Check out the most recent PCT Survey results here.

Hello and welcome to the results of the 2018 Pacific Crest Trail Thru-hiker Survey!

I've officially closed the books on the sixth year of this project and would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to participate. You're amazing people. Also, thank you to everyone who was patient in waiting for the release of this year's survey. I am publishing a bit later than previous years because I wanted to ensure I collected as much southbound thru-hiker data as possible.

This survey began with the intention of turning the results into a resource that would actually be useful (or at least as useful as a resource could be) to anyone hoping to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. In this regard, I feel that the survey has achieved at least some level of success. That said, I am still looking to improve upon the data and its presentation and I would love to hear what you think via comment or email.

If this is your first visit to the PCT Thru-hiker Survey, be forewarned that the data should be looked at skeptically; there's nothing scientific about this data or the way I gather it. Every year I get an email from someone criticizing my methods; I'm just some random guy on the internet trying to help future hikers – so take it easy, people. I do my best to distribute the survey as widely as possible and to accurately present the data collected from the year's Pacific Crest Trail class.

So now that you've read until a spot in the survey that most people have probably skipped, here are the results of Halfway Anywhere's 2018 Pacific Crest Trail Thru-hiker Survey:

NOTES ON THE DATA

This year we had 502 completed surveys .

. The responses to some questions have been sorted and colored in hopes of more usefully and accurately presenting the data (e.g. northbound vs. southbound).

in hopes of more usefully and accurately presenting the data (e.g. northbound vs. southbound). Not all PCT hikers document the stats of their thru-hike (yes, I'm weird). Because of this, the data is not 100% guaranteed accurate (again, this is not science we're dealing with).

For simplicity, I refer to the survey respondents collectively as this year's “ class “. Remember this is only a fraction of this year's PCT hikers and it is not necessarily representative of the entire PCT Class of 2018.

“. Remember this is only a fraction of this year's PCT hikers and it is not necessarily representative of the entire PCT Class of 2018. If you find some small and meaningless discrepancy in the data, get over it – again, we're playing with hand grenades, not rifles. BUT – if you find large or obvious errors, please lets me know.

– again, we're playing with hand grenades, not rifles. – if you find large or obvious errors, please lets me know. I will be releasing more detailed survey posts focused on PCT Gear, PCT Resupply, PCT Demographics, and PCT Advice in the coming weeks. If you would like to be notified of new surveys, click here.

Labels differentiating hiker segments:

THRU : Thru-hikers (all)

: Thru-hikers (all) FINISH : Thru-hikers (all) who completed the entire PCT

: Thru-hikers (all) who the entire PCT NOFINISH : Thru-hikers (all) who did NOT complete the PCT

: Thru-hikers (all) who did complete the PCT NOBO : Northbound thru-hikers (all)

: Northbound thru-hikers (all) NOBO-0 : Northbound thru-hikers who did NOT complete the PCT

: Northbound thru-hikers who did complete the PCT NOBO-1 : Northbound thru-hikers who completed the PCT

: Northbound thru-hikers who completed the PCT SOBO : Southbound thru-hikers (all)

: Southbound thru-hikers (all) SOBO-0 : Southbound thru-hikers who did NOT complete the PCT

: Southbound thru-hikers who did complete the PCT SOBO-1 : Southbound thru-hikers who completed the PCT

If NO LABEL has been appended to a data point, then I used all data collected (this includes section hiker data).

SOUTHBOUND DATA: I received responses from THIRTY-SIX southbound thru-hikers (this is DOUBLE last year's). An additional TEN section-hiking southbounders responded as well – their responses are not included in the SOBO-0 and SOBO-1 groups.

THE DEMOGRAPHICS

Our first section won't help you prepare for a PCT thru-hike, but that doesn't mean it isn't interesting. Here are the HIKER DEMOGRAPHICS.

PCT thru-hiker SEX 56.7% Male 43.1% Female 0.2% Genderqueer



PCT thru-hiker AGE 1.6% <20 19.1% 20-24 29.7% 25-29 16.4% 30-34 9.2% 35-39 9.2% 40-49 8.2% 50-59 6.1% 60-69 0.4% >70

AVERAGE AGE | 34 (σ = 12)

PCT thru-hiker RACE 90.7% Caucasian 2.6% 2+ Races 2.2% Asian 2% Hispanic 0.2% African American 0.2% Indian 0.2% Native American 1.8% Declined to answer



PCT thru-hiker EDUCATION level 1.2% <12th grade 6.7% High School Diploma 14.9% Some College 5.7% Associate Degree 49.5% Bachelor's Degree 22% Graduate Degree



COUNTRIES | Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, USA (31 TOTAL)

US STATES | AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA,VT, WA, WV, WI (46 TOTAL – where you at Kentucky, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming?)

