Welcome back for Part 2 of this series; if you missed the stories from Part 1, we encourage you to start here. You don’t want to miss them! With the thru-hiking season coming to a close and the end of the year fast approaching, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the stories that the trail has shaped. We reached out to the PCT Class of 2024 and asked them to share with us how the experience has impacted their lives. We’re delighted to share with you a few more of the trail completion stories from this past year.
Photo provided by Jeremy “Chimney Boy”.
“It’s not often you get to fulfill your dreams, and doing the Pacific Crest Trail is now one fulfilled.
And to have done it with my brother, Ben (“Poppins”). I’m glad for this passion we both share. We’ve learned a lot doing this together, and I think we’ve grown deeper in this relationship through all the planning (and arguing!) I’ve learned so much about backpacking self-sufficiently while enjoying the culture of kindness that has grown around this trail. It’s like I’ve seen the best of humanity. While walking the countless ridges, I would look to my left or right and see the mountains crest alongside me, and pinch myself—what a privilege it is to be out here in nature. Mentally, it brought me to such a good place.
Lastly, apart from walking from the border of Mexico to Canada, I’m proud to have not bought a single ziploc bag.”
– Jeremy “Chimney Boy”, Singapore
Photo provided by Natasha “Turmeric” Gravel.
After I forgot to print my long-distance permit, and it was lost eternally to the ether, I thought my dream of hiking the PCT was dashed. After a quick midday meltdown, my dad and I decoded the tedious local permit system, and the next thing I knew, I was nervously clambering up the southern terminus for my first trail photo. Then, I was too afraid to stand on the very top tier, but I promised myself that if I made it to the end, I would stand atop the monument at the northern border, brave and proud.
This year, I battled norovirus, extreme weather, treacherous river crossings, intensified chronic illness, wildfire, insomnia, and my own fears and doubt. I crushed 57 miles in 24 hours, happily treated my water through Mission Creek, enthusiastically trudged through snow in the sierras, and planned road walks around fire closures with a smile on my face. I finally felt my limits pushed as I hiked through the just-opened and supposedly stunning section K, only to find freezing temperatures, nonstop rain, and soaked gear, overgrown trail causing me to slide off a mountain twice and exacerbating my full-body hives, my first debilitating chafe, and the unprecedented experience of doubting my ability to continue altogether.
As I peeled off my KT tape and felt the sting of the hot shower as the blood ran down my legs in Stehekin, I realized that it would end soon. I asked myself if it was worth it. If I would do it again. I thought about being at home with fuzzy socks, a heated blanket, and a cup of hot tea. I thought of fresh vegetables and acai bowls. Of resting in a clean bed, finally giving my body tools to stop attacking itself. For a fleeting moment, I considered how relieving that would feel. But then, the rest of the trail flashed through my mind. The good. The 95%. The daily sleepovers with new best friends, the epic panorama views, the incredibly generous trail angels, the frigid, exhilarating alpine lake swims, the stars on crisp, clear nights, the miles of plump, sweet huckleberries, the endless sunset hues, and the steadfast mission that drives us to continue and grants us satisfaction at the end of every day. The nonstop dopamine drip that is a thru-hike. And I returned to a state of gratitude, even as I watched the red-tinted water run down the drain.
I let the remainder of the hike drag out so long that my water bottle froze, and I saw the larch trees turn golden, and after 172 days of dilly-dallying up the West Coast, I finally finished the PCT on October 4, 2024. And by finished, I mean finished. I’m one of the lucky ones and one of the few thru-hikers who never gave up hope of a continuous footpath this year. I’m proud to say that although I had to road walk around some beautiful miles of the official PCT, I don’t feel I have anything to “clean up.” No unfinished business. Despite many challenges, I walked every step from Mexico to Canada. At the border, I climbed that monument all the way to the top, as I vowed I would, but I was surprised to feel just as scared as I was at the Mexican border. Hiking (and David Goggins’ audiobook) helped me conquer many fears: the dark, being alone, bears, and largely my fear of heights, but mostly, it taught me that if you’re scared to do something, then you do it scared. Now that I’ve returned to the minutiae and predictability of the “real world”, I can only hope I will someday feel that sting of an injury, that biting cold as I shiver wet in my tent, or that fear of a bee sting causing anaphylaxis. I’m a thru-hiker, and I’ll take that 5% for the 95% any day.
– Natasha “Turmeric”
Photo provided by Sophia “Free Bird”.
I found love on trail! I met my now boyfriend at Hikertown, where a group of us prepared for a night hike across the Aqueduct involving glow sticks and body paint. During our first months together, I helped him through his fear of heights, climbing Mt. Whitney for sunrise, hiking over Forester Pass, and on a side trip up the Half Dome Cables in Yosemite. I gained so much confidence from this hike, but like any hiker, I experienced my low points. Whatever those entailed, he was there to support and uplift me. We now have plans to move in together about 40 minutes from the trail and are decorating our house with postcards and pictures we collected on our journey.
– Sophia “Free Bird”
Photo provided by Emily “Eggnado”.
Completing the PCT has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences I had to date. The PCT is such a wonderful, challenging, beautiful adventure. I feel incredibly blessed to have had the time, space, and money to do it as a young adult. Unlike some others, I didn’t take on the PCT because I was running away from something back home or needed to work through things. For me, it was an opportunity to do something challenging, to be fully immersed and devoted to an experience, to live so fully in the moment, to be challenged daily, and to connect deeply with myself, others, and nature. The simplicity of life on trail is something I now crave. I miss the moments of profound and complete silence and the space and clarity that come from spending so much time alone with your own thoughts. The seemingly endless kindness, warmth, and generosity that I experienced from complete strangers on the trail was unparalleled and has had a lasting impression on me.
– Emily “Eggnado”
To the PCT Class of 2024,
You’ve accomplished something extraordinary! We’d be honored to send you a certificate to recognize your time on the trail and have a physical keepsake. The PCT completion medal is one of the world’s great keepsakes. They’re only available to you and the rest of your alumni community. Both medals and certificates are available when you fill out the trail completion form.
If you’d like to participate in sharing your own trail completion story, there’s still time! Our intent is to highlight a wide variety of diverse and unique reflections from people’s time on the trail. We hope this can be part of your time capsule to help capture this year on the PCT. Please send along your trail completion story, which should be between 150 and 200 words. Include your trail name and, if comfortable, an optional photo of you on the PCT. All submissions should be sent to [email protected] with the subject line “2024 PCT Trail Completion Story”!