{"id":192133,"date":"2023-10-13T10:45:13","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T17:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=192133"},"modified":"2024-02-29T15:35:25","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T23:35:25","slug":"section-hiking-the-pacific-crest-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/section-hiking-the-pacific-crest-trail","title":{"rendered":"A Journey to Complete the Pacific Crest Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

More than anything, Jasmine Star remembers the \u201cfreakish,\u201d subfreezing October temperatures on her long-distance hike across Oregon, traveling south from the Washington border on the Pacific Crest Trail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her water was frozen, along with her water filter and toes. She had pain in the top of the arch of her foot. Her phone battery was draining fast. And then her navigation app failed, making it significantly harder to find a water source. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her destination was Old Station, still 200 miles south, the endpoint of a previous section hike in northern California. It was 2019, and she had reached her first goal\u2014the southern border of Oregon\u2014about 100 miles before. But with luck turning against her, Old Station seemed increasingly out of reach. \u201cIt was a tough year: They had early snowstorms and I kept getting knocked off the trail, so it was taking a lot longer than I thought,\u201d she remembers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stopped at a relatively obscure Forest Service road crossing, Carter Meadows Summit, to decide what to do, when a trail angel pulled up in his van and offered her a ride to the Greyhound Bus station in Redding, 120 miles away. And just like that, her latest section hike on the PCT was over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChoosing to end my trip early was a low point,\u201d she says. \u201cBut having the strength of will to actually quit was a high point.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reality is, Star never even intended to hike the entire PCT in the first place. Here\u2019s how she wound up there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Star at a trail marker in 2022.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An Unexpected Trek<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As an adolescent, Star\u2019s outdoorsy parents sent her to East Africa on an Outward Bound<\/a> program, where she learned to navigate in the wilderness and began to develop a sense of confidence. As a young adult, she loved the outdoors and was an environmental activist, but over the subsequent decades, she began building her copyediting career and was spending more and more days in front of her computer\u2014indoors. When she did get outside, her experience largely consisted of occasional camping and kayaking trips, Sierra Club service trips spent building trails and a few shorter backpacking adventures to get her nature fix. She fell in love with backpacking, but a longer trek wasn\u2019t on her radar. (Yet.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following her father\u2019s passing at age 54 in 1996, and her brother\u2019s at age 38 in 2009, however, Star realized there are no guarantees in life and decided not to put her dreams on hold any longer. Then, in 2012, she turned 50 and was diagnosed with severe hip arthritis: \u201cTurning 50 made me think, \u2018Oh wow, I\u2019m definitely in the second half of my life, and from now on I\u2019ll probably decline more than I improve,\u2019\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Star didn’t let arthritis stop her. Instead, she let the trail motivate her to seek treatment.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rather than slow down, she knew it was time to take her next step\u2014or thousands of steps, as it would turn out. That summer, she set out on her first solo long-distance hike on the John Muir Trail<\/a>. Her dream, she says, was to continue walking\u2014first along the Muir Trail, and then on to other sections of the 2,650-miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, starting with the most scenic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2014, she completed another 200 miles from Sierra City to Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park<\/a>. Then, in 2015, she found herself hiking across Washington state, from Canada to the Oregon border on the Columbia River. \u201cI like being immersed,\u201d she says. \u201cI love being out there for a long time and seeing the landscape change every day.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, another realization started to sink in. While she felt herself slowing down with age, in many ways she also felt stronger than she ever had before. She still had plenty of good miles left in her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She settled into a new identity as a MYTH, or a multi-year thru-hiker\u2014an apt title for someone like Star, who enjoys epic journeys and moves at her own pace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Trail Will Still Be There<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Any longtime hiker knows that the ups, of course, come with some downs, and Star\u2019s journey is no different. Still, as the landscape changes, she continues to follow her dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, Star\u2019s moderate hip pain became increasingly persistent, and she found herself taking a regular regimen of ibuprofen just to keep going. She began dragging herself along like \u201can 80-year-old woman\u201d before she ultimately had her hip replaced in mid-August of that year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, after a three-year hiatus, she returned to hiking the PCT in 2019\u2014the year her water supply froze. The following year, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, she stayed away from the trail when the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) asked thru and section hikers not to come<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the PCT stayed in the back of her mind, she continued hiking nearer to home. And in 2021, she was back to chipping away at the miles of the PCT, finishing a chunk of trail that headed northbound from Hiker Town to Crabtree Meadows, then back south to exit at Cottonwood Pass. A few weeks later, she traveled southbound from California\u2019s Carter Meadows Summit to Old Station. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, after more than a decade, Star is closing in on the end of her ambitious journey from the Mexican border to Canada, section by section. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With only the southernmost 518 miles to go, Star says she can\u2019t imagine that anything will stop her now: \u201cThere is just a desire to complete this,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a great trail. It\u2019s well-designed and easy to walk on. The grade is gentle and the tread is good.