View Full Version : PCT vs AT for first long hike
mogwai316
02-05-2010, 22:25
Hi, been lurking here for a while (years, actually, just didn't make an account until recently) and have learned a ton from reading the forums but haven't posted until now.
I've finally gotten to a point in life where I may have the chance to attempt a through-hike this year and despite having spent so much time contemplating it, I am still torn between the PCT and the AT. I figured if I explained my situation, you all might have some advice to help me decide. It's quite possible (although nothing is certain) that this will be my only chance to do a through-hike, so I don't want to make the wrong choice.
First of all, my natural inclination is towards the PCT for a few reasons. While both trails have amazing sights, the environment/atmosphere of CA and the northwest just appeals to me more. Also, I'm more looking for a solitary, personal experience with nature, not so much a social experience. I'm sure that I'll enjoy meeting some people along the way, but I don't anticipate hiking with other people for extended distances. And I don't want to stay in crowded hostels/shelters/etc. So all else being equal, I would definitely choose the PCT.
My biggest doubts, though, are because of my lack of extended hiking experience. I live in Florida, and have done a lot of dayhiking here (as well as in AZ, CA, NC and GA), but I have not done multiple day hikes before. I've never even hiked in the cold, much less in the snow. So from everything I've read, the AT would be quite a bit easier for a first through-hike for a newbie like myself (obviously it's not easy.. but it's less technically challenging). I love the thought of hiking through the Sierras but at the same time I have a lot of fears about getting lost, falling, and so on. So lately I've been leaning towards doing the AT first and then hopefully having the chance to do the PCT later on when I'm more experienced.
I guess overall, I'd rather complete the AT than start the PCT and fail. But completing the PCT would be even better. How much more challenging/risky is it really? Am I building up my fears and making it out to be worse than it really is? Or am I truly too inexperienced to be successful on the PCT?
Thanks for any advice you can give!
You can't really go wrong either way, so don't worry.
I can think of plenty of PCTers who hadn't hiked the AT and did fine, but most had extensive backpacking experience. Though my friend and hiking partner for 2000 miles had never backpacked before and figured it out. It's not rocket science, but if you are trying to avoid people, it'll be harder/slower to learn. You do pick a lot of things up from others.
The PCT is a lot better traveled than it used to be and it can feel crowded leaving Campo in late April/early May. The nice thing about this trail is that you can have plenty of people "around" but really stick to yourself as far as walking and camping. It's harder on the AT.
The scenary out West blows the AT out of the water and the weather is much better. The Sierra can be really challeging, especially in a high snow year. In a low snow year navigation isn't much of an issue. After 700 miles you should feel more comfortable in your abilities to traverse the Sierra. They're tough but equally beautiful miles
Enjoy either one!
I did the PCT in 2008 and I'll start on the AT in just under 3 weeks. In prepping for the AT, I'm not sure it's all that much "easier" so much as "different". It's true that on the PCT you have to deal with more limited water availability and possibly high temps in the first 700 of so miles. And it's true that to have decent odds of getting to Canada before snow is falling in northern WA state that you have to enter the Sierras when there's typically still a lot of snow covering the passes.
How tough and "technical" those things are is something you have to evaluate. It's not a bad idea to be in shape to do some decent mileage to start with as more "range" can help the water situation. It's certainly not bad to have some experience walking in snow, self-arresting with an ice axe (if your year happens to be one of the more snowy, colder ones).
But I think the AT has challenges too. As I understand it the trail grade and quality are often more challenging, such that people do on average lower mileage days. The PCT has IMO nothing as dangerous as Lyme disease infected deer ticks. And the AT gets a lot more rain; folks on the PCT can get spoiled by going hundreds and hundreds of miles without rain; I saw very little rain until I got into WA state.
Perhaps the real question is whether your life situation is likely to enable you to do both trails. Note also tht if you start in the fairly limited date range that most PCT hikers start, you'll be far from alone, but it doesn't take that long before folks spread out and you can be fairly isolated if you choose to be.
I will say too from all I hear the PCT is a lot more scenic overall that the AT. Certainly there are some green tunnel stretches there too, but a lot of gorgeous scenery, and the variation from dry country in the south transitioning to other types of landscape and wildlife is pretty nice to experience.
Bottom line though, I don't think anyone can help you much in deciding. I do suggest that you do at least one moderately long distance trip (> 50 miles) before committing to a thru-hike on any long trail (!).
