Pictures From My Pacific Crest Trail Hikes

27 Comments

The Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance backpacking and hiking trail that runs 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington. I’ve hiked about 4,000 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail in the last six years, including a northbound thru-hike in ’07.

Here are some pictures from my PCT adventures…

Have any questions about the Pacific Crest Trail? Please post your comments below…

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27 Responses to “Pictures From My Pacific Crest Trail Hikes”

  1. Serpent Slayer February 6, 2012 at 3:14 pm

    Hey EB, Nice photos, but you need more Washington in there. I mean really…shirking on WA pics, that’s like no hot fudge on a hot fudge sundae. :-)

  2. No Knees February 6, 2012 at 3:21 pm

    Eric those are amazing pictures! You’ve a real eye for framing your pictures well and capturing all the beauty that is the PCT. You r knowledge and inspiration made my 2011 nobo hike possible. Cheers!

  3. Erik The Black February 6, 2012 at 3:26 pm

    @Serpent Slayer: I know, Washington has some of my favorite parts of the trail outside of the Sierra. Unfortunately it’s so dang rainy sometimes I don’t want to take my camera out.

  4. Erik The Black February 6, 2012 at 3:31 pm

    @No Knees: Thanks a lot and congrats on your hike!

  5. Greg Morton February 6, 2012 at 3:37 pm

    Great, great, great! I am so inspired…

  6. Wolfman February 6, 2012 at 3:42 pm

    What Happened to Washington!! I got to agree with Serpent Slayer. :D You were probably so fast by then that it just flew by! :) Great first post, now where’s the rest?? 90 pics, come on we know you took at least a couple hundred!

    By the way how long do it take you this time? I am so jealous of your life style!! I am working on being able to do longer hikes, but not quite there yet.

    Wolfman

  7. Bruce Panico February 6, 2012 at 4:25 pm

    Hey EB do you hike alone?

  8. Erik The Black February 6, 2012 at 4:30 pm

    Ok, by popular demand I’ve added more Washington ;) The bottom 12 rows are all Washington now.

    @Bruce: I hike solo and with friends. In a group I usually break away and go at my own pace and we’ll meet back up at breaks and in camp.

  9. George Armstrong February 6, 2012 at 6:37 pm

    beautiful. inspiring.

  10. Doug P. February 6, 2012 at 6:48 pm

    I was going to complain about Oregon and Cali not getting represented now so that we could talk you into even more pics. I guess I will just have to hike it myself to see.

    Thanks for sharing.

  11. Dambara February 6, 2012 at 10:06 pm

    Great photos, Eric! Thanks for all the inspiration & practical advice you provide. Lookin’ forward to the JMT in August.

  12. Bill Gosnell February 7, 2012 at 4:33 am

    Awesome pics! Thanks for sharing

    Bluejeans

  13. Linda V February 7, 2012 at 10:10 am

    Beautiful photos Eric. Very inspiring…makes me want to be out there. Thank you for sharing

  14. Thankyou Thankyou February 8, 2012 at 6:18 am

    After doing the P.C.T. in sections and seeing your great pictures, the memories that come back to me at each location are as precious as GOLD !

  15. brad February 8, 2012 at 11:00 am

    are dogs allowed on the entire PCT? i’d like to make a run at a hike through and i’d love to take my pack dog with me.

  16. Erik The Black February 8, 2012 at 11:25 am

    @Brad: There are a few spots on the PCT where dogs are not allowed, like In Yosemite. But dogs are allowed on the majority of the trail. Some people have thru-hiked the PCT with their dogs. They either skip the parts where dogs aren’t allowed or sneak them through. I only take my dog on section hikes. He doesn’t like to hike for more than a week at a time and hiking with a dog complicates the process of going into towns to resupply.

  17. Tim Nielsen February 15, 2012 at 11:12 am

    Erik – I am a photographer and also write a weekly column for The Coloradoan Newspaper in their Xplore Section called “On the trail”. Your pictures of the PCT are good and paint a nice picture of the beautiful scenery and challenging landscape on the trail. I am a day hiker thinking about becoming a backpacker. I have read your information and find it most helpful. Keep up the good work.

  18. Stephan February 17, 2012 at 1:46 pm

    Excellent pictures. I am looking for a trail camera. Any advice or recommendations?

  19. Erik The Black February 17, 2012 at 1:53 pm

    @Stephan: I always use cheap (sub $200) point and shoot digital cameras because I’m not very careful and they always get ruined (dropped in a creek, dust in the lense, etc.). Been through half a dozen cameras in the past few years. My favorite brand for outdoor photography is Canon.

  20. Brad February 22, 2012 at 2:14 pm

    Just an update on Section 9. Just in the middle, if you were making your way north, just before the Mojave Dam, the trail is closed. There was a slight rock slide that has covered the trail. I was there Feb. 19th. I hiked through anyhow. It is passable but according to the signs and caution tape, the trail is closed.

  21. Brad March 11, 2012 at 3:11 pm

    I am happy to report that the Section 9 avalanche, just before the Mojave Dam, has been cleared. Good Job Fire Crews

  22. Erik The Black March 12, 2012 at 8:34 am

    @Brad: Thanks for the update. Good news.

  23. Stephan March 12, 2012 at 9:36 am

    Which part of the PCT is essentially snow and ice free throughout the entire year?

  24. Erik The Black March 12, 2012 at 9:50 am

    @Stephan: The Pacific Crest Trail in Southern California is typically snow free year-round except where it climbs up above 5,000 feet in a few different places:

    1) The Laguna Mountains around Mount Laguna
    2) The San Jacinto Mountains around Idyllwild
    3) The San Bernardino Mountains around Big Bear
    4) The San Gabriel Mountains around Wrightwood
    5) The Southern Sierra Mountains around Kennedy Meadows

    Since the trail in Southern California alternates between low elevation deserts and high elevation mountains (kind of like a roller coaster) it’s hard to string together a continuous hike in the winter without encountering snow. But you can do quite a bit of winter and early spring hiking in the valleys. Also, the snow typically does not start to fall in Southern California until around Thanksgiving, so you can usually hike well into the fall season snow free.

  25. Aaron March 13, 2012 at 6:14 pm

    Hey Erik! I knew you from Maxforums. I just randomly came across your site and your photos are amazing! Congrats on the new business and for unplugging yourself from the Matrix and stepping into the “real” world. It’s inspiring.

  26. R May 8, 2012 at 12:20 pm

    Hey Erik.
    A friend is looking to do backpack 5 days on the PCT this summer. Any sections you suggest/tips/resources for planning I could share with her.

    Thanks!

  27. Erik The Black May 10, 2012 at 6:24 pm

    @R: Does your friend have a particular state or area on the PCT in mind? It’s a big trail with lots of good spots and a few duds. My favorite sections are the High Sierras between Kennedy Meadows and Lake Tahoe in Central California and the Cascades in Washington. The part of the PCT that coincides with the John Muir Trail in the High Sierra is the one section most people would recommend you see if you have to pick just one spot to hike. It is the most impressive, beautiful, isolated and challenging. My Pacific Crest Trail Atlas guidebooks are currently sold out (making the transition to the upcoming 3rd editions) but my John Muir Trail Atlas guidebook is still available. It has maps for the entire JMT and information about access points and resupply stops along the way.

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