TOP COUNTRIES USA 62.3% Australia 7.8% Canada 6.8% Germany 5.8% United Kingdom 4.7% New Zealand/Switzerland 3.1% Austria/France/Israel 1%



TOP STATES California 22.4% Washington 12.5% Oregon 8% Texas 4.2% Colorado/Michigan 3.5% New York 2.9% North Carolina 2.6%



THE BASICS

Here we'll take a look at DATES for thru-hikes, whether hikers were on their FIRST THRU-HIKE, what trails people ALREADY HIKED, whether hikers BEGAN ALONE, and what everyone thought about TRAIL EVENTS.

Of the thru-hikers this year, 70% were on their first long-distance trail and 30% had already done a long-distance hike.

The trails most commonly hiked by those with experience were:

27% Appalachian Trail

22% John Muir Trail

11% Camino de Santiago

10% Pacific Crest Trail

10% Tahoe Rim Trail

9% Te Araroa Trail

8% Colorado Trail

6% Wonderland Trail

4% Continental Divide Trail

4% Long Trail

3% Arizona Trail

26% Other Long-distance Trail

THRU – Did you begin ALONE ? 65% Yes 16% No, began with friend(s) 15% No, I started with a partner (e.g. boy/girlfriend or spouse) 3% No, I arranged to start with other hikers (whom I had not met prior to beginning the PCT)

– Did you begin ?

THRU – What percentage of the time did you HIKE ALONE? | 64%

– What percentage of the time did you ALONE? | 64% THRU – What percentage of the time did you CAMP ALONE? | 25%

NOBO – MONTH STARTED? 0.3% February 20.3% March 54.4% April 23.5% May 1% June 0.3% July

NOBO – AVERAGE START DATE | April 16

April 16 NOBO – MOST POPULAR START DATES | April 2, April 6, April 18

April 2, April 6, April 18 NOBO – AVERAGE DATE LEAVING KENNEDY MEADOWS | June 3

June 3 NOBO – HAPPY WITH START DATE? 70.75% Yes 19.75% No, would start earlier 9.5% No, would start later



NOBO-0 – AVERAGE START DATE | April 16

April 16 NOBO-1 – AVERAGE START DATE | April 17

April 17 NOBO-0 – AVERAGE DATE LEAVING KENNEDY MEADOWS | June 8

June 8 NOBO-1 – AVERAGE DATE LEAVING KENNEDY MEADOWS | June 2

June 2 NOBO-1 – AVERAGE END DATE | September 16

September 16 NOBO-1 – AVERAGE COMPLETION TIME | 152 days (σ = 22)

The AVERAGE START DATE of NOBO THRU-HIKERS who said that they would have preferred to START EARLIER was May 1.

The AVERAGE START DATE of NOBO THRU-HIKERS who said that they would have preferred to START LATER was April 2.

SOBO – MONTH STARTED? 17.2% June 82.8% July

SOBO – MOST POPULAR START DATES | July 3, July 4

July 3, July 4 SOBO – AVERAGE START DATE | July 4

July 4 SOBO – HAPPY WITH START DATE? 77% Yes 20% No, would start earlier 3% No, would start later



SOBO-1 – AVERAGE START DATE | July 4

July 4 SOBO-1 – AVERAGE END DATE | November 4

November 4 SOBO-1 – AVERAGE COMPLETION TIME | 123 days (σ = 15)

TRAIL DAYS ATTENDANCE 73% Did not attend 7% Would NOT attend again 20% Would attend again



Now let's look at whether hikers TRAINED for the PCT. I had everyone RATE THEIR FITNESS on a scale of 0 (Overweight, lazy waste of life) to 10 (Godlike superhuman) with “Average Joe” in the middle at 5.

NOTE: These are PRE-TRAIL fitness levels.