Spirit Walker
02-05-2010, 23:59
If your heart is telling you to hike the PCT, get thee to California. It isn't that hard. Yes, it is a bit farther between resupplies - but not unbearably so. There are enough other people out there, especially if you start with the herd at the kick off, that if you need help, you'll find it. At the same time, you can camp alone and walk alone and feel the solitude you are seeking, if you still want it once you are out there. Thanks to water caches and internet websites that tell you what the water situation is ahead of you, the whole water issue is much easier than it used to be. Weather is generally better out west than on the AT. Cold and wet isn't a real issue on the PCT, aside from an odd day here and there, until you get to Washington. (We had snow in southern California, but not day after day of serious cold.) There is a lot less rain than on the AT. Navigation isn't quite as simple as on the AT, but it isn't that difficult either. You will probably hike through the Sierras with other people - it's not like you're being dropped off in the Yukon. And most of the trail has very obvious treadway.
You have almost three months to get in shape. Do long dayhikes and overnight trips, starting this weekend. If you can hike 15 miles a day, with a pack, you'll be able to hike the PcT. After a couple of weeks, you'll be hiking 20s. The trail is so well graded, big miles come fairly easily, when you need them. You don't need them the first couple of weeks.
The thing is, in order to complete a thruhike, you have to really really want it. That gives you the ability to put up with blisters and heat and hunger and tiredness. If you see the AT as too crowded, the long green tunnel, etc. You won't have the 'fire in the belly' that is needed to enjoy a long hike. Both trails have beauty. Both have challenges. But which do you really want to do? Ask yourself, if this is the only long hike you ever do - which would you rather look back on?
I totally agree with the above 3 posts, and I would only add this: I met a lot of AT veterans on the PCT, and we spent a lot of time comparing the two trails. Most people I talked to agreed that a 30-mile day on the PCT was easier than a 20-mile day on the AT. After a 900 mile section on the AT, my knees were an absolute wreck. On the PCT, aside from a few blisters, I had zero injuries in 2600 miles. The PCT has a higher completion rate than the AT. If finishing a thru is important to you, then you should head west.
Okay, one more thing: I can think of at least 150 places on the PCT that were easily more beautiful than any place I saw on the AT (fwiw, I've only done the northern half of the AT). If scenery matters to you, do the PCT.
fiddlehead
02-06-2010, 01:29
I'd recommend the PCT.
One of my best friends just did it this past year after this same recommendation.
He is now hooked and on the FL trail right now (quite wet he said by the way)
The AT is harder physically plus it's pretty crowded if you do a NOBO and start in the spring.
The downside is that you should have a little desert hiking experience or at least be aware of some tips for desert hiking. (like not walking between noon and 4PM in some of the hotter, shadeless areas, and camel-ling up so you don't have to carry so much water, etc.)
By the time you get to the Sierras, you'll be fit and ready to tackle them. You will have friends to go through there with and if you are really worried about getting lost because the trail is snow-covered, get a GPS and put the trail on it. (you can learn how here on WB)
Most of all: Have fun! (i'm sure you will)
The PCT was my first long trail. I loved it. It was more what I was looking for then the AT. I loved it and now I'm thining about doing the AT. Choose what you have been dreaming about more.
Jim Adams
02-06-2010, 02:17
The AT is easier logistics, more difficult terrain, more crowded, a chance of worse weather and a totally different style of beauty.
The PCT is more quiet, harder logistically, easier walking, less people and insanely beautiful.
IMO, if you think that you will be able to do both at sometime in your life then do the AT first simply because you will pick up on long distance hiking quicker and easier.
OTOH, if you know that you will only be able to ever do just one then the PCT is your baby...the beauty is not to be missed in one's lifetime.
geek
Wow, there are some quality responses in this thread. Thanks, everyone, for the great information. It's posts like yours that make WB great.
Mogwai, the only advice I will offer is to follow your heart, for it is your heart that will get you from one terminus to another.
garlic08
02-06-2010, 08:58
I agree--great posts above. I had a very similar decision and went for the PCT first, though I had a lot of backpacking and mountaineering experience and my criterion was getting a wilderness experience at the time. Years later I hiked the AT and fell in love with it, too, for completely different reasons. You can't go wrong either way and hopefully you'll do both and many more.
mogwai316
02-06-2010, 10:33
Thanks so much guys, those were some very insightful and inspring posts! It's great to get positive feedback from people instead of "are you sure you can do that?" or "why would you want to do that?".
I think my heart is telling me to go for the PCT, it's what I've been thinking about doing for years now, so I'm gonna give it a shot. I'll never know whether I can do it unless I get out there and try, and if I don't do it this year I'll always regret it. I'm not sure how all the details will work out, but I'll figure them out along the way.
Jester2000
02-06-2010, 13:35
You're never going to make it.
Kidding. Follow your heart. It's the most important muscle for finishing a trail. PCT for you, I think. You'll do fine.
Somewhere I read that hiking the AT is like getting a batchelors degree, hiking the PCT is like getting a Masters and hiking the CDT is like getting a Ph.D. - does that sound right?
