And They’re Off!

Right about now there are likely to be close to 350 hikers who have started the PCT so far in 2022. There are fifty permits issued each day beginning in the early days of March and stretching into May. Not everyone plays by the rules so there are likely others who slip into the queue of hikers who were permitted so the numbers can be a bit squishy.

Of the total number of thru hike permits issued each year, that number can be around 4,500 plus, there are over 2,000 section hike permits issued too. A quick calculation suggests that in the ensuing ten weeks or so there could be over 3,000 hikers making their way north toward Canada.

This year the weather in southern California is ranging in the pleasant high sixties to lower seventies during the day and dipping into the mid to upper thirties at night. There appear to be steady cooling breezes for hikers heading north. As the days go by these temperatures will surely climb. Those with May start dates will probably find themselves happy to have a head lamp as they will discover night hiking.

Over the course of the next eight to ten weeks there will likely be an attrition rate as people realize a PCT thru hike was not their cup of tea, they will suffer from some mild to moderate injury, they simply won’t like the experience, or any number of other good reasons. This process is all part of what some describe as ‘the thinning of the herd’.

You may know someone who has embarked or is about to embark on their Pacific Crest Trail hike. Wish them well and try to imagine them as they make their way north. For some, it is a shock to the system, while for others they might describe it as 'living the dream’. Whatever and however their experience unfolds they will feel the many positive impacts of embracing any one or all of what the Pacific Crest Trail has to offer.