View Full Version : Should i hike the AT or PCT??
brokedude101
12-04-2003, 14:55
I'm planning a long distance hike in spring '05. It will be my first long distance hike. I cant decide whether to hike the AT or the PCT. I've written some pros and cons of each, but never having hiked either i could be way off.
AT - Pros - easy to find water, more people, easy to resupply, many new hikers(so i wont have to be ignorant by myself),
Cons - more people, too much of an institution, I've seen every book thread and photo about the AT
PCT - PRO - More Spectacular views, more experienced and laid back hikers?, less rain, fewer people
Con - more challenging hike, less water,
Please let loose with your opinion on which trail you enjoyed more and why - Thanks! :sun
I've hiked the AT from Springer to Damascus, only. But, I have hiked the PCT. I really liked the part of the AT that I hiked, and I'll eventually hiked the whole thing, but the PCT really did it for me. A bit about the CONS of a PCT hike, particularly for someone out on their first long distance hike. This is long and sprawling, by the way.
1) The PCT looks really fearsome when you start. It is dry, hot, and open. Water can be far apart, and even then it might just be a trickle. The 700 miles of Southern California have an unwelcoming feel, unlike the pleasant mountain laurel thickets that I like to sleep under on the AT. It can be intimidating if you haven't hiked in a dry environment before.
2) The water is far apart when you start. You will commonly be hauling 2 gallons of water. That is on the order of 18 lbs, so you can forget about going ultralight at times. During the day, your water will heat up and drinking 90 degree water when all you want is something cold is not very pleasant. People do set out water caches, but you don't want to rely on them. Lots of 20-25 mile waterless stretches. Several 30 miles ones. A few 35 mile ones.
3) There are several long resupply legs. I had 175, 150, 150, 155, 163 mile resupply stretches. Most of these you could break up, but I chose not to as I could cover 150 miles in 5 days. Most, after SoCal are in the 100 mile range. Getting food is easy, but getting to it takes more miles than on the AT.
4) You have to cross the Sierra early. You'll be crossing the Sierra Nevada somewhere in mid June. Very doable, but you'll be dealing with a lot of snow. You'll want to bring an ice axe and know how to use it. PCT hikers have died in the Sierra from falls.
5) If you don't hustle, the weather in northern Washington will hand your arse to you. I finished in mid August and had a delightful time. The main pack finished in late September and had lots of snow and rain. Many didn't finish and were pushed off the trail with less than 50 miles to go.
6) Forest fires. The West burns every summer and the chances are good you'll have to deal with a fire re-route, as the main pack did this year. Or, have views obscured by fires, like happenned in the year before. Now, I got through well before the fires this year, but most hikers missed the best parts of Oregon because of them.
7) Blazes. There are few of them. I went several hundred miles without seeing an actual blaze, as the park service is taking them down, and the blazes are coming out of wilderness areas as well. You do need a map at times on the PCT to find your way.
Enough of the bad stuff, here are some good points.
1) Souther California is really stunning. Many people bad mouth it, but if you take a few precautions (cover up from the sun, drink lots of water), you'll be able to enjoy a really unique environment. The desert really impressed me and SoCal might be my favorite stretch on the trail. There are lots of trails through mountains. Try finding a long trail through the desert. There are not too many of them, and the PCT is grand.
2) The Sierra Nevada are really unique. You'll get the greatest mountain range in the US all to yourself. I was a bit ahead of the main pack when I entered on June 10 and saw very few people. A whole paradise that you can have all to yourself.
3) Solitude. On the PCT, if you want company, you can find it if you are willing to wait a day or two (at least, after the first few hundred miles). I spent a lot of time alone, with no one around. No houses close by, no day trippers or tourists or even other PCT hikers. This gives you mind lots of time to roam and your soul to breathe. Now, lots of hikers joined into bands and hiked heel-to-toe. So, that is there if you want it. I hiked in a group of people for a while as well for portions of the trail.
4) Resupply. While distances may be long, resupplying is easy. There are two maildrops that you should probably do. Sure, you'll be doing some hitching, but that is easy. Towns are a delight and PCT hikers are still rare enough that locals treat you like a rock star, not hiker trash. Good grocery stores and ever bar in California has Sierra Nevada on tap.
