This article originally appeared on The Trek, which you can read HERE.
The Permitting Process
Unlike the Appalachian Trail and many other trails on the East Coast, the PCT requires a permit to hike the trail. Those permits are not easy to get for a desired start date. The PCT Association uses a random lottery system to assign permits. You can only apply for one permit once per hiking season.
The way the process works is that you randomly get assigned a time to log into the permit portal on Permit Release Day (November 13, 2025 for the 2026 hiking season). There are 35 permits available per day from March 1 through May 31. The permits for a given date are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. That means the earlier in the day you get assigned a time slot to log in, the better your chance of getting a good start day. Later in the day (typically by 1:30-2:00), all the permits are taken for all the dates. Hence why not everybody who wants a permit gets one. It is a lottery!
I was happy with my draw in the lottery. I received a 12:20 application time, which put me a little before the halfway point, which should mean that there are a few dates in April still available. When I got into the portal, at 12:20:40, all the permits through April 23 were taken and there were only 7 permits left for April 24. I grabbed an April 24 permit quickly!
PCT Overview
The first 700 miles of the PCT are in the Southern California desert. That section is typically very dry, and water can be an issue. There are parts of that section where I will have to carry 5 liters of water (11 pounds) and be careful with that supply of water. Much of the time, there is little to no shade, and it can be very windy. Daytime highs should be anywhere between 65 and 90 with lows between 32 and 45. There are quite a few small towns, hostels, or volunteer-provided waysides in this section. The average number of days to hike that section is 48 days.
The second major section of the PCT is roughly 400 miles through the High Sierras. This includes very remote areas, long 5-6 day food carries, traversing alpine snow fields, snow-covered mountain passes, lots of water crossings from snow melt, elevations up to 14,500 feet, and some amazing scenery. I will cross through Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite National Parks and traverse the John Muir Wilderness and the Ansel Adams Wilderness, eventually finishing in the high desert just before South Lake Tahoe. The average duration for the High Sierras is 38 days.
The third major section is 600 miles in Northern California ending at the Oregon border. Water should not be as problematic as in the desert, but with this being a drought year, it may get a little problematic. There are quite a few small towns along the way for resupply, and I only anticipate one 5-day food carry in this section. There are lots of long steep ascents/descents in this section, particularly into and out of towns where roads cross the trail at the bottom of a valley. The weather will be hot and, hopefully, dry. This is where wildfires become not just a possibility but a fact of life. The average duration for the Nor Cal section is 30 days.
The fourth major section is approximately 450 miles across the state of Oregon. This section is “flatter” than Nor Cal, but with lots of mosquito activity in the summer. This section includes Crater Lake, the Three Sisters Wilderness, and Mount Hood. This is also an area that has frequent wildfires during the summer and fall. The average duration for the Oregon section is 23 days.
The fifth major section is approximately 600 miles across Washington state in the North Cascade mountain range, ending at the Canadian border. Much of this section is remote and rugged, with constant ascents and descents. Given how late in April I am starting, completing Washington and reaching the Canadian border before the high mountain passes are closed for the season due to snow may be a challenge. The average duration for the Washington section is 27 days. That includes the two-day hike BACK from the Canadian border to reach civilization and leave the PCT.
Resupply on the PCT
My plan for resupply on the PCT is a bit different than my original plan for the AT. I only plan to mail myself supplies when 1) I need to change gear (just before and just after the High Sierras), 2) to restock up on prescription, 3) there is no other good choice for getting food. I am keeping resupply boxes to a minimum with only 11 planned, and I hope to skip a few of those. The rest of the time, I will resupply from confidence stores, outfitters, or equivalent when I can get to town. Note that getting to town will involve a LOT more hitchhiking on the PCT than I did on the AT.
Pit Crew will mail my resupply boxes a few weeks before I need them. That way, she can add things that I can’t plan out ahead of time, like new shoes, a new pair of hiking pants after I lose a ton of weight, etc.
