Pacific Crest Trail Summary Videos
Now that we have completed the entire 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), we decided to summarize our trekking journey by creating two different videos.
Now that we have completed the entire 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), we decided to summarize our trekking journey by creating two different videos.
Upon reaching the Canadian border, we had completed 98.4% of the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, with only 42.7 miles to go. However, we still felt a nagging urge to walk every mile. It was what we had intended when we first began our thru hiking attempt in 2016.
In July and August 2021 we undertook our latest journey: a 268.5-mile section hike in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. Our trekking took us on the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail through two national parks and five wilderness areas. The video shows some of the most spectacular and pristine scenery in the world that we saw (and heard) during our 20 days of hiking.
After 12 1/2 days and 160 miles of trekking on the Pacific Crest Trail through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, we stopped to resupply in Yosemite National Park’s Tuolumne Meadows. Now we were faced with a weather forecast of up to a half-inch of rain (and potential thunder and lightning) for each of the next three days. There was also a looming fire closure to the north of us.
During the first six days of our Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Sierra Nevada trek, we completed 69 miles and ascended over five passes of at least 11,500 feet in elevation. We also contended with afternoon heat and sudden rainstorms. While the altitude of the passes would diminish as we continued north, we knew that the trail (and the weather) would continue to be challenging.
Five years ago we attempted to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) from Mexico to Canada. While we didn’t finish the entire 2,650-mile path that year, we did complete over 1,800 miles in California and Oregon before stopping after 4 ½ months. Since then we have tried to get back on the trail in California to finish the 300 miles we had remaining in the state.
It had been a traumatic experience for us to leave the PCT in the High Sierras, due to the raging river crossings. As we rejoined the trail in South Lake Tahoe, we weren’t sure whether we would encounter other issues that would force us to make a similar decision. We knew that we would still face some snow, but weren’t sure to what extent it would affect our hiking progress.
The past segment of the PCT from Tehachapi, CA has had a little of everything: heat, scarce water, fire worries, treacherous trail, snow, and finally, torrential rivers and streams. It also marked the end of our desert hiking and the beginning of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.