5) People are really mellow. There isn't a white vs. blue vs. yellow blaze debate going on. It isn't possible to be pure as the trail gets buried or wiped away or whatever. I made jokes about some of the more notorious yellow blazers, but it was all in good fun. You don't hear long gear debates, or comments like: "If you want to hike the trail
better, do ----". If I ran into someone at the end of a 35 mile day, they didn't give me a look implying that I was some sort of idiot and not hiking the trail the right way. I've come into shelters in the Smokys after a 20 mile day and gotten that look.
6) The scenery is better than anything you can imagine on the AT. I've hiked in the Whites, but not Maine. Perhaps Maine is really, really grand. But, the best day on the AT south of Damascus (say, the Roan Highlands), doesn't compare to even a poor day on the PCT. The Whites are open and exposed. For a little bit. Then, it is over. California is open and exposed for most of its 1700 miles. You are not undercover of forest (mostly, except for lots of Oregon and parts of Washington), but out in the open. A desert sunset over the Mojave? The sun coming up over the top of Mount Whitney? Ridge walking for mile after mile after mile in the Sierra? Scrambling around the flanks of snow and glacier bound Mt. Adams? Mt. Hood? Laying the desert wildflowers, recently thriving after a fire? Every night being able to see the Milky Way come out? How much are these things worth?
7) The weather. I had 5 minutes of rain in the Mojave desert. Then, 2.5 inches of snow in Yosemite over the span of 3 hours. 45 minutes of rain one night in southern Oregon. A bit of rain, which failed to wake me up, one night in Washington. Some mist one day in Washington. That was it. 2658 miles of hiking, and that was all the precip I got. Now, the main pack got nailed in the San Jacinto mountains with a late season storm (I hadn't even left Indiana yet) and Washington slapped them around. So, others may have different experiences. How many 2003 AT hikers can count the number of bad weather days on one hand? My "days" were measured mostly in minutes, moreover.
8) The trail is both hard and easy. Most people average about 5 miles a day further on the PCT than on the AT. Why this is, I am unsure, although I have some theories. Most people who have hiked both say that the AT is harder. Having hiked the southern portion of the AT (granted, not its hardest part), I would disagree. Remember that the miles per day speed record on the AT is a lot (!) higher than on the PCT. There is a lot of gentle terrain on the PCT, no doubt about it. If you have bad or weak knees, you'll find the PCT alot nicer to hike.
I'm putting together a page on my PCT trip. Take a look at:
http://mypage.iu.edu/~chwillet/travel/PCT
Sorry if I dogged the AT at times. I like it, I really do. It has a soul that PCT, I think, lacks. The AT has a fully developed trail culture which the PCT doesn't. There is a big system of support, with lots of hostels about. The PCT has only a couple (about 4, I think). Trail Angels? A couple, but not many. Trail magic? A couple of coolers (oh, did I love the cut up pineapple some saint left in a cooler by 3 Points in SoCal).
Which is right for you is a personal choice. Personally, I'd read a few AT and PCT journals at http://www.trailjournals.com
Take a look at some of the PCT journals you can find on my site as well. Make a best guess and go. Either one you pick, you'll probably like. Just go and do it. I've got my own favorite, as do others. Which one is better for you can only be decided by one person.
Moon Monster
12-05-2003, 00:58
Towns are a delight and PCT hikers are still rare enough that locals treat you like a rock star, not hiker trash.
Wow.
But, the best day on the AT south of Damascus (say, the Roan Highlands), doesn't compare to even a poor day on the PCT.
Wow. Wow.
That was it. 2658 miles of hiking, and that was all the precip I got.
Wow. Wow. Wow.
How many 2003 AT hikers can count the number of bad weather days on one hand?
I would need sixteen hands.
Thanks Chris.
First, Chris, great, no, make that an outstanding post. Well tought out.
Second, someone once described the AT as an undergraduate degree and the PCT as your post graduate degree. So, on that basis, I would recommend the AT first, assuming that an individual does not have long distance hiking experience.
