The start and finish of my '07 PCT thru hike
Well, I’ve made the decision.
Actually, the decision was made months ago, but I just got around to starting this journal 
I’m going to thru hike the Pacific Crest Trail again!
The last time I gave up everything to spend five months hiking from Mexico to Canada was in 2007. That was a decision that changed my life forever. It was a good thing, because I was headed toward the bottom of a self-destructive downward spiral…
But hiking saved me.
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Erik the Black, Pacific Crest Trail Blog, Pacific Crest Trail Journal, Trailjournals
Hiking 10-12 hours a day for weeks or months at a time requires a tremendous amount of calories. Trying to keep up with a raging trail-metabolism can be a losing battle…
But, with the right foods in your pack you can blast up the hills and still enjoy your meals (forget choking down trail mix, granola and energy bars day after day).
The best hiking foods are high-calorie, lightweight, low volume, non-perishable, taste good and pack easily (don’t crumble, squish, melt or spoil).
Here are some guidelines I follow when choosing foods for for a long-distance hike…
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backpacking food, food for hiking, hiking food, trail diet, trail food
Why water is so important
Water is essential for survival in the backcountry, but it is also one of the heaviest things you will have to carry in your pack. One quart of water weighs in at a whopping 2 lbs! So, it doesn’t make much sense to spend so much time and money reducing your pack weight only to carry too much water and weigh it down again. On the other hand, it’s also not smart to skimp on water just for the sake of reducing pack weight because that’s dangerous.
In this post you will discover where to find accurate water source information for the Pacific Crest Trail, what the best water containers are, how much water to carry between sources and some strategies I use to reduce the amount of water weight in my pack (without sacrificing safety or risking dehydration).
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Hike the PCT, Pacific Crest Trail, Pacific Crest Trail Guide, Pacific Crest Trail Planning, Pacific Crest Trail Tips
Pacific Crest Trail Atlas
I created the Pacific Crest Trail Atlas after my ‘07 thru-hike for the purpose of consolidating all of the scattered information available for the Pacific Crest Trail into a single set of lightweight, pocket-sized booklets (including full-color topographic maps). The Pacific Crest Trail Atlas is the perfect book for lightweight thru-hikers and information minimalists who want detailed PCT trail maps, elevation profiles, resupply and water info, town maps and essential trail data – without a bunch of opinions and commentary.
Yogi's PCT Handbook
I highly recommend Yogi’s Pacific Crest Trail Handbook for learning about the trail, pre-hike planning and town research. Yogi has thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail three times and is very good at teaching you what to expect on the PCT. You won’t find a better “crash course introduction to the Pacific Crest Trail” anywhere. If you are an aspiring thru-hiker or section hiker Yogi’s Planning Guide should be required reading before you start planning a long-distance hike on the Pacific Crest Trail.
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Pacific Crest Trail, Pacific Crest Trail Guide, Pacific Crest Trail Maps, Pacific Trail Map, PCT Trail Map
