Most bears living in the forests along the PCT are not as habituated as those found in Yosemite and some areas in the Southern Sierra. That may be changing in some places; it definitely has changed in Lassen Volcanic National Park.
In 2016, a bear around Twin Lakes — a ... Read more
“Ugh,” my male hiking companion frowned. “What I don’t get is, why some people bother to bury their poop, and then leave the toilet paper exposed above ground?” I gazed past his shoulder at the umpteenth little “white blossom” we’d seen along this high-use section of trail.
“Silly old bear,”... Read more
By Logan “Unitic” McCulloch
Hiking the Appalachian Trail was high on my bucket list. And it might have remained there indefinitely but for a life-altering experience I had beginning in May 2011.
Several months after a backpacking trip in Mammoth Cave National Park, I developed a case of disseminated borreliosis ... Read more
It was a wool hiking sock with a safety pin poked through the toe, stuck to a bush hanging over the trail near Milk Creek in the middle of Glacier Peak Wilderness. The sock ... Read more
By Emmanuel Forge
This time last year I was sitting on a bit of a secret. I was planning to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. But I couldn’t exactly shout it from the rooftops. I had a job to keep through March.
Some days after work I’d slap on my ... Read more
By Nancy Sosnove
My husband, David Roberts, and I are section hikers who live in Washington. We have been hiking the Pacific Crest Trail almost every year for the past four decades. We’ve done all the PCT in Washington, some sections twice and some three times. We love this trail!... Read more
When it comes to Valley fever, awareness is key. Unfortunately, too few people know much of anything about it. A fungus that lives in the soil throughout the Southwest causes this terrible lung infection. The Pacific Crest Trail likely passes through areas where this fungus exists.
According to doctors at ... Read more
By Tom Bache. This story originally appeared in our member magazine, the PCT Communicator. You too can receive the magazine. Join today.
Many stories about the Pacific Crest Trail experience focus on the thru-hiker. Of course, these are inspiring. But a thru-hike is only a dream for those (like me) ... Read more
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