[pct-l] Resources for Sub 4-Month Thru-Hike?

[Stephen Clark]

Is it logical to attempt PCT in less than 4 months? Logical that one should
not expect this trail take at least  five and a half months?

There's a reason that our forebears took the time to safely transit the
Oregon Trail (2000 miles) from Independence, Missouri to the Willamette
Valley in Oregon.

This great westward movement, undertaken carrying all of ones necessities
at an average speed of three miles an hour, took four and a half months.
The underlying premise, don't wear out your primary source of power - your
oxen.

Should we as two legged power sources carrying all our essentials on our
backs, doing a distance 650 miles farther, be any different?

Maybe that's why, as we all start from the border, we are called "The Herd."


On Thu, Feb 13, 2014 at 2:23 PM, Eric Lee <saintgimp at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Josh wrote:
> >
> I am planning a thru-hike this summer and hoping to accomplish it in under
> 4
> months.
> >
>
> A four-month hike is somewhat aggressive but doable if you're motivated.
> There isn't a lot of special planning involved other than, "Walk more and
> goof off less."  The big question will probably be whether your body will
> hold together with that kind of pace.
>
> Here are the typical "gateway" dates that will control your itinerary.  You
> can work out a four-month plan that fits these constraints.  There are
> people who hike outside these constraints, of course, but it typically
> becomes more difficult when you do so.
>
> Start: traditionally end of April, +2 or -3 weeks.
> Entering the Sierra: traditionally early June,+/-2 weeks.
> End: traditionally mid-September, +2 or -3 weeks.
>
> The low snow levels in California this year may allow an earlier start and
> earlier Sierra entrance than normal.
>
> A four month schedule means about 660 miles per month.  You probably want
> to
> start with a little slower pace and ramp up.  If you start in early to
> mid-May, that would put you in Kennedy Meadows and the start of the Sierra
> around mid-June which should be about right this year.  If you're trying to
> do a fast hike then you don't want to wrestle with a lot of snow because it
> just slows you down.  From there you'd hit the halfway point close to
> Chester in mid-July, the 3/4 point in the Three Sisters wilderness in
> mid-August, and Canada in mid-September.
>
> Remember most people find that zero days are really important to allow the
> body to heal all the repetitive-motion damage that accumulates.  You should
> figure out roughly how many zero days you plan to take, then figure out how
> many days of walking that leaves you with, divide that into 2650 miles, and
> that's your target daily mileage.
>
> Also remember that plans are all well and good but flexibility on the trail
> wins the day.  Don't spend too much time plotting exactly where you'll be
> each day because I promise it won't work out like that.  Just go into it
> with a general idea of the pace you need and you'll know whether you're
> ahead or behind it.
>
> A typical thru-hike is more along the lines of 5 to 5.5 months and people
> just start earlier (say mid-April) and end later (say end of September) to
> accommodate that.
>
> Eric
>
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