Spirit Walker
12-05-2003, 12:09
Chris has some good insights, though I don't necessarily agree with some of them. Generally, the AT is easier for someone who has never done a long hike, because it is so much shorter between towns, bailout is easier if the weather is really bad, if you have physical problems, someone is likely to come along within a few hours, etc. It is good to learn on, especially if you have never been on a long hike (over a week).
The PCT has easier trail in terms of treadway, but can be a real pain because of that easy trail when it slabs endlessly, with interminable switchbacks, along the side of a ridge without ever reaching the top. Resupply is farther apart, though we didn't have the kind of long distances Chris had. We only had one long stretch -- in the Sierras -- the rest of the time we resupplied every 5-7 days. You don't have to do 30 mile days. We averaged 19 mpd and finished in 5 months, 5 days. You do have to either do 20+ mile days in order to get water or you end up carrying ridiculous amounts of water weight. We were carrying a gallon every day for a lot of the trail -- it isn't just southern California that is hot and dry. Northern California and Oregon are also very arid. But the easier treadway makes hiking 20-25 miles easy. On the AT you have weather as a factor. The average is one day in three with some precipitation, but some years (like 2003) that average may be way low or high.
I felt that the AT had a better 'reward' system, in some ways, in that you passed through each state fairly quickly, and so you feel like you are making progress. Within a month you have passed through Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee, you have crossed the Smokies and the balds on NC, and you really feel like you have accomplished something. Then you have the beauty of Spring in Virginia, then the Shenandoahs. On the PCT, you hike for a month and you are still in the desert. You don't really emerge from the desert for 700 miles, when you have your first real accomplishment - the Sierras. You don't leave California for 1700 miles - in our case, three months of hiking. It can be discouraging. We saw more wildlife on the AT than we saw on the PCT by far, and actually we saw more people on the PCT than on the AT, though far fewer thruhikers. (Many days we saw 30-50 people a day, plus horses, on the trail, once we were out of the Sierras). There is a much better sense of community on the AT. There is more diversity of terrain on the PCT. While there were places on the PCT that were quite beautiful, that is true on the AT as well. Neither comes close to the CDT in terms of beauty though. Chris had very little rain or weather, but he was lucky. We had rain on our second day out, snow in the Sierras, and constant rain/fog/cloud in Washington. I understand it is a pretty state, but I really couldn't say, since we saw so little of it. Only 7 days were clear for us, out of 28.
Second, someone once described the AT as an undergraduate degree and the PCT as your post graduate degree. So, on that basis, I would recommend the AT first, assuming that an individual does not have long distance hiking experience.
Although Peaks is repeating conventional wisdom, I'll disagree. After doing some research, pick the trail you feel more passionate about. There is nothing more important in choosing a trail. If you need more experience, then take a hike... lots of them. Find a way to make it happen.
P.S. I'm thinking about a section hike on the PCT next summer, and I'm actually looking for an area that DOES have trees and wildlife and stuff. What did you think the section between Dunsmuir,CA and the Klamath River?
Spirit Walker
12-05-2003, 18:20
Section P in Northern California was one of my favorite sections of the trail. It is a long climb up Castle Crags, but they are beautiful, and the views of the snow covered Trinity Alps was gorgeous. I liked all the lakes in the Marble Mountain/Russian Wildernesses. We also saw two bears in between Castella and Etna, the only ones on the whole trail.
brokedude101
12-06-2003, 21:42
i know ultimately its not a real important question. if i enjoy and finish one trail, i'll probably hike the other trail as well. I just wanted some input from people who have hike both trails. Thanks for your well written opinions!
-brokedude
Hi Brokedude,
Well, I can only speak for the PCT, not having hiked any of the AT (in fact not having done much hiking at all until I did the PCT!)
I chose it over the AT, as I'd heard that it was far less populated, and that was the type of experience I wanted.
It turned out to be a fantastic experience, took me five months, and the event has become one of the milestones in my life's experiences.
I travelled from New Zealand to do the hike, and the PCT gave me a whole positive outlook on the US!
I put up a website, which is a book length account of my hike, so maybe you would get some idea of what to expect if you check it out.