ChinMusic
02-06-2010, 13:57
Somewhere I read that hiking the AT is like getting a batchelors degree, hiking the PCT is like getting a Masters and hiking the CDT is like getting a Ph.D. - does that sound right?
I'm still in HS then......:D
"... and if I don't do it this year I'll always regret it"
Oh, you're talking about doing it THIS year. That's very different! :-)
Seriously, for the very little it might be worth, some are speculating (http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/2010-February/033773.html) this will be a high snow year for NOBO's on the PCT; given the mild weather we've been having in the NW, it could actually be a good year to SOBO (??).
I don't mean that as any sort of "talk you out of it" text, just FYI.
If you're serious about the PCT, the next step I suggest is to order Yogi's book (http://www.pcthandbook.com/).
Lucy Lulu
02-06-2010, 14:36
They are both great trails, and all of the posts above are very good. I would put in a vote for the PCT if I had to choose one to do first. I did not find it much harder than the AT logistically, easier physically, and notch above in the scenery department.
thelowend
02-06-2010, 14:45
Mogwai, can't say it any better than others have already.. I take it your a fan of Mogwai?
mogwai316
02-06-2010, 15:01
Oh, you're talking about doing it THIS year. That's very different! :-)
Seriously, for the very little it might be worth, some are speculating (http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/2010-February/033773.html) this will be a high snow year for NOBO's on the PCT; given the mild weather we've been having in the NW, it could actually be a good year to SOBO (??).
I don't mean that as any sort of "talk you out of it" text, just FYI.
If you're serious about the PCT, the next step I suggest is to order Yogi's book (http://www.pcthandbook.com/).
Got the Yogi book ordered already. :) The official guidebooks and databook are currently out of stock on the PCA site, but hopefully they'll get some more in soon. Also (re)reading all the info on postholer.com, lots of good stuff there.
We'll have to see about the weather, it does seem to be a bad winter pretty much across the country (we even had 3 straight nights below freezing here in central FL, killed my croton plants by the pool!). We'll just have to deal with it however it turns out, though. Do you think most people will wait to enter the Sierras later than the usual June 15th if it's a heavy snow year? Or does that make it too tough to finish before the weather in the north gets bad, so you just have to go for it?
Thanks again for the support everyone!
mogwai316
02-06-2010, 15:04
Mogwai, can't say it any better than others have already.. I take it your a fan of Mogwai?
Yeah, they're one of my favorite bands for sure. Wish they would do a US tour again soon, I've never gotten to see them live. I was listening to them a bunch a few years ago when I had to pick an online screenname for something, and it just kinda stuck with me. If I get a real "trail name" I'll see about switching to it later.
Jester2000
02-06-2010, 15:20
Somewhere I read that hiking the AT is like getting a batchelors degree, hiking the PCT is like getting a Masters and hiking the CDT is like getting a Ph.D. - does that sound right?
I think of it more like getting three bachelor degrees in three different subjects that are kind of related. And none of your friends understand why you're doing that, because they don't understand how fun it is to stay in school.
Do you think most people will wait to enter the Sierras later than the usual June 15th if it's a heavy snow year? Or does that make it too tough to finish before the weather in the north gets bad, so you just have to go for it?
Worst case scenario will involve waiting a bit, and then waiting a bit more, and then skipping north and coming back to finish the Sierra after you've finished the rest of the trail. Not an ideal scenario, but one (complicated) possibility would be jumping from KM to Tuolumne, heading north to the border, jumping back down to KM, going out to Lone Pine, up to Tuolumne again, then southbounding and finishing your hike on top of Whitney.
There are simpler ways to do it. I just think it would be fun to end on top of Whitney.
Either way, you'll figure it out while on trail. Necessity will dictate the decisions you make -- but there will be options.
Spirit Walker
02-06-2010, 15:25
If it's a really high snow year, I'd jump north to Tahoe, not Tuolemne. The roller coaster north of Tuolemne is hard to travel in high snow - and then there's Sonora Pass. Remember Cindy Ross' story?
One other possibility is to simply jump from KM or Lone Pine (go out Cottonwood Pass) to Manning Park and then hike south.
God willing and the creek don't rise - we'll get a chance to figure it out for ourselves.
Jester2000
02-06-2010, 15:31
If it's a really high snow year, I'd jump north to Tahoe, not Tuolemne. The roller coaster north of Tuolemne is hard to travel in high snow - and then there's Sonora Pass. Remember Cindy Ross' story?
One other possibility is to simply jump from KM or Lone Pine (go out Cottonwood Pass) to Manning Park and then hike south.
God willing and the creek don't rise - we'll get a chance to figure it out for ourselves.
