The only section to which you might flip-flop is the short section from Hat Creek Resort to Castella, in Northern California. The other flip-flop some hikers choose is to hike through California from Campo to Ashland, then travel to Canada and hike south from Manning Park to Ashland. That can be a good plan if you reach Ashland rather late and don’t want to risk being in Northern Washington for the first big winter storms.
Hiking 7–8 hours a day
A typical backpacker will hike between four and six hours a day. Even a relatively low-mileage thru’-hiker will need to hike between six and eight hours each day once they have built up their fitness. This takes discipline.
You could do what too many hikers seem to do: start fairly late, walk for seven or eight hours with minimal breaks and collapse into camp, exhausted, about teatime. However there are much better hiking patterns, patterns which will make your hike more enjoyable and easier to achieve.
Most hikers take short breaks. That might be fine for youngsters but for the older hiker a break of between 15 and 30 minutes is long enough to stiffen up yet not really long enough to recover. It also means you are hiking through the hottest part of the day!
Late start from Pioneer Mail Picnic Area for Hans (Section 3)
In the hot conditions that predominate along the PCT, an early start is essential. Once you are fit, try hiking from 7am until 10am or 11am without any substantial break. Then stop for two hours before walking for an hour in the afternoon (not too long if it is hot), then take another long break before doing a two or three hours in the evening, once it has cooled down.
Many might consider 7am to be a late start. Billy Goat would start walking at first light and stop for breakfast between 7am and 8am. When it is hot, the earlier you start and the longer the morning session, the easier you’ll find it. It can be uncomfortably hot by 10am.
One other thing to consider is having your evening meal before doing another hour or two before camping. That is certainly a good idea if you arrive at water between 4pm and 6pm. Have your meal, then do an evening session to a dry camp. That is also good practice in bear country. You could consider walking on after dark. That might sound a good idea in hot conditions but probably won’t help much, as you might then make a later start the following morning. You would be better off getting up while it is still dark and getting away at, or even before, dawn.
On reaching Washington you will find the days getting shorter but the temperature will be comfortable for hiking. By then you should be fit enough to walk for four hours in the morning before one long break and completing your mileage in the evening.
RULE OF 11 AND 13
You can expect to spend 11 hours in camp: an hour in the morning, two hours at night and eight hours asleep. This leaves 13 hours for walking and resting during the day. If you are going to be walking for eight hours, that leaves five hours of breaks to scatter through the day. If you spend more than 11 hours in camp you probably aren’t making the best use of the day!
In bad weather you should consider having a lie-in but still get away between 9am and 10am, then keep walking with a few short breaks until you decide to camp. If you decide to have an easy (half) day, you are much better sticking to your morning hiking routine and then camping, rather than making a late start and walking when it is hot.
Early starts can be difficult to achieve after a night in town. By the time you’ve eaten breakfast in the restaurant or with your trail angel hosts, you might find it is already rather late. It is difficult to maintain good walking patterns if you spend many nights indoors. It takes more discipline than most hikers possess to get away from town between the hours of 6am and 7am. The author tries to arrive in town in time for a late breakfast in a restaurant, spends the hottest part of the day in town and then hikes into the evening. If you follow that example, you can get a couple of meals in town, sort out supplies and still walk in the coolest part of the day, as well as saving yourself a lot of money.
The first week
It is estimated that between 20 and 30 per cent of thru’-hikers give up in the first week. How can you avoid becoming one of them? When you stand on the Mexican border it’s no good thinking about the 2650 miles that lie ahead, it’s much too great a distance to contemplate. Instead, focus on things that you can achieve in the first week on the trail.
In cool weather or after a damp spring, your first week will be a lot less demanding than what is described here but you must be mentally prepared for hot dry conditions.
Develop efficient hiking habits from the beginning. Start hiking in the cool of morning and in the evenings, and avoid taking unnecessary zero days. Develop efficient camping habits and, as you do so, decide how much equipment you can send home from Warner Springs. After all, almost everyone starts with things they don’t need. Learn to interpret the maps and to use them for navigation. Assess the seasonal water sources you encounter to give you a better idea of which springs and creeks are likely to be running further along the trail.
During that vital week you should be starting to get fit while being careful to avoid injury. You should avoid sunburn and hopefully you’ll start to build up a tan. Get a sense for how much water you need to drink to keep hydrated in hot conditions. Also learn to recognise and avoid poison oak (see section on Wilderness Hiking). You should not worry about how much progress you are making at this stage. If you are getting behind schedule, you will be able to catch up when you get fitter.
Your first resupply package will probably be at Warner Springs, so it would be helpful if your schedule gets you there when the post office is open.
Try to find out before you set off whether any water sources will be running before you reach Lake Morena. It varies greatly from year to year. In mid-April 2002 there were none but in 2009 there were several. In 2006 there were about 10.
Consider how you will hike the 20 miles to Lake Morena campground, which you can expect to take between nine and 10 hours of hiking. Let’s assume it is a relatively dry year. Your first water will be piped at Morena campground but you should not consider getting there in one day. If you attempt nine or 10 hours of walking on that first day you are likely to end up with blisters and will risk other injuries. Therefore you will need a dry overnight camp before you reach Lake Morena.
Approaching Hart Bar Creek Canyon (Section 9)
How much water should you carry? If it is hot assume half a litre of water per hour of hiking and two litres for the overnight camp. You should therefore be carrying six or seven litres of water.
You won’t need to carry food to get you to Warner Springs as you could resupply at the well-stocked stores at Lake Morena and Mount Laguna. You could send a resupply package to Mount Laguna Post Office as an alternative to using the store. Make sure you have food that you will be able to eat in hot, dry conditions.
Before you start, drink plenty of water and make sure you have put sun cream on hands and face as well as your legs and arms if you have decided to start in shorts and short-sleeved shirt. Even if you’ve kept the weight of your equipment to a sensible level, which you probably haven’t yet, with six litres of water your pack will feel too heavy.
What time should you set out? It doesn’t really matter. Ideally you would leave Campo by 7am and walk five or six hours on your first day. At this stage you will probably need several long breaks. You will be hiking in the sun, so make sure you find shade for your breaks. Take a long break during the hottest part of the day and complete your hiking in the evening. Even if you are going well, don’t try to hike for more than six hours.
If you camp on the trail, particularly at Hauser Creek, you might be disturbed during the night by illegal immigrants or drug smugglers crossing the border from Mexico, or possibly even by US Border Patrol officers. It is very unlikely that they will be a danger to you