By: Hayley Babbitt and Luke Baum
Luke leading one of our hikes through the forest of North Manitou Island, Lake Michigan, Michigan. 2022 by Hayley Babbitt.
In January 2022, we made a written pact to thru hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in the Spring of 2023. For over a year now, our lives have revolved around planning and preparing our 5-6 month, highly anticipated on-foot journey, including hundreds of discussions about what this life on a 2,650 mile walk will be like.
In this post we will be sharing our pre-trail questions that we will be able to answer and reflect on at the end of our journey on the Pacific Crest Trail. After spending over a year daydreaming about what this adventure will be like when it's reality, we want to remember the thoughts, questions, and feelings we have before we embark on the trail. Without further ado, let's dive into the questions we have before our thru hike of the PCT.
Pre-Trail Questions:
Will the water caches/sources in the desert section be promising this year?
How much physical toll will there be within the first 10 days?
When will the long days of walking start to feel natural/routine?
How many rattlesnakes will we see?
Will the desert or the mountains be more challenging?
Will the PCT be more physically or mentally challenging?
How much weight will we lose or gain?
How high will the rivers be for the river crossing sections this year?
Will there be any snow in the desert and/or Sierras?
How will our morale be at the halfway point?
How many hotel/indoor stays will we have?
When will I get use to pooping outdoors?
How much will my exhaustion effect my joy?
What food will become our favorites?
How windy will it be in the desert?
Although we could think of several more questions to ask before getting on trail, these are the main ones on our mind as we prepare to start this journey. Follow along as we answer all of these questions and more while hiking the PCT, right here in our Pacific Crest Trail 2023 column on Life Packs.
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