"Dances with Marmots" is at http://www.angelfire.com/trek/nz_usa/index.html
Whichever trail you chose, I'm sure it will be worthwhile, and I envy you your pending adventures!
Cheers, Geo. :)
Dunsmuir to Seiad Valley is one of the best sections on the PCT; definitely a winner, with few people out there. Most people in the summer head to the Sierra, and leave the Klammath range untouched.
Kozmic Zian
02-15-2004, 23:04
Yea, which one? PCT.
My husband, now hiking the PCT with a lame cousin, says the AT has available closer sources of : medical help/food/water/supplies/equipment. With that in mind, if you are a first time long distance hiker maybe the AT would be better. I know my husband would never suggest the PCT first. He is concerned with the record snows in the Sierra's, if they make it that far. The longer distance of the trail makes planning more difficult. hikerwife
Do the A.T. this year. The PCT had an ENORMOUS amount of snow this past winter. One report said that Lake Tahoe got the most snow in 90 years. That will translate into postholing thru snow, danger crossing certain passes, detouring around snowy expanses, and route finding difficulties, to mention a few.
Save the PCT for a lower snow year. You'll be doing yourself a huge favor.
Tha Wookie
05-05-2005, 11:24
Suck it up! Do both!!!:sun
Peras y manzanas!
REALLY glad I decided to put off the PCT until next yr (not cause of snow or anything).
Havent hiked the AT yet, but i would do the PCT again in a second. I loved every minute of it and didnt want it to end. I didnt think i would actually be bummed to hit canada, but i was. Post PCT re-entry was tough.
Im in the process of getting another thruhike organized and so far the hardest part is picking which friggin trail to hike.
Big Dawg
05-07-2005, 07:53
As a section hiker, I've got plenty of miles left to finish the AT, but was considering a section hike on the PCT in a few years. I read alot about the JMT (John Muir Trail) & am considering this 200+ mile section. How much of the JMT coincides w/ the PCT,, & is this a worthy section to hike, considering this may be one of the few times I will be hiking the PCT/west coast trails.
Kerosene
05-07-2005, 13:26
I haven't backpacked out west yet, but the JMT is on my life list to do once I finish sectioning the AT. It's a perfect length with incredible views.
As a section hiker, I've got plenty of miles left to finish the AT, but was considering a section hike on the PCT in a few years. I read alot about the JMT (John Muir Trail) & am considering this 200+ mile section. How much of the JMT coincides w/ the PCT,, & is this a worthy section to hike, considering this may be one of the few times I will be hiking the PCT/west coast trails.
The PCT from Kennedy Meadows to Tuolumne Meadows covers most of the JMT. The JMT runs from Mount Whitney to Yosemite Valley, although it is probably best to do this in reverse. The JMT/PCT through the Sierra is one of the most scenic, accessible long trails in the US, or the world. Resupply is a bit long, with the Kennedy Meadows to VVR leg being about 175 miles. PCT hikers tend to go through in mid-late June (when I did) and just deal with snow. I avoided the mosquitoes, but people a week behind me got zapped.
I would highly, highly encourage people to hike this leg. Even better, keep going from Tuolumne all the way to South Lake Tahoe (another 150 miles), to get what is, in my opinion, the single most scenic leg on the entire PCT.
kentucky99
05-08-2005, 22:01
well personally I have hiked on the pct and the AT and I dont see how the people whoe have never hiked the AT say its not as hard personally I thought the pct was easier,and further more why compare the two as beauty goes their like comparing the old country with the usa,that being the appalachian mts are the old and have many stories,as well the new has that wild west feeling their both inspirational but for my first hike I would choose the AT :dance kentucky
fiddlehead
05-08-2005, 22:34
AT: harder physically (steepness of climbs) , yet easier mentally. (because of the resupply options and shelters and water supply) you will learn how to deal with rain. You won't need good map and compass skills, just follow the white blazes (or blue)
PCT: more scenic, (Sierras are tough to beat), more wild, longer distances between resupply, snow travel usually necessary, less people, easier hiking terrain, harder to find water, less rocks, more experienced fellow hikers, sunshine!
