Pacific Crest Trail

5 min read

The Pacific Crest Trail runs 2,653 miles (4,270 km) from the Mexican border at Campo, California to the Canadian border at Manning Park, British Columbia. I hiked it northbound (NOBO) from late April to late August 2023, finishing in 117 trail days — though not in a straight line.

A high snow year forced me to skip the Sierra in 2023 (I came back in July 2024 to hike it properly). Wildfires in Washington meant I finished the state in segments, hopping between Wenatchee, Hart's Pass, and Winthrop before heading SOBO back to Stevens Pass. After Washington I traveled to Lone Pine to summit Mt Whitney, completing the highest point on the PCT.

This page is the overview — planning, gear, resupply strategy, and how the trail actually unfolded. The trail itself is broken into five section guides with specific advice on water, camps, towns, and trail angels. Each links back here.

Distance	Elevation	Duration
2,653 mi (4,270 km)	489,000 ft (149,047 m) ↗️ 459,200 ft (139,958 m) ↘️	117 days

Sections

#	Section	Distance	Guide
1	The Desert	648 mi (1,043 km)	Campo → Kennedy Meadows South
2	Sierra Nevada	451 mi (726 km)	KMS → Truckee (hiked July 2024)
3	Northern California	591 mi (951 km)	Chester → Seiad Valley
4	Oregon	449 mi (723 km)	Seiad Valley → Cascade Locks
5	Washington	501 mi (806 km)	Cascade Locks → Monument 78

Planning & Preparation

Permits

TODO: PCT long-distance permit process, timeline, what you applied for.

Budget

TODO: Rough cost breakdown — gear, food/resupply, town stops, transport.

Training

TODO: What shape you were in, any specific prep.

The Desert

Campo to Kennedy Meadows South. 648 miles through the Southern California desert — hot, dry, exposed, but surprisingly varied. This section broke in my legs and taught me desert water management.

Read the full section guide: PCT Desert — Campo to Kennedy Meadows South →

Sierra Nevada

Kennedy Meadows South to Truckee. The High Sierra — every major pass from Forester to Donahue, plus Benson, Seavey, and Dorothy Lake. I came back in July 2024 to hike this section properly after skipping it during the 2023 thru-hike due to a high snow year.

Read the full section guide: PCT Sierra Nevada — KMS to Truckee →

Northern California

Chester to Seiad Valley. The "green tunnel" — volcanic terrain, Hat Creek Rim, Lassen, Shasta, and the Marble Mountains. Lower drama, steady miles.

Read the full section guide: PCT Northern California — Chester to Seiad Valley →

Oregon

Seiad Valley to Cascade Locks. Fast, flat-ish miles through volcanic landscapes, lava fields, and lake country. Oregon is where NOBO hikers find their stride.

Read the full section guide: PCT Oregon — Seiad Valley to Cascade Locks →

Washington

Cascade Locks to the Canadian border. Wildfires closed sections of trail in 2023, forcing me to do Washington in segments: NOBO from Cascade Locks to Stevens Pass, skip to Hart's Pass for the border tag, then SOBO from Winthrop back to complete the gaps.

Read the full section guide: PCT Washington — Cascade Locks to Canada →

Finishing the Trail

The PCT didn't end cleanly at the northern terminus. After tagging Monument 78 and hiking SOBO back to Stevens Pass, I still had unfinished business: the Sierra (skipped in 2023, completed in 2024) and Mt Whitney.

The wildfire detours

TODO: Explain the 2023 wildfire situation in Washington — which sections were closed, how you planned around them, how you connected the segments (Wenatchee as a base, hitching to Hart's Pass, the SOBO decision).

Post-Washington travel

After finishing Washington I bounced between cities:

• Seattle — a few days off trail
• Portland — visiting friends
• Ashland — back to southern Oregon

Mt Whitney

From Ashland I made my way to Lone Pine, California to summit Mt Whitney (14,505 ft) — the highest point on the PCT. I hiked in from Cottonwood Pass, camped at Crabtree Meadows (10,685 ft), and summited on Day 130.

TODO: The Whitney approach, the summit day, what it meant to finish this piece after completing Washington.

Reflections

TODO: Your reflections on the full trail — what you'd change, what surprised you, what you'd tell someone starting. The non-linear path. Starting in Hawaii, ending in Hawaii.

Gear

TODO: Your base weight, key gear choices, what worked and what got swapped mid-trail.

Resupply Strategy

TODO: How you handled resupply — bounce boxes vs. buying in town, favorite resupply stops, budget per section.

Thanks for reading. If you have questions about the PCT or any of the section guides, reach out on Instagram @andrewtpham.

Happy trails!