THRU – DID YOU TRAIN FOR THE PCT? 55% Yes 45% No

THRU – AVERAGE FITNESS LEVEL | 6.2 (σ = 1.61)

6.2 (σ = 1.61) FINISH – AVERAGE FITNESS LEVEL | 6.35 (σ = 1.56)

6.35 (σ = 1.56) NOFINISH – AVERAGE FITNESS LEVEL | 5.66 (σ = 1.67)

THE HIKING

How much time did this year's class spend actually hiking?

Here are the HIKING STATS, including DAILY MILEAGE, number of ZEROES/NEAR-OS taken, and whether hikers FLIP-FLOPPED, hiked WHITNEY, hiked the ENTIRE PCT, or would hike the PCT AGAIN.

FINISH – AVERAGE DAYS ON TRAIL | 149 (σ = 23)

149 (σ = 23) FINISH – AVERAGE DAYS HIKING (SUBTRACT ZERO DAYS) | 133 (σ = 19)

133 (σ = 19) FINISH – OVERALL AVERAGE DAILY MILEAGE* | 18.28 mi / 29.41 km (σ = 3.21 mi / 5.15 km)

18.28 mi / 29.41 km (σ = 3.21 mi / 5.15 km) FINISH – HIKING DAYS AVERAGE DAILY MILEAGE* | 20.5 mi / 32.98 km (σ = 3.19 mi / 5.13 km)

20.5 mi / 32.98 km (σ = 3.19 mi / 5.13 km) FINISH – PRE-KENNEDY MEADOWS AVERAGE DAILY MILEAGE* | 15.74 mi / 25.33 km (σ = 4.33 mi / 6.97 km)

15.74 mi / 25.33 km (σ = 4.33 mi / 6.97 km) FINISH – POST-KENNEDY MEADOWS AVERAGE DAILY MILEAGE* | 19.13 mi / 30.78 km (σ = 3.5 mi / 5.63 km)

19.13 mi / 30.78 km (σ = 3.5 mi / 5.63 km) FINISH – AVERAGE LONGEST DAY | 39.56 mi / 63.65 km (σ = 9.54 mi / 15.35 km)

39.56 mi / 63.65 km (σ = 9.54 mi / 15.35 km) FINISH – AVERAGE ZEROES | 17 (σ = 10.6)

17 (σ = 10.6) FINISH – AVERAGE NEAR-OS | 16 (σ = 10)

*these values assume a 2,660 mi /4,280 km hike (I know, probably very few people hiked this number of miles, but this should give you an upper boundary for your estimations)

WOULD CONSIDER HIKING THE PCT AGAIN? 81% Yes 19% No



THRU – DID YOU FLIP-FLOP? 15% Yes 85% No

THRU – DID YOU SUMMIT MOUNT WHITNEY? 74% Yes 26% No

THRU – DID YOU HIKE A CONTINUOUS/UNBROKEN FOOTPATH OF THE PCT? 29.9% Yes, and I did NOT skip the fire closures. 19.7% Yes, but I skipped the fire closures. 32.3% Yes, but I may have missed a few miles here or there. 13.0% No, I hitched past/skipped some small sections. 5.4% No, I hitched past/skipped large sections.



As much as we all like to think that we're going to succeed, I can guarantee you that not every would-be thru-hiker who begins the PCT will make it to the end. Here's what's probably going to happen to you (if this year's class is any indication).

DID YOU COMPLETE THE PCT? 78% Yes 22% No



WHY DID YOU NOT FINISH? 21% Injury 16.1% Fires 14.5% Personal 11.3% Family 7.3% Illness 5.6% Financial 5.6% Work 4% Snow 1% School 14.5% Other



NOFINISH – AVERAGE MILES FINISHED | 1,178 mi / 1,895 km (σ = 597 mi / 960 km)

THE RESUPPLY

For those of you thinking about setting off on a Pacific Crest Trail adventure, you're probably wondering about resupply (aka how and where do you get your hiker fuel aka food).

Here's this year's RESUPPLY STRATEGY, including the number of BOXES sent, and where hikers SUGGEST MAILING a box.

RESUPPLY STRATEGY 9% mailed ALL boxes 78% mailed SOME boxes 13% mailed NO boxes

REMEMBER that you can mail yourself boxes from ON THE TRAIL and don't have to have ALL your resupply boxes prepared ahead of time. Many towns have large supermarkets.

