Pacific Crest Trail (Epic Hikes)

Boonie Buster · Mar 23, 2009

Has anyone ever hiked a fair stretch of this trail before? There is something alluring to me about this trail. I have read a little about people making the trek from end to end. Just amazing.

Discuss your epic hikes and treks! I would love to do the Hwy2 to I-90 (or reverse) stretch of the PCT someday.:awesomework:

Another one on my list of big hikes would be the Wonderland Trail.
Anyone done this one?

dirk · Mar 23, 2009

Boonie Buster said:
Another one on my list of big hikes would be the Wonderland Trail.
Anyone done this one?

My cousin has hiked the wonderland...took him 7 days. The weather was crap & rained on him the whole time :awesomework:

unclestripey · Mar 23, 2009

Oh yeah baby!!! I've done some of the PCT in various areas, mostly north of Hwy2, an end to ender has been a life long dream that I'll get to sooner or later..I've always wanted to hike the full circumference of the Wonderland trail as well but have had to be content with bits and pieces. Bopped over the hill from Marblemount to Stehekin a couple years ago, shoulda headed for Holden and headed back over Cloudy Pass. Another that has always intrigued me is off the cost of Vancouver Island near Strathcona Park. It runs down the seaward side of an island (Nootka? Nootka Trail?) and looks like a week of solitude.:awesomework:

Boonie Buster · Mar 24, 2009

http://archives.derekrowley.com/2002/2002-09-04-17-MRNP-WT-2002/

Just found this, definitel worth checking out, LOTS of pics of the Wonderland Trail.:awesomework:

Boxxerace · Mar 24, 2009

Mount Baker has some cool hiking. Lots of snow until fall though.

Pat · Mar 24, 2009

I've done bits and pieces of the PCT in Washington, I've always wanted to do some longer stretches like I90 to Hwy2 or Hwy2 north.

I met a hiker on the trail near Stevens Pass once who was doing the whole thing. He had a little day pack and tennis shoes. We hiked for a while and he told some really cool stories from his trip. He had also done the Appalaichan trail and some other long ones. The tennis shoes were the key he said to staying light and fast, a pair lasts about 1000 miles of hiking.

Pat · Mar 24, 2009

Oh and don't tell the Sierra Club but I have mountain biked on the PCT also. :awesomework:

Mankind may never recover from the resource damage that caused. :redneck:

rooinater · Mar 24, 2009

I've done bits and pieces of it, but I am planning on doing a section J hike this august (snoqualmie to stevens pass ~75 miles). One day after i'm done with college i'd love to take 4 to 5 months and do the whole trail.

You lighten up your pack yet?

here's some motivation for you.
Walking the West
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AXhlHoNxo8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm1ITR7m78o

Tell it on the Mountain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKQsbscd0og
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSNxPZmCcMw&feature=related

Boonie Buster · Mar 24, 2009

I've been working on a list of my own (current weights, new weights, things needed/things not) I spent prolly 2-3 hours last night going over the list you gave me and researching things! :awesomework: My head was mush at the end of the night.:haha:

Boxxerace · Mar 24, 2009

My Brother works for one of the contributing editors at http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/index.html

These guys can go 3 times further than I could if I packed, largely due to reducing the weight. Less weight means you might be at a greater risk of exposure and starvation, but it also enables you to move quickly.

rooinater · Mar 25, 2009

Boxxerace said:
My Brother works for one of the contributing editors at http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/index.html

These guys can go 3 times further than I could if I packed, largely due to reducing the weight. Less weight means you might be at a greater risk of exposure and starvation, but it also enables you to move quickly.

backpackinglight.com is an awesome wealth of lightweight information. I've been on there since 2004.

Less weight that is properly achieved and not just throwing everything out, will not leave you to die of exposure and starvation. Now SUL packing weights in inclement weather i could see causing a problem for some people that are unexperienced, but ultralight really doesn't have to leave out safety and actually should not.

The main premise is leave stuff out that is not needed from traditional backpacking, the kitchen sink for example. Also lightening the big 3 (pack, sleeping system, and shelter) along with lightening everything else. All you need is something to boil water for rehydrating home dehydrated meals. my solo cook system for this season is a backpackinglight trapper mug, a BPL esbit wing stove, a lighter, a spork, a windscreen, a lid and a cup sipper lid weighs a scantly 3.44oz. my golite quilt will weigh 19oz, my backpack weighs less than 21oz and will be down to 11oz by the season's end. last season my base pack weight was hovering between 11.5oz and 13.5oz, it did not skimp on layers, shelter/bug protection or on quality rain gear. With losing almost 2 pounds by getting a new pack, another pound by switching to a 20 degree golite ultra quilt (i use my sleeping bag as a quilt anyhow), saving 10oz on cooking equipment this season and a multitude of other things i've adjusted for this season. i'll easily be under a 10lb base weight for this coming season. Presently including water and food for a weekend plus an extra days worth of food my pack weighs in at roughly 19lbs fully loaded... This season it will be even lighter.