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was planning to head northbound from the Mexico border (mile 0) to Hikertown (mile 518) to complete the final leg in the spring of 2023, but changed her plans because of the a mammoth snow year. Now, she’s hoping to do that stretch southbound in the fall of 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think this is one of the greatest lessons of long-distance hiking: It\u2019s important to be flexible and adapt to conditions,\u201d she says. \u201cAs much as I\u2019d like to succeed in any given goal, I also want to have a good experience on the trail. When the time is right, the southernmost Pacific Crest Trail will still be there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A photo of star at the same trail marker shown above, in 2012.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Jasmine Star\u2019s Gear Picks for Hiking at Any Age:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Being an old-school hiker who started backpacking in earnest in 1988, I\u2019m not as fixated on ultralight gear and base weight as many people are. But being an older person with deteriorating joints and a titanium hip, I do like to lighten my load as much as possible without sacrificing comfort and safety. These are my big three (backpack, tent and sleep system) as well as what keeps my feet happy:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Backpack<\/a><\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Osprey Eja 58 Pack – Women’s<\/a>, $260<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I actually loved those old external frame packs, with all of their pockets. When I finally made the switch to an internal frame pack in 2012, for my first long-distance hike, I went with Osprey<\/a>. These days, the Osprey Eja<\/a> is my pack of choice, in the 58-Liter size. I like a bigger pack so I don\u2019t have to struggle to cram everything in. The shoulder straps and hip belt are well padded, which is important to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 Tent, $575.95.<\/a><\/em> Photo credit: Carina Skrobecki<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tent<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2012, I also wanted a lighter tent for my trip on the John Muir Trail. Back then, Big Agnes<\/a> tents were one of the lightest options. I still like them because they\u2019re well-designed and durable, and because Big Agnes has such great customer service. If I\u2019m not fixated on weight, I like the Copper Spur 2 Platinum<\/a> so I can stretch out and bring all of my gear inside. My lighter choice is a Tiger Wall UL1<\/a>. Both are side-entry tents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 96-inch long <\/em>Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 Tent – Long<\/em><\/a> should fit gear similarly to Star\u2019s favorite tent, and the <\/em>Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL 1 Solution Dyed Tent<\/em><\/a> is a great lightweight option, weighing in at a trail minimum of 1 pound, 14 ounces.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sleeping Bag<\/a><\/strong> or Quilt<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For years, I couldn\u2019t fathom replacing my sleeping bag<\/a> with a quilt. In 2021, I finally made the leap. I chose an Enlightened Equipment Revelation Quilt<\/a> and love it. My only regret is that I chose a 20-degree quilt. Next time I\u2019ll go for a 10-degree quilt, even though it will be a bit heavier. One huge bonus with a quilt is that it\u2019s so much easier to move around at night without getting twisted up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our favorite 20-degree quilt is the <\/em>Therm-A-Rest Corus 20 Quilt<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLight Sleeping Pad<\/a>, $199.95\u2013$259.95. Photo credit Ali Vagnini<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sleeping Pad<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I have the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite<\/a>, but it\u2019s noisy, and I seldom use it. I upgraded to a lighter NeoAir UberLite<\/a> and love how light it is. But it seems to be prone to failure or puncture. For trips in the desert or other places where there are a lot of pokey things, I look forward to trying out my new Exped Ultra 3R<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Altra Lone Peak Hiker 2 Hiking Boots<\/a> – Women’s, $160<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Footwear<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I used to get a lot of blisters and other foot issues. I eventually learned not to use waterproof shoes, and that solved my blister problem. With age and so much pounding of my feet, I developed forefoot pain, even with trail runners. A few years ago I made the switch to zero-drop trail runners and that has worked well for me so far. But footwear is so personal, and I hesitate to recommend anything. Altra Lone Peaks<\/a> seem to keep my feet happy, but I had terrible foot problems while wearing the very similar Altra Olympus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for socks, most long-distance hikers swear by Darn Tough<\/a> socks. I love them too. They\u2019re durable and comfortable and don\u2019t stretch out. I\u2019m prone to blisters between my toes, so I also use Injinji<\/a> toe socks if I start to get hot spots.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than anything, Jasmine Star remembers the \u201cfreakish,\u201d subfreezing October temperatures on her long-distance hike across Oregon, traveling south from the Washington border on the Pacific Crest Trail.  Her water was frozen, along with her water filter and toes. She had pain in the top of the arch of her foot. Her phone battery was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30740,"featured_media":192136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,387],"tags":[15,707,2152,470,1637,650],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-192133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-camp","category-hike","tag-backpacking","tag-hiking","tag-member-spotlight","tag-pacific-crest-trail","tag-rei-member","tag-thru-hiking"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/hike\/section-hiking-the-pacific-crest-trail","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"A Journey to Complete the Pacific Crest Trail","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/section-hiking-the-pacific-crest-trail","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/section-hiking-the-pacific-crest-trail"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/HERO-Jasmine3_jpeg.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/HERO-Jasmine3_jpeg.jpg?fit=2000%2C1125"},"articleSection":"Camp","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ever Meister"}],"creator":["Ever Meister"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["backpacking","hiking","member spotlight","pacific crest trail","rei member","thru-hiking"],"dateCreated":"2023-10-13T17:45:13Z","datePublished":"2023-10-13T17:45:13Z","dateModified":"2024-02-29T23:35:25Z"},"rendered":"