FINISH – AVERAGE RESUPPLY STOPS MADE | 28 (σ = 6.9)

28 (σ = 6.9) FINISH – AVERAGE BOXES SENT | 8.7 (σ = 6)

What locations would hikers DEFINITELY MAIL a resupply box? Stehekin (Washington) Kennedy Meadows* (Sierra) Stevens Pass/Skykomish (Washington) Sierra City (NorCal) Big Lake Youth Camp Warner Springs (Desert) Crater Lake/Mazama (Oregon) Mazama (Washington) Timberline Lodge (Oregon) Snoqualmie Pass (Washington) *Kennedy Meadows is where most hikers begin carrying bear canisters. The favorite bear canister from this year? The BV500.

Where would hikers have preferred to MAIL A BOX instead of purchasing locally? Sierra City (NorCal) Agua Dulce (Desert) Shelter Cove (Oregon) Bridgeport (NorCal) Kennedy Meadows North (NorCal) Hikertown Crater Lake/Mazama (Oregon) Stehekin (Washington) Tuolumne Meadows (Sierra) Seiad Valley (NorCal) Skykomish (Washington)

I asked hikers what their FAVORITE foods on the trail were and what foods they will NEVER EAT AGAIN. I will go into more detail on hiker food in the PCT Class of 2018 Resupply Guide (which will be released later this month). For now, here are some of the favorites (and least favorites).

FAVORITE FOODS? Backpacker's Pantry Pad Thai

Cheese

M&Ms

Mac n Cheese

Chips

Snickers

NEVER EATING AGAIN? Idahoan Mashed Potatoes

Clif Bars

Oatmeal

Peanut Butter

Pop-Tarts

Tuna

CHANGES to your resupply strategy?

Send MORE VARIETY in boxes (31.4%) Send FEWER resupply boxes (29.6%) Send HEALTHIER FOOD in boxes (27.2%) Send LESS FOOD in boxes (21.2%) Mail boxes from ON TRAIL instead of ahead of time (20.4%)

The average number of boxes sent by hikers who said they would like to have sent FEWER boxes? Ten. The average number of boxes sent by hikers who said they would like to have sent MORE boxes? Seven. The average number of resupply boxes sent? Nine.

So if you're taking this advice and looking to send NINE resupply boxes (which also fits with the strategy of only sending yourself SOME boxes), the places you should send them – according to this survey – are (from Mexico to Canada):

Warner Springs (Desert)

Agua Dulce (Desert)

Kennedy Meadows (Sierra)

Sierra City (NorCal)

Crater Lake (Oregon)

Shelter Cove (Oregon)

Big Lake Youth Camp (Oregon)

Stevens Pass/Skykomish (Washington)

Stehekin (Washington)

I also asked where hikers resupplied. I have used the following colors to indicate the popularity of each stop: in geographical order, starting at Mexico, here are the most popular resupply stops (aka everywhere at least 70% of respondents said they paid a visit to): OVER 66%, 33-66%, LESS THAN 33%.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA South Lake Tahoe (93%)

(93%) Echo Lake (20%)

(20%) Tahoe City (6%)

(6%) Soda Springs (6%)

(6%) Truckee (32%)

(32%) Sierra City (86%)

(86%) Quincy (35%)

(35%) Chester (71%)

(71%) Belden (79%)

(79%) Drakesbad (27%)

(27%) Old Station (59%)

(59%) Burney (64%)

(64%) Burney Falls (55%)

(55%) Castella (22%)

(22%) Dunsmuir (30%)

(30%) Mount Shasta (59%)

(59%) Etna (83%)

(83%) Seiad Valley (91%) OREGON Callahan's (36%)

(36%) Ashland (94%)

(94%) Fish Lake (23%)

(23%) Lake of the Woods Resort (1%)

(1%) Mazama Village Store (Crater Lake) (94%)

(94%) Diamond Lake Resort (9%)

(9%) Shelter Cove Resort (88%)

(88%) Odell Lake Resort (5%)

(5%) Elk Lake Resort (26%)

(26%) Sisters (33%)

(33%) Bend (58%)

(58%) Big Lake Youth Camp (62%)

(62%) Olallie Lake Resort (52%)

(52%) Government Camp (13%)

(13%) Timberline Lodge (94%)

(94%) Cascade Locks (95%)

(95%) Hood River (13%)

(13%) Portland (6%) WASHINGTON Trout Lake (76%)

(76%) White Pass (87%)

(87%) Packwood (41%)

(41%) Snoqualmie Pass (98%)

(98%) Stevens Pass/Skykomish (83%)

