Best hikes, treks, tramps in the world.
Gone Hiking posted an excellent write-up of an 8 mile off-season section hike of the Appalachian Trail, climbing to Perkins Tower.
Bear Mountain State Park, NY – Appalachian Trail to Hessian Lake
That’s a great hiking site. I’ve subscribed. 🙂
Me?
I drove up to Perkins. Posed for a photo op on the Appalachian Trail, my first encounter with the AT.
This was the first section of the AT opened, October 7, 1923.
Oregon in September
PCT DAYS 2013 is a great time for people to check out the latest outdoor products and gear, participate in classes and activities, visit with old and new friends, listen to music & watch movies, and celebrate the past, present and future of the Pacific Crest Trail.
The 7th annual Pacific Crest Trail Days will take place on Thunder Island of the Marine Park in Cascade Locks, Oregon on September 6-8, 2013.
Trailer for “Wizards of the PCT,” a feature length documentary about a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I’ve been a fan of Kolby Kirk for years. He’s certainly one of the most entertaining and creative hiking bloggers.
100hikes.com
In person, he’s even better. 🙂
Likable. Personable. Self-effacing.
I grabbed a front row seat for Kolby’s ADZPCTKO 2013 presentation on JOURNALING a hike.
Rather than try to explain what I got out of his talk, here’s Kolby himself explaining the journaling he did for a hiking documentary, MILE… MILE & A HALF.
Click PLAY or watch it on Vimeo.
And I was convinced. I’ll be carrying a hard cover Moleskine journal on future long hikes. A mechanical pencil. And carrying the journal some place easy to reach on a whim.
related – The fools ( Mahe Drysdale, Tamati Coffey, Cate Helm, James Gibson) selecting hikers for an Air New Zealand contest — 9 Great Walks in 9 weeks — did NOT choose Kolby Kirk.
The criteria: “… personality, creativity and skills that may be useful on the trip …”
Do as I do. Boycott Air New Zealand, if you can.
I’m planning to travel to New Zealand next year. I’ll choose a different airline.
43 miles … or 1.6% 😦
day 1 – 20 miles Mexican border to Lake Morena County Park in southern California.
day 2 – 23 miles Mount Laguna back to Lake Morena County Park.
… I’d caught a ride up the mountain with a Trail Angel so I could hike downhill. 🙂
day 3 – ZERO day
My feet had small blisters after the first two days, MUCH TOUGHER than I’d expected. So I’d planned a modest day 3 – only 10 miles onward from Mount Laguna.
After an hour I gave up trying to hitchhike up the Sunrise Highway. And ended my PCT. For now.
After all, I’d attended ADZPCTKO 2013 for information and inspiration.
Mission accomplished.
PLAN FOR 2014.
The week prior to ADZPCTKO 2014 I’ll travel directly to Warner Springs at the 110 mile mark. Hike south to Mount Laguna.
Catch a ride to the Kick Off party at Lake Morena.
Gear up.
Then catch a ride back to Warner Springs. Continue north from there as far as time and feet will allow.
Hopefully a resupply at Anza. (152 miles)
Finish perhaps at lovely Idyllwild. (179 miles)
… That would get me up to a slightly more respectable 6.7% of the PCT. 🙂
Meantime, I may catch a section in the Sierras this summer.
Wish me luck.
trip report by editor Rick McCharles
I knew next to nothing about PCT hiking strategy.
But it seemed a no brainer to catch one of the many available Angel rides up to Mt Laguna at mile 43. And hike downhill to Lake Morena at mile 20 … rather than uphill.
Yet very few hikers did so.
Beautiful country.
I passed hundreds of sweaty, hot thru hikers climbing. It was interesting to check their gear. And their hiking systems.
No mountain bikes are allowed. But trail riders and beasts of burden are welcome.
Several hikers had seen Rattlesnakes. I saw 3 of these guys. A gopher snake, I believe.
It seemed to take FOREVER to get back to the Kick Off campground. Yeesh.
I grabbed a shower. Then enjoyed free chile provided by Trail Angels.
Feet sore. Some blisters. Confidence shaken. … I wasn’t at all sure I’d be able to hike day 3. 😦
trip report by editor Rick McCharles
Everyone was excited to get to the Mexican border, the start of the Pacific Crest Trail.
Trail angels drove clean hikers here the 20 miles from ADZPCTKO 2013. (Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off)
The infamous fence between Mexico and the USA was less impressive than I expected.
A savvy coyote would dress his illegals in hiking clothing. And tell them to march north on the PCT.
Lovely scenery to start. Much greener than you’d think.
Interesting and colourful desert vegetation.
I dropped a Summit Stone conspicuously on this rock. This trail will be super busy only for about 3 days.
The first 15 miles seemed easy, the heat not a problem this day.
… Then we got a look at these switchbacks.
I cooled my feet and psyched for the climb.
A second wind got me up there. But well meaning angels had left BEER at mile 18.
