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To be sure, that is a lot of miles, but the PCT is mostly trails designed for pack animals. This means gentler grades and less elevation than the 500 mile short

To be sure, that is a lot of miles, but the PCT is mostly trails designed for pack animals. This means gentler grades and less elevation than the 500 mile shorter Appalachian trail (for comparison). 20-25 miles per day on the AT can be down right brutal. It is just another day for many on the PCT. Also, you do need to carry a lot of water at points on the PCT, but I agree. 25 lbs is heavy when you are trying to cover big miles. I try to never carry more than 4 days of food and my base pack is downright light. It is pretty great. Call it about 7 lbs. I don't feel I give up very much comfort honestly. I like to go big distances and see a lot of things.

bmelton 11y ago
As an experienced, but intermediate hiker, we took a mixed group through the MD/VA sections of the Appalachian Trail. The dramatic elevation changes were killer, and I think we topped out at around 12 miles in a single day. What are the trail accommodations for the PCT? The AT has wonderful, but primitive shelters along the trail, and spring water at some of the points which made the whole affair a LOT more manageable than it would otherwise have been, even though we went in a cold, rainy November.
- gwright 11y ago
  There are only a handful of shelters on the PCT and water is more scarce than the AT. These are a couple of reasons I tell people that the PCT is logistically more difficult than the AT, while the AT is physically more difficult than the PCT. Due to the pace required to complete the PCT, camping locations are generally located by time rather than location. That is, towards the end of the day, you just keep walking until you find a comfortable place to set up camp.
rconti 11y ago
I had no idea about the elevation changes on the AT: Appalachian Trail Distance: 2,175 miles Total Elevation Gain/Loss: ~515,000 feet Pacific Crest Trail Distance: 2,650 miles Total Elevation Gain/Loss: ~315,000 feet Continental Divide Trail Distance: 3,100 miles Total Elevation Gain/Loss: ~400,000 feet http://equipped.outdoors.org/2013/10/total-elevation-gainloss-on-appalachian.html http://equipped.outdoors.org/2013/10/total-elevation-gainlos...
- bitexploder 11y ago
  Yeah. It is no joke. My comment to others was, "Here on the east coast, we don't have mountains with the elevation of the mountains on the west coast. To compensate for this, it seems we decided to blaze our trails over every mountain along the way." AT: 236ft/mile average. PCT 113ft/mile. Give me the 113ft/mile any day :)

bmelton 11y ago

As an experienced, but intermediate hiker, we took a mixed group through the MD/VA sections of the Appalachian Trail. The dramatic elevation changes were killer, and I think we topped out at around 12 miles in a single day. What are the trail accommodations for the PCT? The AT has wonderful, but primitive shelters along the trail, and spring water at some of the points which made the whole affair a LOT more manageable than it would otherwise have been, even though we went in a cold, rainy November.

gwright 11y ago
There are only a handful of shelters on the PCT and water is more scarce than the AT. These are a couple of reasons I tell people that the PCT is logistically more difficult than the AT, while the AT is physically more difficult than the PCT. Due to the pace required to complete the PCT, camping locations are generally located by time rather than location. That is, towards the end of the day, you just keep walking until you find a comfortable place to set up camp.

rconti 11y ago

I had no idea about the elevation changes on the AT: Appalachian Trail Distance: 2,175 miles Total Elevation Gain/Loss: ~515,000 feet Pacific Crest Trail Distance: 2,650 miles Total Elevation Gain/Loss: ~315,000 feet Continental Divide Trail Distance: 3,100 miles Total Elevation Gain/Loss: ~400,000 feet http://equipped.outdoors.org/2013/10/total-elevation-gainloss-on-appalachian.html http://equipped.outdoors.org/2013/10/total-elevation-gainlos...

bitexploder 11y ago
Yeah. It is no joke. My comment to others was, "Here on the east coast, we don't have mountains with the elevation of the mountains on the west coast. To compensate for this, it seems we decided to blaze our trails over every mountain along the way." AT: 236ft/mile average. PCT 113ft/mile. Give me the 113ft/mile any day :)