(83%) Skykomish (52%)

(52%) The Dinsmores (11%)

(11%) Leavenworth (9%)

(9%) Stehekin (94%)

(94%) Mazama (18%)

(18%) Winthrop (10%)

(10%) Holden Village (5%)

But what about hitchhiking? I asked hikers which resupply stops they had difficulty making it to from the trail. The top responses were:

Etna (NorCal) Bishop (Sierra) Kennedy Meadows North (NorCal) Lake Isabella (Desert) Bridgeport (NorCal) Bend (Oregon)

But let's forget about hitchhiking because that's a completely subjective thing that could easily swing in your favor if you happen to rock up to the road at the right time. What you really need help figuring out is where the cool places to head to on trail are. Here are hikers' FAVORITE and LEAST FAVORITE resupply points (for each section):

FAVORITE RESUPPLY POINTS DESERT: Idyllwild

Idyllwild SIERRA: Bishop

Bishop NORCAL: South Lake Tahoe

South Lake Tahoe OREGON: Ashland

Ashland WASHINGTON: Stehekin HONORABLE MENTIONS Bend (Oregon)

Wrightwood (Desert)

LEAST FAVORITE RESUPPLY POINTS Hikertown (Desert)

Sierra City (NorCal)

Lake Isabella (Desert)

Seiad Valley (NorCal)

Vermillion Valley Resort (Sierra) DISHONORABLE MENTIONS Agua Dulce (Desert)

Mount Laguna (Desert)

THE GEAR

If there's anything that can compete with resupply for “most time spent thinking about before a thru-hike”, it's gear. Getting gear together for a thru-hike can be a challenge, especially if you're in the majority of hikers who haven't attempted a long-distance trail before.

Now we investigate the PCT Class of 2018's gear.

THRU – AVERAGE BASE WEIGHT (START) | 17.63 lb / 7.89 kg (σ = 7.6 lb / 3.5 kg)

17.63 lb / 7.89 kg (σ = 7.6 lb / 3.5 kg) THRU – AVERAGE BASE WEIGHT (END) | 15.28 lb / 6.95 kg (σ = 5.4 lb / 2.5 kg)

15.28 lb / 6.95 kg (σ = 5.4 lb / 2.5 kg) THRU – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON GEAR | $1,565 (σ = $830)

FINISH – PAIRS OF SHOES USED (AVERAGE) | 4.4 (σ = 1)

– 4.4 (σ = 1) FINISH – AVERAGE AMOUNT SPENT ON ENTIRE HIKE | $6,274 (σ = $3,018)

For more on PCT costs, check out How Much Does it Cost to Hike The Pacific Crest Trail?

AVERAGE SLEEPING BAG TEMPERATURE RATING | 17°F / -8.3°C

17°F / -8.3°C AVERAGE BACKPACK SIZE | 56 L

Here are the FAVORITE “Big 4” items: PACKS, SHELTERS, SLEEPING BAGS, and SLEEPING PADS (I know it's the “Big 3”, but I include sleeping pads). This year, I've changed the SATISFACTION RATING for each piece of gear from a “LIKE/DISLIKE” answer to a numerical rating. However, I made a mistake on the survey and shelters, sleeping pads, trekking poles, and shoes ended up being rated out of THREE instead of FIVE (this will be fixed for next year).

If you're interested in a VERY detailed breakdown of the gear used by the PCT Class of 2018, check out the PCT Class of 2018 Gear Guide.

In addition to the pieces of gear designed to break the bank and keep you alive, thru-hikers need to consider what they're bringing in the STOVE, WATER TREATMENT, BEAR CANISTER, SHOE, and (new this year) TREKKING POLE departments. Here's the MOST COMMON gear:

These items are the MOST COMMON items, I will be publishing a detailed breakdown of the PCT Class of 2018's gear including what hikers liked, what they didn't like, what made them successful, and how they would change/adapt their gear for a future hike.

And if you can't wait for more comments on gear, here is some wisdom from the PCT Class of 2018:

Heard nothing but bad things about Zpacks packs.

Takes time to figure out what works for you. Don't worry too much about base weight. Carry what makes you comfortable.

Don't bring a book. Stupidest piece of gear I had. Use audiobooks instead.

Get a rain jacket that actually keeps you dry.

Simply put, everyone has different things that work for them and it's important to just find what works for YOU and what's comfortable while still being light.