Gear for the PCT
My gear, including clothes, mainly consists of items that I used on the AT in 2024 and numerous section hikes since then. The exceptions to that are a new backpack, a new fleece, micro-spikes, ice axe, bear can, and an Ursack. Other than these exceptions, I am just going to refer to my detailed PCT gear page on my personal website instead of regurgitating all the gear info here.
The new backpack is the lighter version of the Osprey Atmos AG 65 pack that I used for the second half of the AT. This new version has the EXACT same beefy suspension system, but ditches a bunch of internal compartments, zippers, and other bells and whistles in order to shed about 1.5 lbs of weight. Also, I have removed the lid/brain from that pack for weight savings. Even with that weight savings, it is a heavy pack at 3.53 lbs, but I know that it does not cause me back issues. I will take that trade-off.
For the desert section of the PCT, there are no requirements on how you store your food. However, there are strict regulations in the Sierras and the first part of Northern California that require a bear-resistant hard-sided container called a Bear Can. My Bear Can weighs 2.5 lbs empty and takes up a lot of space. I am not looking forward to carrying that thing for almost 500 miles, but the fines are nasty, and I could get my permit revoked if I am caught without it. Once I get north of the Desolation Wilderness in Northern California, the hard-sided container rules go away, but there are still requirements in various areas for bear-resistant food storage. When I send the bear can home, I will switch to an Ursack. The Ursack is a lighter weight (13 ounces) soft-sided food storage container that meets the new food storage regulations in Northern California, Washington, and Oregon.
For Mount Baden-Powell and the High Sierras, I will be using Micro-Spikes. These are steel spikes that get attached to the bottom of my shoes to prevent slipping on ice and snow. For the Sierras, I will be carrying an Ice Axe. The purpose of the ice axe is to help arrest a fall and slide down an icy/snowy slope. I will send the spikes and axe home from Lake Tahoe.
Overall Schedule on the PCT
This will be a very interesting year to hike the PCT. There has been very little snow in the Sierras and Cascades this year. Lots of rain, but warm temperatures have kept the snow to a minimum except at higher altitudes. Some areas are reporting only 20-30% of the typical snowpack for the year. That is a double-edged sword. That SHOULD mean less snow at lower elevations to have to deal with. There will always be snow at higher elevations to deal with. The lower snowpack COULD also mean that the water crossings due to snowmelt in the High Sierras will not be as deep or swift this year. Only time will tell on that item. However, the lower snowpack also means less drinking water and a higher risk of wildfires in the summer and fall.
I am starting on April 24, 2026. I feel confident about making it through the desert and making it to the start of the Sierras at Kennedy Meadows South by June 9. There are two mountains that I need to cross in the desert section that usually have snow this time of year. The first is Mount San Jacinto. As of mid-April 2026, there is no snow on that peak, so I don’t have to worry about having my micro-spikes or ice axe for that. The second is Mount Baden-Powell. That mountain still has snow and difficult terrain, so I will need my micro-spikes but not my ice axe based on recent hiking reports from that area.
Once I reach the start of the High Sierras around June 9, things start to get tricky. It is not safe/advised to start into the High Sierras until the snow has sufficiently melted. This is USUALLY around June 15. This year, with the lack of significant snow, I should be able to start into the Sierras immediately. I will not know for certain until sometime in May when the early-season hikers send back information on trail conditions. That said, they received five feet of snow over the course of two snowstorms in early April in the Sierras.
I hope to complete the Sierras and reach South Lake Tahoe around July 7. Pit Crew will fly out and meet me in Tahoe for a well-deserved double-zero day off-trail.
Without getting into too much detail, my goal is to reach the Canadian border by September 30. That is a bit aggressive, but I am worried about early-season snow in the Northern Cascades, which could bring my adventure to an abrupt and early halt. Only time will tell if I can get to Canada before the first snow!
Happy Trails
That’s all for now. Before I get on trail in the very near future, I plan to do a post with Frequently Asked Questions. I will be posting trail-log summaries on The Trek and posting daily detailed trail logs on my Web Site. Until then, keep on keeping on!
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