But the important thing is to do one or both or them. Either one will change your life! (for the better) fh
Depending on the year.... heads, AT; tails, PCT ;)
JoeHiker
05-09-2005, 12:18
7) Blazes. There are few of them. I went several hundred miles without seeing an actual blaze, as the park service is taking them down, and the blazes are coming out of wilderness areas as well. You do need a map at times on the PCT to find your way.
Why is the park service taking blazes down? Are they trying to discourage people from hiking the PCT?
Why is the park service taking blazes down? Are they trying to discourage people from hiking the PCT?
The trail is continuous and not all that hard to follow. For the most part it's well signed and the guidebooks w/maps are adequate. I liked it, the lack of blazes. By the time I reached Maine on the AT I was sick of them. They were beginning to spoil the "wilderness". Seeing 4 blazes down on a stretch was almost revolting.
YMMV
P.S. Hey Joe (where you goin'...)
I grew up in Auburndale. Gill Stadium, Lyons Playground, and The Cove were my haunts as a kid. It was a blast. :)
Time flys (go hiking while you can) ... I just heard one of my friends from kindergarden through high school dropped dead of a heart attack a couple weeks ago. 53! :(
JoeHiker
05-09-2005, 22:43
P.S. Hey Joe (where you goin'...)
I grew up in Auburndale. Gill Stadium, Lyons Playground, and The Cove were my haunts as a kid. It was a blast. :)
Time flys (go hiking while you can) ... I just heard one of my friends from kindergarden through high school dropped dead of a heart attack a couple weeks ago. 53! :(I grew up in Wellesley. Don't know how I ended up living back here at 37, but it's a nice area. I run by Lyons playground several times per week. It's great living right next to the Boston Marathon course.
But I'm doing my best to prevent the heart attack. This fall I'm running the Chicago Marathon, then flying right back here and immediately heading to the Canadian border to hike the Long Trail!
How the heck did you get from Auburndale to Black Mountain, NC?
I This fall I'm running the Chicago Marathon, then flying right back here and immediately heading to the Canadian border to hike the Long Trail!
Now that's a heck of a workout program to train for a hike! :)
(A good friend of mine here in Boudler is training for the Chicago marathon as well. As far as I know, he does not plan to hike 270 miles on one of the most rugged trails in the country afterwards, though. ;) )
Mountain Mike
04-11-2006, 23:06
I think for a first trail I'd do the AT. If you scew up on a resuuply it's a lot easier to fix. When I planned my AT thru hike it was months of planning. What I learned from that made my PCT hike mostly 6 months of dreaming. 2 Weeks of planning. If I had to pick one of the two knowing it was the only one I could hike I would go for the PCT!
How the heck did you get from Auburndale to Black Mountain, NC?
Via Afghanistan, Newton Centre, Plymouth, Jacksonville, the AT, Maryland, the PCT, Asheville to Black Mountain.
SunnyWalker
04-24-2008, 02:35
GEO's book is great. I bought and have read it about 3 times. I am still deciding which trail to hike through. I am planning on starting in Spring of 2013. Will retire that year and I'll be 60 years old. Neat. Right now my health is great and I have a lifetime of hiking behind me. No great thru hikes though. Thinking more of the CDT as I want solitude. Will be a solo hiker, as always.
GEO's book is great. I bought and have read it about 3 times. I am still deciding which trail to hike through. I am planning on starting in Spring of 2013. Will retire that year and I'll be 60 years old. Neat. Right now my health is great and I have a lifetime of hiking behind me. No great thru hikes though. Thinking more of the CDT as I want solitude. Will be a solo hiker, as always.
Probably a wait and see thing depending on the level of snowfall out west.
(or on the CDT for that matter)
I'm planning a long distance hike in spring '05. It will be my first long distance hike. I cant decide whether to hike the AT or the PCT. I've written some pros and cons of each, but never having hiked either i could be way off.......ETC,ETC,ETC,..............
WOW! a choice...whoda thunk it.
Just flip a damn coin, already!:D
good luck with the hike, wherever it turns out to be.
will be section hiking with "Jigsaw" beginning Apr 26th NoBo Turk Gap,VA to Harpers Ferry, WV.