Before I started telling people I was going to hike the Pacific Crest Trail this summer for a few weeks, I had already selected the sections I wanted to tackle, and had a general knowledge of what I was getting myself into.
Which, in itself, was quite the challenge. I found choosing my path to be a logistical nightmare (that can be said for life in general to, eh?); Is there an airport relatively close to the trail head? When I’ve completed my hike, will I be in a location where I can either be picked up without a several hour commute for the pre-arranged pick up person or at least close enough to public transportation where I can get to an airport to return home? Is there at least one re-supply stop either on the trail or close to it? Are my starting and ending points the correct distance apart where I can complete the sections selected during the time allotted? Are there bail out points in case of injury or serious illness? And, most importantly, are the sections passable during the time I will be hiking?
After several weeks of researching each section from Campo, California to Manning Park, British Columbia,
I finally decided on starting at Snoqualmie Pass, Washington and finishing at Manning Park, BC. It seemed to be a perfect fit to the criteria I had mentally listed (we’ll see how ‘perfect’ it is once I’m out there). An added bonus is that it puts me in the forest and mountains, which is familiar territory for me. 270 miles in 14 days. 20 miles per day. Elevation gain of 4000 feet with steep switchbacks, then a quick decent of 3000 feet, only to be met with another gain of 4000 feet in 7 miles. That’s just one day! Super fun times!
To put it into perspective, the Grouse Grind in Vancouver is 2 miles long with an elevation gain of 2800 feet, which takes about 2 hours to complete (That’s one way. You’re supposed to take the gondola down. Unless you don’t mind getting the stink-eye from hikers going uphill). Another way to look at it to imagine the Seattle Space Needle, which is about 604 feet tall. I will be climbing the equivalent of just a little over 6 Space Needles stacked one on top of each other in one day. Challenge accepted!
Research Pacific Crest Trail- Check! Research gear- Check! Select sections- Check! Research gear a little more- Check! Book time off work- Check! Tell family and friends of my plans- Check! Research gear some more- Check!
Then it dawned on me…. “What do you eat when you have no access to refrigeration, and you have to carry everything you need to survive on your back for the entirety of the hike?”. It clicked. I realized my diet was probably going to resemble that of a young, poor University student’s diet. Super duper fun times!
-Jackie Zimmer