For more on gear, check out the Ultimate Pacific Crest Trail Packing List.

This year, I also asked hikers about the APPS they used on the PCT and the TYPE OF PHONE they used on the trail. The responses were:

WHAT APP(S) DID YOU USE 85.9% Atlas Guides aka Guthook (Android/iOS) 47.7% Halfmile (Android/iOS) 10.9% Hikerbot (Android) 7.8% Gaia (Android/iOS) 2.3% Backcountry Navigator (Android)



WHAT PHONE DID YOU USE? 52.8% iOS (iPhone) 44.7% Android



THE HEALTH

The question of water treatment and hygiene is a big consideration for hikers (however, it's typically something you worry less about as the trail goes on).

Here are the stats on hiker HEALTH and WATER TREATMENT.

DID YOU FILTER WATER? 55.5% Always 31.2% Mostly 12.4% Sometimes 0.6% Never

DID YOU GET SICK? 8.2% Yes 91.8% No



Now we can get to the fun part and take a detailed look at who made wise choices with their water sources on PCT. Obviously, everyone wants to look cool in front of their friends by not filtering water, but there are risks to the badass thru-hiker lifestyle.

How often did you treat water sources and did you get sick (3+ days of digestive issues, or a diagnosed giardia)? 3.7% Always treated, got sick

51.8% Always treated, never got sick

2.7% Mostly treated, got sick

28.5% Mostly treated, never got sick

1.4% Sometimes treated, got sick

10.7% Sometimes treated, never got sick

0.4% Never treated, got sick

0.2% Never treated, never got sick

In total, a reported 8.2% of hikers came down with something akin to giardia, and just 0.6% never filtered (those who don't filter are typically quite staunch in their commitment to their strategy; read: don't readily admit to becoming sick from not filtering).

THE LIKES AND DISLIKES

You may not be aware, but the Pacific Crest Trail is a long hike with a lot to see (mostly bears). Here's a look at the sections of trail that PCT thru-hikers LIKED and DISLIKED.

FAVORITE PCT section? What was thePCT section? Sierra Washington The Desert Northern California Oregon

FAVORITE were: Specifically, thewere: Goat Rocks (Washington Section H) The Northern Cascades (Washington) Kings Canyon (CA Section H) The John Muir Trail (CA Section H) Three Sisters Wilderness (Oregon)

What was the LEAST FAVORITE PCT section? Northern California Oregon The Desert Washington Sierra

Specifically, the LEAST FAVORITE were: Southern Oregon Tehachapi to Walker Pass (CA Section F) The Aqueduct (CA Section E) Southern Washington (OR/WA Border to Trout Lake) Belden to Burney Falls (CA Section N)

I asked hikers what PCT RESOURCES they found most and least valuable when planning their hikes.

What resource did you find MOST VALUABLE when planning your hike? Halfway Anywhere* 🙂 YouTube Friends/Former thru-hikers Hiker Blogs PCTA.org

What resource did you find LEAST VALUABLE when planning your hike? Advice from non-thru-hikers Retail store employees PCT Facebook Pages/Groups Yogi's Guide Books about the PCT

*It's awesome to see that Halfway Anywhere is helping out PCT hikers (especially to see that people still believe it's helpful even after hiking the trail). THANK YOU, everyone who supports the site and encourages me to keep doing what I'm doing!

THE FEAR, REGRETS, AND ADVICE

When asked if hikers ever felt LEGITIMATELY AFRAID on the trail, this is what they had to report (more of this will be included in a future post, but for now, here are some that stood out):

Camping in a desert valley near a river during a severe thunderstorm . I had serious concerns about a few things: flash flooding, my tent holding in the wind, and if I had to hike due to either of those outcomes, what would I do? I was the tallest thing around and the next part of the trail was going up a ridge.

. I had serious concerns about a few things: flash flooding, my tent holding in the wind, and if I had to hike due to either of those outcomes, what would I do? I was the tallest thing around and the next part of the trail was going up a ridge. Getting chased by dogs in Seiad Valley was not great. That place is hostile.

in Seiad Valley was not great. That place is hostile. Night hiking alone in forests seeing eyes stare back at you.

When there were snowstorms in the Sierra and there was no reliable weather information to make a judgment on the risk.

