My PCT Thru-hike Preparation Here is a breakdown of how I spent my time preparing for my 2021 PCT NOBO thru-hike: 90% analyzing gear 9% watching vlogs of other people hiking the PCT 1% calculating food and water resupply 0% learning navigational skills and how to read a topographic map So yes, you could…

This article originally appeared on The Trek, which you can read here. The Final Countdown As I type this I am exactly 4 weeks away from beginning my thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. My name is Dan, I’m a Leo, and I love backpacking. Well, I think I love backpacking. I really…

I received my 2021 PCT Permit! I’ll begin one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced on April 15th. Let me back-up a bit. It was 2017 and my wife and I were living in Chicago. We stumbled upon the documentary, “Mile…Mile & a Half”. It’s about the John Muir…

On January 5, 2021, the PCTA announced they will be issuing long-distance permits for the 2021 PCT season (sigh of relief). I’ve been holding my breath since they announced in August that the permit application process was being postponed. Since the postponement announcement I had numerous alternatives swirling in my…

SOBO Alternate What is SOBO? I want to reiterate my purpose in documenting my research and process in planning a thru-hike. I am writing from my perspective, but I want to remind the reader that my goal is to be of service to fellow hikers (and to friends and family members of hikers). …

The Pacific Crest Trail Association is the managing entity for PCT Long-distance permits. If you plan to hike 500 miles, or more, along the PCT then you will need to obtain one of these permits. Anyone that has researched the PCT prior to 2020 will want to note the following…

On August 25, 2020 the Pacific Crest Trail Association posted this bombshell for the hopeful hiker PCT class of 2021: “Applications for the 2021 PCT Long-distance Permit will not open as planned in October. …

We arrived in Da Nang, Vietnam on January 14th. Little did we know that our lives would be altered quickly. It was a week before the Lunar New Year. The school children in Vietnam were on break for the holiday. They would not return to school for the duration of…

After spending the holidays visiting our family and friends in the states, we departed for Da Nang, Vietnam in early January. We had a loose itinerary for the next year and a half, and a vague idea of how we could make it all happen. Step one, commit. Okay, well…