Smarter hikers than me resisted.
I had to drag myself the last 2 miles to camp. Where free and delicious dinner welcomed.
The hot shower was much appreciated. I slept early.
You could arrive at the Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off at Lake Morena County Park in southern California empty handed. And walk away perfectly outfitted for the long walk to Canada.
Packs, Shelters, Clothing, and Accessories
Gossamer Gear
Hyperlite Mountain Gear
Keen Footwear
LightHeart Gear
Moonbow GearSix Moon Designs
TarpTent
ULA Equipment
Zpacks
Accessories
AquaGuard
BearVault
Dirty Girl Gaiters
LiteTrail
StickPic
Trail Designs
Books, Maps, and Videos
One Pan Wonders
Squatch Films
Tuolumne Press
Wizards of the PCT
Yogi’s Pacific Crest Trail Handbook
Services
Adventure 16
Organizations
ALDHA-West
BackCountry Horsemen
Bureau of Land Management
Laguna Mountain Volunteer Association
Pacific Crest Trail Association
United States Forest Service
United States Postal Service
All that ultralight gear you’ve seen on the internet?
You can wander the campground and ask owners in person how they like it.
Gear talk is by far the most popular topic of conversation.
I looked closely at the latest in solar powered electronics. Still too heavy. More trouble than it’s worth.
If I hiked the PCT in 2013, I’d use AAA battery operated gear.
If you realize you’re missing something, at Mile 43 is the incredible Laguna Mountain Sports & Supply (PHOTO). Crammed with all brands of hiking essentials.
see more of my photos from ADZPCTKO 2013
I finally got to Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off at Lake Morena County Park in southern California. It’s 20 miles from the start of the Pacific Crest Trail on the Mexican border.
Great party, though a little intimidating for a first time attendee like myself.
It sold out faster than ever before, 917 in attendance. But word in the campground was that there are fewer hikers starting for Canada in 2013 than in 2012.
The primary focus of the gathering is to help shed those butterflies that inevitably precede a life-altering experience like hiking the PCT by showing you the broad spectrum of strategies that have been successful in the past and those of your fellow 2013 PCTers. …
Events include:
Pacific Crest Trail Short Film Festival
Gear Contest
Seminars
Silent Auction. Saturday morning you can bid on PCT memorabilia, lightweight gear, and other fun stuff. Proceeds defray the costs of putting on ADZPCTKO.
Meals. Dinner on Friday and Saturday, and breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, are part of the ADZPCTKO tradition.
Our focus has always been on Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers, and the weekend events are designed primarily for these intrepid hikers. If you:
Are attempting to thru-hike the PCT in 2013, you can get needed permits and we offer seminars, up-to-date information on trail conditions, last-minute equipment checks, an opportunity to get to know your fellow hikers, and plenty of inspiration and guidance from those who’ve gone before.
Are planning a thru-hike attempt in the next few years, you can see (and buy) state of the art equipment from vendors who specialize in ultralight gear for long-distance hikes, learn more about the trail experience and the beautiful country that the PCT traverses, and join the trail community.
Have completed a substantial portion of a thru hike, you can reconnect with others you hiked with, and share your pictures, your knowledge, your joys, and your harrowing experiences with a new generation of hikers.
What’s new for 2013?
Wolverine shakedowns. The PCT Wolverines, recent successful thru hikers, will analyze everything you carry, tell you what you can improve, and what you can send home.
Certainly the best hiking focused event I’ve ever attended. It’s charmingly under-organized. But former thru hikers independently go out of their way to take care of rookies, like myself.
Here is a new hiker getting shuttled north from ADZPCTKO by an Angel (and puppy) to resume his walk to Canada.
If you’ve any interest at all in a thru hike, I recommend you attend for information and inspiration.
see more of my photos from ADZPCTKO 2013
related – Trail Days 2013 May 11th to 19th in Damascus, Virginia is something similar celebrating the Appalachian Trail.
related – SoCalHiker’s report on the event
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail is a 2012 memoir by American author Cheryl Strayed, describing her 1,100-mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail in a journey of self-discovery.
The book reached No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list, and was the first selection for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0. …
I’m not as keen on the book as most. NY Times DWIGHT GARNER, for example.
But it did keep me going.
She’s a decent story teller. And her story is compelling.
At age-26 her life was a train wreck. Money problems. Divorce. Abortion. Experimenting with heroin. In grief still, 4 years after the death of her mother.
With no long distance hiking experience, she tries for salvation on the PCT.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
There are plans to have Reese Witherspoon play Strayed in a future film.
The author re-married in 1999. They have two children and live in Portland, Oregon
The PCT worked for her.
She didn’t appear at the PCT kickoff 2013, by the way. There are many REAL thru hikers who resent Strayed being the most famous ever.
Much like the tragically inept Katz and Bryson, the most famous Appalachian Trail hikers.
besthike.com 