I’ve been planning this FKT ever since reading Heather Anderson’s inspiring book, Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home, while thru-hiking the trail myself in 2021. The PCT is a beautiful trail and I can’t think of a better place to watch the landscape change around you by covering vast distances by foot.
I took the self-supported aspect of this hike very seriously. As a solo hiker, I camped and walked every step alone. I shipped all of my resupply boxes to myself beforehand and walked to all of the resupply locations. I also legally walked around every closure, including the long standing yellow-legged frog closure in Southern California.
The majority of my calories came from two daily foods: 2000 calories of peanut M&M's and 2000 calories of Haribo gummy bears. I never got sick of these foods and honestly wish I had shipped more to myself! However, I am a bit nervous to visit the dentist.
I started the trail doing close to 50 miles a day without a break, but nearly immediately adopted an afternoon nap. The nap helped me physically recover and broke down the distance into smaller goals. I slept almost every night and afternoon in a hammock. This gave me a lot of flexibility in camping locations and helped reduce soreness tremendously. My hammock and straps weighed less than 6 ounces. Fabric technology is unbelievable!
Rain is generally not a big issue on the PCT, and it only rained on me once on my 2021 thru-hike. Not the case for 2023! I got rained on the first day and then again about 8 more times. Hurricane Hilary really kicked my butt. I was lucky to have been in the LA aquaduct section, where flooded roads were my only concern. Other parts of the trail could have been deadly, especially Mission Creek which now looks like a tsunami hit it. Miles of the trail and trees have been washed away, replaced by polished rocks and wood debris!
The hardest part of the trail was definitely the Sierras. I battled shin splints for hundreds of miles. At every pass, I napped and rested my burning shins and lungs. The Sierras really felt like the crown jewel of the PCT, and the beautiful scenery made it easier to hike through the pain.
Sleep was a limiting factor as I hiked well into the night every day. I slept inside bathrooms more often than I slept on a bed and only showered twice. By the end, I was so sleep deprived I slept directly on the ground. I was too exhausted to set up my hammock.
One of the highlights of night hiking is encountering lots of seldom seen wildlife. I watched flying squirrels glide across the trail, ringtail cats move through the tree tops, and dozens of small predators such as bobcats and foxes hunting. It was fun to identify the countless snakes, frogs, and salamanders as well.
Ihad quite a few “short” 40 mile days where sleeping trumped hiking. I partially made up for these days by hiking 59 miles straight through Hurricane Hilary and finishing the trail by hiking 86 miles nonstop. Overall, I was very happy with my performance and am proud of what my body can accomplish.
I’d like to thank my girlfriend and mother for their continuous moral support throughout my hike. I would also like to thank all of the trail crews and organizations that help keep the trail maintained and open.
I am very proud of my record, even if it only lasts a week!