Women and the Wilderness: Why I’m Hiking the PCT

Women and the Wilderness: Why I’m Hiking the PCT

My thru-hiking journey began in 2015 when I was 18. I was a senior in high school and somehow I got the idea of hiking the John Muir Trail (JMT)...

Oct 3, 2018 : Kate Hill
Outrunning Wildfires and Strange Encounters

Outrunning Wildfires and Strange Encounters

The trail caught fire again, but this time it was bigger. On our way out of White Pass, lightning struck yet again, and we were rerouted around the other side...

Oct 2, 2018 : Madi Landrum
Thru-Hikers’ Advice for Beginner Backpackers

Thru-Hikers’ Advice for Beginner Backpackers

These hikers have over 30,000 combined miles between them, but they were all beginners once. Here's their advice for beginner backpackers, and anyone looking to get out into the backcountry...

Oct 1, 2018 : The Editors
A Purpose On Trail + After the Trail: Stewardship

A Purpose On Trail + After the Trail: Stewardship

This October the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) turns 50 (so does the Appalachian Trail) —along with legislation that established the National Trails System in 1968—as one of America’s first two...

Sep 30, 2018 : Laura Johnston
More Sun than Rain: Mind-Set in Northern Washington

More Sun than Rain: Mind-Set in Northern Washington

Washington is notorious for throwing the kitchen sink of weather at thru-hikers. Despite being blessed with ideal hiking conditions for the first four months of my journey, I knew my...

Sep 26, 2018 : Rebecca Burns
Fourth Fake Zero Post PCT Analysis

Fourth Fake Zero Post PCT Analysis

I finished my PCT thru-hike four days ago. Adjustment back to a normal balanced life feels good, but has left me feeling like a feather in the wind, that could...

Sep 25, 2018 : Olympia
Congrats to These 2018 Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hikers!

Congrats to These 2018 Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hikers!

PCT northbounders are ending their trek to Canada! In true PCT fashion, fire closures made things interesting this year and stopped some hikers at Hart's Pass. Regardless, a huge round...

Sep 25, 2018 : Andrea Davis
This Week’s Top Instagram Posts from the #PacificCrestTrail

This Week’s Top Instagram Posts from the #PacificCrestTrail

Welcome to our weekly roundup where we carefully select and showcase the most impressive, hilarious, and all-around epic photos taken by hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail. Use the hashtag

Sep 24, 2018 : Andrea Davis
The Twelve Tribes / Yellow Deli: Hiker Haven, Creepy Cult, or Both?

The Twelve Tribes / Yellow Deli: Hiker Haven, Creepy Cult, or Both?

I arrived at Bears Den Lodge, just past the 1,000-mile mark on the Appalachian Trail, at high noon on July 2, 2016, a pleasantly warm, sunny day. To my dismay,...

Sep 21, 2018 : Clay Bonnyman Evans
Book Six, Chapter Six – Five Days of the Smokebeard

Book Six, Chapter Six – Five Days of the Smokebeard

(With apologies to Redford and von Sydow) Sept. 12 We left Harlequin Bridge around 7, and got to High Bridge by 9:30. Faceplant saw a bald eagle fly slowly down...

Sep 18, 2018 : Smokebeard