One hundred quick tips to be successful in thru hiking the PCT! One hundred tips I wish I had when I was first attempting this trail, I hope they help! The Pacific Crest Trail is 2,653 miles long. Stretching and starting north from the Mexico border just east of San Diego California, up through the Mojave Desert, the high elevation of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and into the volcanic studded landscape of Northern California. All the way through Oregon with its many lakes and mosquitoes, and into Washingtons jagged and remote North Cascades mountain ranges. Finally terminating at the Canadian border. It is not an easy hike and it is certainly not a short hike, taking people on average 5 months to do, and only 1 in 4 who attempt it are successful.

I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada in 2022, but have also logged more than 11,000 miles on other thru hikes around the US, including the Appalachian Trail, and many others. These tips are PCT specific, but also come from my nearly 10 years of thru hiking experience.

I think a lot of the information here could be very beneficial to those attempting the hike, so please feel free to share this video! I had attempted this trail once before, in 2018 and was not successful. This video will help anyone to avoid many of the problems that eventually made me quit.

100 Tips For An Ultralight Backpack Video:    • 100 Tips For An Ultralight Backpack  

Gear mentioned in this video:
Personal Locator Beacon: https://amzn.to/3DCFeAc
Trekking Poles: https://amzn.to/3X5rPax
Gaiters: https://dirtygirlgaiters.com/
Ground Sheet: https://amzn.to/3DZmeMD
Socks: https://amzn.to/3jqaRGe
Bug Headnet: https://amzn.to/3YmKz6q
Bear Canister (BV500): https://amzn.to/3l1wnSa
Umbrella: https://amzn.to/3kZTeNT
Sun Hat (big): https://amzn.to/3wPZiez
Sun Hat (small): https://amzn.to/3X1v5UH
Sun Shirt (mens): https://amzn.to/3Rvhunt
Sun Shirt (womens): https://amzn.to/3RsKThS
Battery Bank (20k): https://amzn.to/3Yg5Dvy
Battery Bank (10k): https://amzn.to/3jq7wa7

MY PCT GEAR LIST (Weights, names, links)
https://jupiterhikes.com/gear/

Stats from my PCT Thru Hike
https://jupiterhikes.com/2022/10/17/p...

0:00 - Intro
0:42 - Pre Trail
2:22 - Gear
4:33 - General
8:37 - Desert
9:50 - Sierra
11:30 - NorCal
12:50 - Oregon
14:33 - Washington
15:29 - Post Trail

Goodluck out there! Above all else, have fun! This may be a once in a lifetime experience, take it all in and enjoy.
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- save money! My hike cost 6,000, and on average people spend 9,000
- walk more in daily life, and go hiking more frequently to get in shape and get familiar with your shoes
- train with your full pack to know how it feels, then use that as motivation to lighten it
- If you want to go slow start early, if you want to go fast start late. This strategy is helpful to avoid fire season
- you don't need to send any boxes; maybe Kennedy Meadows, anything else you can figure out from the trail
- download the farout app, it will be your primary navigation source
- dial in gear before you go by taking a lot of short overnight trips near home
- you want a base pack weight under 15lbs, or 6.8kg
- Replace shoes & socks every 500-600 miles
- most people will want a 20*f or -6*c quilt
- most people will want a tent
- wear gaiters to keep desert dust and rocks out of your shoes
- bring a ground sheet for cowboy camping, it saves time and effort
- Carry a personal locator beacon, you may not use it but it could literally save your life
- Carry a trowel, and use it
- Keep it easy! Your easy will get faster
- Leave no trace, look up the seven principles and follow them
- Don't be afraid to start alone, new friends to be made are everywhere
- On average this hike takes people 5 months to complete
- Lower your expectations, sometimes this experience sucks
- Listen to your food cravings, they may be telling you something
- Don't get lost in the elevation profile, just hike and you will get there!
- take more zeros early on to let your body ease in
- don't chase hikers faster than you, this is a quick way to get hurt
- start with 6L of water or more thru the desert
- don't camp near water, it will be colder and more bugs will be there
- climb Mt Whitney, the highest point in the southern US
- late summer and early fall is fire season, beware of your timing
- go to pct days, in cascade locks Oregon
- take Washington slower, it's hard
- mid September it can start snowing, again beware of your timing

Hiking Essentials Shirt! http://jupiterhikes.com/product/hikin...

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