorms in the afternoon where basically the norm. It’s just the normal monsoonal pattern in the Sierra in July. Going through the Sierra in May I didn’t encounter any thunderstorms and the rest of the way I encountered three thunderstorms while hiking and two while being in the tent.

[Murali C]

Congrats! Awesome accomplishment at 60! How did the Zpacks Ultra X fare – no delamination? Any broken frame stays?

[Eric Blanche]

Congrats! Happy to see that you finished the trail!

It was nice talking with you the few times we ran into each other out there in N. California. We both had quite different hiking styles/perspectives, but I can surely appreciate how you did it. Thanks for including me in your blog!

“Another PCT hiker who showed up was intent to hike another 14 miles in the heat and didn’t want to wait for hotdogs. He just took a bag of chips and moved on. Go figure.”

I got the ride around Etna to Seied Valley but did continuous footsteps from there to the border. Only missing those 60 miles.

[Manfred]

Hi Dexter,
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Congratulations on completing the PCT! You pack was amazingly light and you moved fast. It was always fun to talk to you. What’s your next adventure? Me, I’ll most likely hike parts of the Te Araroa next year.</p>

[Author]

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