Holy crap. I totally forgot about Sonora Pass (low snow year for me, and it wasn't an issue, but that seems like a perfect place to have something horrifying happen).
Spirit Walker's right -- if there are issues about getting through the Sierra no one without experience and the proper equipment should be attempting the terrain leading up to Sonora Pass.
Restarting at Tahoe or flipping up to Canada would be a smarter option. But again, those are decisions best made on the trail, when you know what you're dealing with.
There will be other hikers with experience around. They'll know what the smart play is.
Seriously do consider a SOBO. I went NOBO and was glad I did, but if starting a bit later in the year works for your schedule, the winter here in WA state is sure seeming mild --- I was out walking yesterday in just shirt sleeves.
Obviously this can be different in more mountainous terrain north of me, but perhaps you can get some snow level reports or other stuff. The trail angels in Skykomish (Dinsmores) post on pct-l (http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l) and can certainly tell you what they're experiencing (and what they predict) for there.
I haven't hiked the AT. I always wanted to hike the PCT so that's what I did. If I ever do a long trail again, it'll be the PCT.
I found a lot of solitude. I did the hike split into two summers. The first summer I was within the herd. Except for maybe seeing other people when I camped and in town, I was always alone. I stopped seeing people in my campsite as soon as I left Kennedy Meadows, but I still passed by people in towns and on the trail.
The second summer I was much more alone because I was about a month ahead of the herd. I sometimes went days without seeing another person. I had a fabulous time getting to know the section hikers. It was also interesting being among the first few hikers of the season to come through places.
I found the hiking itself to be relatively easy. The trail is smooth and rarely very steep. I walked through the heat of the day in the desert. It didn't bother me. I'm used to heat. You are probably used to it, too, if you spend time outdoors in Florida. The lack of humidity might make it hard for you, however. You won't sweat as much so it might be harder to tell when you're getting dehydrated.
The longest backpack trip I had ever done before the PCT was about 5 days. And that's about the longest I ever did ON the PCT. It's just a series of backpack trips of about 2-6 or so days in length.
You seem to be leaning strongly now -- but in case you vacillate, if you want solitude on the A.T. hike southbound and start at the beginning of June. Assuming a decent pace you won't be near too many people most of the time, and if you avoid shelters that's even fewer (if not to my understanding at the same level as the PCT).
A.T. is from what I understand (haven't hiked the PCT yet, just done some reading) significantly easier logistically, definitely worth considering if you haven't backpacked much. Places with food are always possible resupplies. You'll rarely have to think much about water availability for a stretch, or carry much of it (3L, once, was worst I needed). The extent of my pre-planning was (I already had backpacking gear) getting an AT Thru-Hiker's Companion for Christmas, reserving a spot at Baxter a week before start, and buying 115mi of food the night before. Bus ticket and lodging in Millinocket were same-day decisions. Past that everything else you'll ever need you can get comfortably along the way. Logistics are even simpler if you go northbound (but then you probably want to start early, say, early March or even February, for the solitary experience).
But either choice will be fun, so whatever. :-)
Spot In The Sky
02-13-2010, 20:45
What is the price difference needed to be saved for the PCT vs AT?
Price difference: I've only done the PCT, but am starting on the AT in less than 2 weeks so have thought of this a little. I think it's got to depend a lot on you. The AT has more opportunities to get off-trail and spend money, but in fact the PCT offers plenty anyway. My wild guess is that all other things being equal that they're not going to be wildly different. The total amount of time, amount of trail food, etc are probably going to be similar, it seems to me that the number and way in which you spend zero and nero days will be the biggest factor.
fiddlehead
02-13-2010, 21:03
Just wanted to point out that a SOBO on the PCT requires an ice ax.
I had one of my worst falls ever in late July in WA where the trail was traversing a steep (very steep) mountain and there were still snow and icy sections even in July.
I had no ice ax and it wasn't far. But it was early in the morning and very slippery.
I think most all NOBO this trail because of such a short window for the SOBO and the late start necessary.
But, I would still recommend the PCT for a less crowded trail. NOBO though.
Costs: depends on if you are doing maildrops from VA (or east coast)
But, I'd say about the same.
Things are more expensive in CA and the west coast but town stops are more infrequent for sure.
Also the weather is much better so, less need to hole up in a hotel or town (where the money is spent) for bad weather.
Erik The Black
02-14-2010, 14:45
Whichever trail you choose I have one piece of advice. Don't make the mistake that many beginning backpackers make and carry to much gear. It will make your hike very uncomfortable and painful and reduce your chances of success greatly. Whether you are climbing up the steep hills of the AT or slogging through snow in the Sierra a lighter pack will help. My recommendation is to get your base pack weight (all gear minus food and water) under 15 lbs. Under 13 lbs would be even better.
Happy trails,
Erik the Black