I got completely soaked (me and all my gear and tent and quilt and everything) one morning in Washington when it rained all night and morning. Packed up wet and cold, and never had a sunny moment to dry everything out. Next night was so cold and wet, was genuinely concerned for hypothermia in my tent. It was horribly cold and I slept like shit from being so cold, my quilt was wet and didn't really work so great. Next morning my tent fly was frozen solid, had to smash the ice apart to fold it up into its bag. Scary night and morning!

Descending Glen Pass – a mess of ice and rocks and steepness.

A hitch where the driver was drinking and driving insanely fast.

Bouldering up the last 20 feet of forester (final switchback covered in snow), bailing out of a dangerous glissade on the descent, getting stuck up to my waist in snow. All while being alone.

Now for PCT Class of 2018 wisdom: what would you have DONE DIFFERENTLY if you were to do it all over again?

Definitely don’t plan out where you’re going to stop, and definitely do not plan to meet up with people along the way it sounds like a good idea but it’s not it’s horrible. Trained more. People say that the trail trains you, but that training is under a desert sun. I would have much rather been in better shape to start and saved myself from quite a bit of suffering. (more on PCT training here) I wish I had worried less, and gone out on a few backpacking trips with all my gear. I wish I would have saved more money leading up to my thru-hike (more on how much a thru-hike costs here).

I also asked this class what ADVICE FOR FUTURE PCT HIKERS they had. Here are some of my favorites:

Be open-minded and don’t plan too much! Things rarely go as planned.

You go through so many highs and lows, give yourself a few days after the lows before doing anything permanent and ride strong on the highs because they can be over so fast.

Take pictures of day to day things and people, it seems boring at the time but it's what you will want to look back on.

Just do it! Don't overthink everything ahead of time. You will figure shit out as you go. There is no real right or wrong way to thru-hike.

Be kind (donate) to trail angels!

I’d definitely say it's cliche but hike your own hike. If you’re a purist and are set on doing every mile, don’t let anyone try to convince you to skip ahead. And also if you’re just out there to have fun and do whatever you want, don’t let the purists tell you you’re doing something wrong.

Don’t think past the next town.

Calm the fuck down. People tend to get a little competitive about gear, miles, and even food. It's supposed to be fun, so make it fun. When you hit the slump in NorCal, take a few moments every day to remember how lucky you are to be doing this.

There is a lot of information in these responses, so I will be making a separate post with ALL (some) of the responses. After all, one of the top resources reported by this year's class was “former thru-hikers” and now that's exactly what they all are.

