View Full Version : AT or PCT: Which did you enjoy more?
For those of you who have done both the AT and PCT, which did you like more? Which gave you more satisfaction and exhileration?
Voting from the front page it just reads "AT or PCT". Of course I voted AT (having hiked very little of the AT and none of the PCT), got forwarded to this page and thought "oops, not the opinion they were looking for". You might want to change that.
Both trails provided experiences that are stiill strong in my memory to this day. The AT showed me a a different lifestyle; the PCT confirmed the lifestyle choice I had made.
Both trails provided tranquility, beauty and a journey that will have an effect on me long after Katahdin or Manning Park is reached.
The main difference though was how the journey felt. The AT was this epic adventure that was outside my frame of refernce. Never experieced anything like it before. The PCT was my second thru-hike. It was more a very enjoyable extended vacation. The thru-hiking lifestyle was not something new, it was now something I enjoyed and felt normal.
fiddlehead
06-03-2005, 21:12
AT and PCT are pretty much a toss up (to me) but the CDT is my favorite. A much more sense of freedom and wilderness experience. Was wondering why you didn't include that one. It's really wild in some areas. fh
Fiddlehead's right, leaving the CDT out is a glaring omission. Difficult and outlandishly beautiful, she's the ultimate bitch-goddess. Crowds on the CDT? HA! Not for a few more years yet...
Favorite trail? Whichever one I happen to be on!:jump
I have made the best of friends on both trails and as I head out to an adventure on the CDT - I have to face the fact I'm addicted! :jump
Spirit Walker
06-04-2005, 11:17
Another vote for the CDT - but of the other two, I enjoyed my AT hikes more than the PCT. Maybe the people, the whole AT community, maybe the fact that it was an introduction to a lifestyle that I learned to love, maybe the fact that while the AT challenged me, both mentally and physically, I didn't feel the same kind of pressure to push myself every day as I did on the PCT. There were times that that felt more like an endurance event (gotta do my 25 miles) than a hike. On the other hand, at this point we will probably go back to the PCT after we do the CDT again; I'm not sure whether we'll go back to the AT again.
Having hiked only 1000 miles of PCT I found it much more enjoyable than the AT for ease of hiking only. The AT (hiked end to end twice) was more of a fun experience and alot more socialble.-----------EZ