The Pacific Crest Trail. Brian Johnson

but, in high mountains, fresh snow can fall in any month of the year and thunderstorms can be spectacular. Despite the altitude it can get very hot in the sun but you must be prepared for freezing temperatures at night.

      The biggest problem is winter snow. The JMT is best hiked in late July, August or September but most PCT thru’-hikers pass through in June or early July when there is still snow on the passes. Rapidly melting snow can produce high water levels in the many unbridged creeks that need to be crossed. Conditions vary from year to year. In 1996 there was substantial snow on the passes into August, while in 2006, a record snow year, there was almost continuous snowpack for 300 miles in June, together with dangerous or impossible creek crossings. In other years hikers wonder what all the fuss is about. Thru’-hikers would be advised to read the section in this guide on starting dates and decide, very carefully, the date on which they should leave Kennedy Meadows; section-hikers would be best to visit the area in late summer.

      Summit ridge, Mount Whitney (Section 30A)

      A number of the photos in this guide, taken in June 2006, show how fantastic the scenery can be before the snow has melted but these are not safe conditions for hikers without extensive winter mountaineering experience.

      Northern California

      You’ve already hiked 1150 California miles but a further 550 remain before you reach Oregon. In the first half of the Northern California section, much of the PCT passes through forest on rolling hills. On entering the Cascade Mountains, large volcanoes, including Lassen Peak and Mount Shasta, dominate the landscape. Approaching Oregon, you return to alpine terrain as you enter the Klamath Mountains.

      Thru’-hikers will pass through this section in July and August, which is a good time to hike these mountains. It is likely to be sunny most of the time but it is also the main season for thunderstorms, and torrential rain or hail is possible. There is also the risk of fire, started by lightning striking the often tinder-dry forests.

      Several long sections, where forests were clear-felled in the last century or where they have been destroyed by fire, present very little shade. Water can become a problem again as the springs and creeks start to dry up through the summer.

      The hiking is fairly easy and fast and remains so until you reach Northern Washington.

      Oregon

      There is generally less ascent in Oregon than elsewhere on the PCT and the 430 miles here are fast going; fit thru’-hikers should cover 20 miles comfortably each day.

      In geological terms, the Cascade Mountains in Oregon are extremely young with unvegetated lava flows only 200 years old. The landscape is dominated by volcanoes, large and small. Crater Lake, one of the wonders of the natural world, was created a mere 7000 years ago, when Mount Mazama underwent a cataclysmic volcanic explosion which spread a thick layer of ash over hundreds of miles. The Three Sisters, Mount Washington, Three Fingered Jack, Mount Jefferson and Mount Hood are spectacular volcanoes that tower above tree-line. Thousands of lakes are dotted throughout the mountains.

      Wizard Island, Crater Lake (Section 70)

      When the PCT was under development it temporarily followed the fantastic Oregon Skyline Trail (OST). As the trail was designed to keep hikers and horses away from environmentally sensitive areas, however, it was eventually routed through dry, viewless forests, avoiding far too many of the lakes. The author recommends that you follow the old OST rather than the PCT through large sections of Oregon; these alternatives are detailed in the map section of this guide.

      Mount Jefferson, seen through a ‘ghost forest’ (Section 77)

      Probably 99 per cent of PCT hikers follow an alternative route along the rim of Crater Lake, which has now become an official pedestrian variation to the official trail. Similarly, most hikers follow the spectacular Eagle Creek Trail down to Cascade Locks, with only horses taking the official PCT.

      There will be some fairly long stretches without water, especially if you ignore the author’s advice and follow the official PCT all the way through Oregon. At lower altitudes you will hike through forest where there is plenty of shade from the sun.

      Oregon is notorious for its mosquitoes. By August, when the first thru’-hikers will be passing through, they will have become only a minor nuisance; if you are hiking immediately after the snowmelt, however, you could find them extremely annoying.

      Thru’-hikers will tackle Oregon in August and early September and can expect good weather to predominate. There will be the occasional thunderstorm and hikers must be prepared for rain and even snow. Forest fires have been a problem in recent years, so don’t be surprised if a section of the PCT is closed for this reason.

      Washington

      Only 480 miles remain before you reach the Canadian border. Southern Washington is rather like Oregon and, assuming you are fit, you can manage high mileages. In Goat Rocks Wilderness, however, you return to a spectacular alpine landscape. Mount Rainier and Glacier Peak, both covered by large glaciers, dominate your hike through Northern Washington. You are back in terrain characterised by long steep climbs and descents, and your average hiking speed will be closer to two than three miles per hour.

      THE EARLY DAYS OF THE PCT

      The first documented hiker to complete the PCT was Martin Papendick in 1952, long before the trail was officially recognised. The impetus for the creation of the trail as we know it today was the passing of the National Trails Systems Act by the US Congress in 1968, which granted the PCT the status of National Scenic Trail.

      The PCT was the main feature of the June 1971 edition of National Geographic Magazine and this, together with the publication by Wilderness Press of guidebooks to the trail, led to a spate of hikers attempting to thru’-hike it.

      For the pioneers in the 1970s, there was little knowledge about how to tackle such a long wilderness route. Very little lightweight equipment was available and little was known about finding water or locating supplies. The PCT was simply regarded as a longer example of the backpacking trips to which hikers were then accustomed.

      Hikers had to carry extremely heavy packs, often with more than ten days’ food, and averaged about 15 miles a day, completing the trail in about six months. Then, in 1992, Ray Jardine wrote a best-selling handbook about how to hike the PCT. He advocated an ultra-lightweight hiking style that made distances of 20–30 miles a day achievable and his methods soon became the norm. They have been taken to the extreme by some: in 2009, for example, Scott Williamson completed a thru’-hike in 67 days, averaging 40 miles a day.

      The methods publicised by Ray Jardine are outside the capabilities and inclinations of most hikers and the introduction to this book is designed to redress the balance by combining the advantages of the lightweight revolution with the traditional methods of the pioneers. The guide’s map sections should be useful to all hikers, whatever their hiking style.

      Washington’s Cascade Mountains have a reputation for rain and you will be hiking through temperate rainforest. In August and September you can expect long settled periods but must be prepared for periods of rain. Most thru’-hikers will be in Washington in September, a good month for these mountains. You could get snow but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem and the first heavy snowfall of winter is unlikely to fall until well into October.

      Few roads cross the Cascade Mountains so supply points are widely separated and you will often carry a heavy burden of food. The absence of roads makes it difficult for weekend hikers to tackle some of Washington’s PCT sections.

Planning

      Can the ‘ordinary hiker’ thru’-hike the PCT?

      The most difficult thing about thru’-hiking the PCT is making the decision to attempt it. To most people,