THE OTHER PCT SURVEYS

Finally, another BIG THANKS to and all the other hikers who completed this year's survey, including (but not limited to): 173, 12-8-6-3, 4million pounds, ADL (All Day Long), Airborne, Al, Angel Baby, Antsy Pants, Apache, Apollo, Arrow, Ass Crack Butter, Avocado, Avocet, Ba Ba, Bacon, Badger, Bagels, Baked, Bandit, Barrel, Bean Dip, Bear Hair, Bearf***er, Bearsock, Benjamin Button, Big Bro, Big Grin, Bigfeet, Bilbo, Bingo, Bipolar, Birdman, Black Hole, Blue, Blueberry, Blunty, Bomber, Boots, Bop It, Boss, Boy Scout #1, Boyscout, Bronco, Butterfly Boy, Butterfly Kisses, Butters, Cactass, Calamity, Canadian Treasure, Canuck, Captain, Captain Fantastic, Chainsaw, Chameleon, Cheetah, Cherry Bomb, Chilly Bin, Chuckwagon, Clax, Clean Turkey, Clockwork, Cocoa, Colonel Sanders, Columbus, COMMANDER, SHIVER, Condo, Couch, Cougar bait, Cowgirl, Cream, Cricket, Crouton, Crumbs, Cyclops, DADDY!, Daiquiri, Day-glo, Die Hard, Dingo, Dino heels, dirty money, DMV, Doctor Strange, Doin'Stuff, Doobie, Dopple, Driver, Duchess, DUCK!!!, Ducky, Dweemo, Early, Einstein, Eleven, Engine, Excel, Extra Mile, F. Sunshine, Face Plant, Fairweather, Farley, Feathers, Fight Club, Fine Young Buck, Finn, Fireball, Firefly, Fireman, Firesocks, Firestarter, First, Fizzy, Flick, FlipFlop, Flowers, Fogi, Frick, Gadget, Gandalf, Germanator, Ghost, Gift Horse, Gilligan, Gimpy, Good News, Google, Goss, Gourmet, Grey Fox, Gypsy Princess, Happy, Hauser (How's Yer Dick?), Hawkeye, Heaps!, Hercules, Hiccup, High Maintenance, Hightower, Hillbilly, Himalaya, Hobble, Hoosierdaddy, Hot Hat, HOT MESS, Hotlips, HotPocket, Hotshot, House, Howling Man, Huckleberry, huckleberry finn, Icebear, Icebreaker, Iceman, Indy, Jackrabbit, Jambo, Jandals, Janky, Jiminy Cricket (aka J-Money), JP 4, Jukebox, Just Kevin, justincase, Keglegs, Kermit, Khaleesi, Kit/Mens'shoes/Lucky Hitcher, KitKat, Knoxville, Koolaid, Leaf, Legend, Legs, Leuko, Lifehack, Lifgtweight, LOL, Longstride, Lt. Dan, Lupin, MacGyver, Maestro, Mage, Magpie, Mammoth, Maoi, Marathon, Marathon Dave, Mayo, McDreamy, Meatstick, MEO, Mermaid, Mibs, Midlife, Mighty Mouse, Mike, Million, Miraj, Moana, Monster, Monty, Moonbeam, Mouse, Mousetrap, Mr. Sage, Mr. Adventure, Mr. Freeze, Mr. Sunshine, Ms. MacGyver, Muffins, Mugwort, Murphy, My Way, Napoleon, Ninja, No Man, Nobody, North Pole, Nosnow, Numbers, Nutella, Nutz, Ocean, Old Yeller, OneLiner, Orangutan, OWL (Old Walking Lady), Owl, Paddington, Paddles, Pants, Patches, Peanut Butter, Penguin, Pepper, Phoenix, Picasso, Pickleback, Picnic Table, Piglet, Pilgrim, Pippin, Pitch, Plants, Pocket Rocket, Poker Face, Polar Bear, Pony Express, Poodle Bee, Popcorn!, Popeye, Poppins, Portable G, Pringle, Professor, Puddles, Puff, Quickie, Quill, Rabid Rabbit, Raccoon, Racerx, Raider, Rainman, Rally, Rancher, Rapunzel, Rasputin, Rattler, Raven, Rawhide, Red, Red Cross, Reeses, Relish, Rest Step, Reverse Pigeon, River, Roadrunner, Roadwalk, Rock Steady, Ruffles, RV, Sage, Sagebrush, Sailor, Saint Bernard, Salmon, Salty, Same Same, Sancho, Sashay, Sassy K., Sauer, Saunter, Scooch, Scoop, Seal, Sensei, Shadow, Shameless, Sharkbait, Sharpshooter, Sheila, Shepherd, Sherlock Holmes, Sherpa, Shitgust, Shivers, Shrek, Shuffles, Silver, Sixpense, Skittles, Skunkbear, Skybird, Skyblaze, Slow Squeeze, Slug, Smokey Winebar, Snackpack, Snakebite, Snickers, Snickers Virgin, Sniper, Snow White, Snowman!, Socks, Soda, Space Cowboy, Sparkles, SPECIAL K, Speedy, Spice Cat, Spikes, Spirit, Splash, Sporty Bastard, Squirt, Squishy, Starman, Statue, Steamboat, Stellar, Stickler, Straps, Stripes / Aleks, Stuck on the Ground, Stuffsack, Sunshine, Super Soaker, Superstar/Falling Star, Sweaty, Swedish Sunshine, T-Rex, Tags, Tailspin, Taxi, Team Blue, Team Blue [Part 2], The King, The Sheriff, Tinkle, Toe Jam, TOGA, Toolbox, Topnotch, Topsy, Townie, Trail Quail, TransContinental (TC), Trash Queen, TreeBeard, Triple Dome, True Grit, Tumbleweed. Turtle, Twenty Prime, Twig, Two Speed, Two-Step Fox, Two4Two, Twocan!, Upstream, Vamp, Vice, Vons, Walking Home, Warm Boy, Washerbeär, Waterboy, Watertank, Wendy of the Lost Boys, Wheat Thin, Whittle Spoon, Wildstyle, Wind Farm, Windy, WIO, WIP, Wizard, Wraps, Yala – yala, Yellow Jacket, Yogi Momma, and Ziploc

I spent a lot of hours putting this together and would love your feedback. Please COMMENT BELOW or get in touch to tell me what you think!

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