The first 700 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) go through the parched and desert landscapes of Southern California. This hot, dry, and challenging section can be a difficult start for hikers unaccustomed to desert hiking. In the below video, I go over some tips and tricks I learned during my 2017 thru-hike. Use these hacks to improve your skills and enjoy the beautiful desert hiking of Southern California.
Check out my Instagram @timeforahike
Check out my full post-thru-hike gear list!
Gear used in making this video:
Camera: http://amzn.to/2CN2pqX
Lens: http://amzn.to/2CPXTIi
Tripod: http://amzn.to/2CjtPnb
Microphone: http://amzn.to/2CjtReN
Another great video !!! Thank you for your insight and support. Can’t wait to get started nobo on April 14th. Thanks again !!!!
Hey Kirk,
Are you keeping a blog or updating on Instagram on your thruhike? If so, please let me know so I can follow along.
LOVED your video! What a stunning backdrop and great tips!! You rock!
Hi Owen,
Thanks for the desert tips – my wife and are are starting our hike in April so will heed your advice. I would like to blog – you did such a great job with your blog – do you have any blogging tips?
Todd M
Hi Todd,
I found the best way to be consistent with blogging is to make it part of your daily routine. I wrote my journal every single day after dinner while I was in my sleeping bag. The key is to not skip a day because getting caught up is difficult when you are physically exhausted and all you want to do is sleep. The last thing you want blogging to become is a chore, because that is what causes many people to stop. If you aren’t going to do a daily blog, I would recommend jotting down notes each day on interesting things that happened. You wouldn’t think it would be easy to forget things from a couple days ago, but it surprisingly is. I think the best blogs are the ones written when all the details and emotions are still vivid in one’s mind.
As for the nuts and bolts of blogging, I wrote in the WordPress app on my phone and tried to select and edit photos at the end of each day. When I got to town, I uploaded the photos to each blog entry and scheduled them to post once a day. Scheduling posts is nice because you have a consistent stream of content coming out while you are hiking irregardless of whether you have service each day or not.
Each time I was tired or didn’t feel like journaling, I reminded myself that I was doing this for my future self so I could look back on my hike and remember it in detail. Looking back now, I am so happy I gave up 30 min – 1 hour of sleep each night and down time in town. It was worth it.
I would love to follow along on your trip so please let me know your website. Cheers!
Thank you for making the effort to record this awe-inspiring part of your history. Beautiful pictures and words to add context!
Hi Harley. Reading both your old and recent gear list for the PCT I noticed some differences in equipment used. The old list showed Enlightened Equipment “Revelation” Quilt, The Leki Legacy Speedlock Trekking poles,the Hillsound Trail Crampons, and the Black Diamond Carbon Whippet Self-Arrest Ski Pole. The most recent list showed Enlightened Equipment “Enigma” quilt, the Leki Micro Vario Carbon Trekking poles,the Kahtoola K-10 Hiking Crampons, and the Petzl Glacier Ice Axe. Please let me know if the gear on the old list didn’t hold up and it was replaced with the new gear or if there was some other reason for the change. Also, did the Brooks Cascadia trail shoes hold up well?
Thank you very much. I was very impressed with your blog and have gained a lot of useful information from your experience.
Hi Rick,
Good eye. I made some adjustments to the gear list to reflect gear I switched to or would recommend over the gear I used. I’ll explain the reasons for the gear you mentioned. I still use my EE Revelation, but I noticed that even when I cinch down the foot box I can feel cold air/heat escaping by my feet. I ended up plugging the opening permanently with a handkerchief. The EE Enigma solves this problem by having a closed foot box. I would take warm feet over being able to fully open up my quilt any day. As part of the PCTA P3 Hiker Program, I was able to chose a new pair of trekking poles from LEKI, which was a sponsor of the program, and chose the Micro Vario. I like both my old LEKI poles and the new ones. I didn’t really find a practical difference between the two. Both were great and are still holding up well. In the Sierra, I used the K-10 hiking crampons and Petzel Glacier Ice Axe, which I ordered to Kennedy Meadows while on trail. I am extremely happy with my decision to use these two items over microspikes and a whippet given the conditions we encountered in the Sierra in early June. The Glacier ice axe is solid. I used it on every pass, twice to self-arrest when I slipped coming down Sonora Pass, a bunch while practicing self-arrest, and when glissading. The Kahtoola K-10 were the standout of my Sierra gear. They gave excellent traction, didn’t slip when attached to my trail runners, and stood up to constant use. Other people complained about their micro spikes slipping/sliding off their shoes, etc. That isn’t something I want to think about when in a no fall zone. The 3/4 inch spike on the K-10 is a nice compromise between a micro spike and full on crampon.
I liked the Cascadia and still use them. The mileage I got out of a pair ranged from 500-800ish depending on the conditions. Using dental floss and superglue to sew up any rips helped to extend their life. If you are still trying to figure out shoes, I would also look at the Altra Olympus or Lone Peak. A pair of Altra’s seemed to solve everyone’s foot problems on trail. It was magic.
Just one qualifier on the Sierra equipment. It was appropriate for us given the conditions and time we went into the Sierra in 2017, which was a huge snow year. In a low-average snow year, I could see people being happy with micro spikes since they are probably only putting them on for the 11k+ passes. I don’t, however, see a whippet as a good substitute for an ice-axe. A whippet is great if you never have to use it, but when you fall you need to get proper leverage to drive the pick into the snow by pulling up on the shaft. An ice axe with its length and shaft width is well suited to this. The whippet’s shaft is too long and narrow and its pick too short, in my opinion.
Let me know if you have any other questions.