Boonie Buster · Mar 25, 2009

Wanna trade packs?!?! :fawkdancesmiley::haha::haha::haha: I just need to do my homework...

rooinater · Mar 25, 2009

I eat hearty on the trails, 3 cheese caseroles, spaghetti and meatballs, and tons of other yummy and filling meals that i dehydrate at home. without filling food, i'm a jerk to be around, so i carry food, otherwise i won't enjoy my wilderness experience as much.

The weekend after easter we'll be doing a 25 mile 2 day hike up the Elwha river. Nothing signifigantly long, but consistent snowpack starts a couple miles after the Elkhorn meadows. If you can keep up... It's in the Olympic National Park.

no thanks! :fawkdancesmiley: i've been slowly dialing in my pack weight for years...

Boonie Buster · Mar 25, 2009

sounds fun, ya, I know where the elwha is, we camped there on our last trip of the season.:awesomework:

rooinater · Mar 25, 2009

it's generally great for early season hiking, since it stays fairly snow free and is at low elevation. which camp did you guys camp at?

Boonie Buster · Mar 25, 2009

rooinater said:
it's generally great for early season hiking, since it stays fairly low elevation. which camp did you guys camp at?

Actually we stayed at Sol Duc campground our last trip, the first trip we took there we stayed at the Elwha campground and did a little hike along the lake Mills. And just explored some other areas around there and the coast. At Sold Duc we hiked up past Sol Duc falls and up to Deer Lake, around the lake and back down, we were gonna make a longer loop out of it, but it was pretty cold and we got wet/sweaty (need better clothes, newbs...:looser

so we headed back down the same way. I'm so used to day hikes and hunting, I need to change my mentality for all this junk. :haha: What do you use for a base layer and warmth/fleece/whatever layer? I KNOW not having a good base layer is what killed us last hike...:booo:

rooinater · Mar 25, 2009

I presently use midweight polypro baselayers at the moment. can't remember the brand, I bought them in 2004 while I was in iraq... i'm looking into either BPL merino wool layers or icebreakers to save some weight to thermal efficency and wool doesn't stink as bad as synthetics. presently i'm trying to sew a lightweight synthetic vest to add for shoulder season hiking (4.9oz, minima vest kit from www.thru-hiker.com). whenever possible I don't hike in the baselayers but use rain gear to shed the breeze while trapping body heat and when stopping you could throw on a baselayer or adjust layers to thermally regulate. all but extremely cold temps waterproof/breathable fabrics are incredably warm when you are moving around. by not hiking in the baselayers they are still dry for stops and camp. fleece is fairly heavy and for non winter use it is generally not worth the weight. another thing to note is, don't wear cottons it has no warmth when wet and will sap your body heat. synthetic or wool insulation you can ring out and they'll still insulate. a couple books to check out would be 'trail life' by ray jardine, 'backpacking lightweight' edited by ryan jordan and 'lighten up' don't remember the author. ra is a little austantatious but his book has a lot of good info and fills in a lot of gaps for someone new to backpacking. the other books take a broader spectrum of ideas, while rays' book is from his and his wife's view.

Boxxerace · Mar 25, 2009

I'd like to get up on top of Olympus this summer again. Simply a stunning hike.

briejer · Apr 8, 2009

I always planned to do the PCT when my son was out on his own. I had my subtalar joint in my ankle fused and the Dr. told me if the rest of my ankle was going to last that I had to pace myself. That meant to swap distance for difficulty. Prior to the ankle fusion I did the Wonderland in 2.5 days. Also the Northern loop in non-stop blitz, less than 40 hours.

Saturday I went to climb Rainier, but my partner was no doing well....we bailed. Sunday the mountian was calling me out, so I rented a rondane set up and set out to climb it mon-tue. I had skied since 1994. Monday I skinned up to Muir, then Tuesday Boot climbed up Gib ledges then skinned to the summit. Skied down the Ingrams glacier. I was as happy as I have ever been. I was the only climber up that day in gorgeous weather and skied down Rainier after not being on a set in 15 years.......I'm hooked!! Tour skiing is the ****!!