GabeN
12-17-2015, 20:14
Hello everyone. So first a little background on my current experience. I have been doing full and half day hikes since I was a young child, with some two-three day camping trips thrown in every once and a while. Also, though it is irrelevant to the being in nature for extended periods of time aspect of things, I did spend three months traveling through Europe on my own, and found the lifestyle of always being on the move very much to my liking.
Anyway, on to the main questions of this post. The PCT is something I've wanted to do for a couple of years now, and next year, barring anything unexpected, presents itself as being the perfect year for me to accomplish this goal. My problem is, like I said, I have been doing day hikes and short excursions all my life, but up to this point my wilderness experience has been with my family, and I have very little in the way of practical knowledge and experience when it comes to planning and doing a long hike. So, I'm wondering if you folks could tell me how realistic it is to go from relative novice to a point where one can accomplish a thru-hike of the PCT in the four months left before the start of the season? Of course, I know that a good first step is to get out and hike and do some longer hikes to make sure that this is something that I wouldn't regret half way through(I highly doubt that to be the case, but I won't discount the logic in making sure), and this is already in the works.
Also, in addition to assessing the reality of the situation, I would love to hear any tips you folks have to help a budding hiker improve their skills, beyond the basics like getting out and hiking, and reading forums and books, if there is much more a person can do.
I apologize for my ignorance on the subject, and hope this post isn't taken the wrong way. Though I'm at the start of my research process I'm serious about this goal, and I hope that I can learn from those who know much more on the subject than I do. I'm searching the forums and other resources, and apologize if this question is redundant and I just failed to find the right thread asking it.
Anyway, on to the main questions of this post. The PCT is something I've wanted to do for a couple of years now, and next year, barring anything unexpected, presents itself as being the perfect year for me to accomplish this goal. My problem is, like I said, I have been doing day hikes and short excursions all my life, but up to this point my wilderness experience has been with my family, and I have very little in the way of practical knowledge and experience when it comes to planning and doing a long hike. So, I'm wondering if you folks could tell me how realistic it is to go from relative novice to a point where one can accomplish a thru-hike of the PCT in the four months left before the start of the season? Of course, I know that a good first step is to get out and hike and do some longer hikes to make sure that this is something that I wouldn't regret half way through(I highly doubt that to be the case, but I won't discount the logic in making sure), and this is already in the works.
Also, in addition to assessing the reality of the situation, I would love to hear any tips you folks have to help a budding hiker improve their skills, beyond the basics like getting out and hiking, and reading forums and books, if there is much more a person can do.
I apologize for my ignorance on the subject, and hope this post isn't taken the wrong way. Though I'm at the start of my research process I'm serious about this goal, and I hope that I can learn from those who know much more on the subject than I do. I'm searching the forums and other resources, and apologize if this question is redundant and I just failed to find the right thread asking it.