[pct-l] miles per day

[Eric Lee (GAMES)]

Diane wrote:
>
Has anybody ever hiked the PCT at 15 miles a day? Did it work out? I
realize maybe you can't get to Canada at that pace, but does that
seem like too few miles per day to be an enjoyable experience,
especially if you're probably going to be alone most of the time?
>

If you're not trying to get to Canada, then you should feel free to hike at whatever pace you like.  I think 15 miles a day would be a very enjoyable pace, actually.  Fast enough to see lots of stuff, but slow enough not to seriously tax your body and to give you time to stop and enjoy a particularly nice spot if the fancy strikes you.

There are at least three forces that will try to make you hike faster and longer than 15 miles a day.  There are ways of coping with them, but it's good to be aware.

One, the slower you go, the more supplies (food and water) you have to carry between supply points.  Water in SoCal is particularly tricky because there can be a *significant* weight difference between the water you need to hike a 20 or 25 mile day between sources and the water you need to hike 15 miles, make a dry camp, and do 5 or 10 miles the next day.

Two, you'll likely meet other hikers that you enjoy hiking with and you'll naturally want to keep up with them.  If they're driving for Canada, you'll have a tough choice to make.

Three, the siren song of town food calls everyone.  You might fall for the "stampede" and end up pushing for many more miles than you thought you might, especially if you have hiking buddies muttering, "Mmmmmmm, pizza!" over and over again.

Eric