*My great adventure* - "I think it's a good idea...

[manic111]

Just wow. I've been looking at doing the Appalachian Trail down the East coast, but I don't think the terrain is anything like as gruelling as that.

Out of interest, do you have mountaineering experience?

Looks like an amazing trip. Lots of respect for that!

 

[King Damager]

That's going to be awesome!

Although, which direction are you walking? Because surely walking South to North means that you'll start in April - Boiling in the South, and finish in December - Freezing in the North?

Whilst I'm sure this would add to the picturesque nature, I'm not sure I'd want to do it!

Looks incredible though!

kd

 

[Feek]

You're a bloody loony!

But I bet you'll have fun and it'll be a great experience.

 

[Pestilence]

You're absolutely nuts.

But good luck to you.

 

[Bassmansam]

Won't you get eaten by a mountain lions or big hungry bears?

 

[Messiah Khan]

With several TB of sd cards, and solar and wind up charges.

What is you packing list?
Have you had any survival training? Or are you planning on carrying most of your food.

The training will mostly consist of physical training. But we are also doing some winter mountaineering training, especially getting used to our iceaxes, as if you have to use them you want to know how to use them properly! I'm also practising my navigational skills, and getting my dad to teach more more advances map and compass work etc.

As for the food, we will be carrying all of it with us. Most of it will be purchased in towns along the way although some will need to be posted ahead if the resupply towns are too small. I am also taking some very basic fishing kit so if I do get a spare hour or two by a river I could get some bonus food.

That's quite amazing, can't wait to see what photos you come back with.

Please don't say you're not taking your camera because that would be crazy talk.

Unfortunately the DSLR is too big and heavy to come along for the ride. So instead I have bought and Olympus E-P3 with 12mm f2 and 100-300mm lenses. Much lighter and still great image quality. Still debating he idea of making an ultra light carbon fibre tripod for sunset/sunrise shots. Memory cards are taken care of as I now have amassed over 100GB of SD cards.

I am supremely impressed and suitably jealous. This is an adventure that's worthy of the word "epic"! Would you mind posting your kit list when you've finalised it, please?

This is the kit to date. Some of it may be slightly incorrect as I am still changing some kit that isn't working too well for us, but mostly this is what we will be going with;

ps. Starred out prices indicates kit I have bought already.

 

[Messiah Khan]

I'd rather do it in 2 months with a rental car but wow, serous kudos to being able to or even willing to do that

But roads don't go to the good bits, because the good bits are where there are no roads! Although somewhat daunting, the idea of being days from any civilisation will be liberating. Also I like the slower pace of seeing everything by foot. I also intent this to be a challenge for ourselves, so when we finish it we can look back and be proud of what we achieved.

I have no doubt that driving it would be great, but to me it is a totally different experience.

MK what is the longest distance without hitting a town on the PTC? I'm very jealous, I'll be stuck in an office unable to get some decent time off again... Maybe in a couple of years!

The longest section is 168 miles, out of Kennedy Meadows (The start of the High Sierras) which should take 8 days. Most sections are 4-5 days long with the longest being the 8 days.

I don't wan to be stuck in an office any more, so we are going to do this, then I am also going to use it as an opportunity to change my career and hopefully get work outdoors, doing something like a Park Ranger or similar.

That sounds an awesome trip! Most I've ever managed camping was five days!

If it were me, I'd do it in reverse and get the hard, cold bits out of the way first, but whatever - Best of luck!

Most people do it North Bound, although some people do it South Bound. The North isn't the only hard bit though. Doing it Northbound, you are limited by several things. You don't want to cross the deserts to late in the year otherwise it gets far too hot and water dries up (water is a huge issue, and at points I will need to carry 8 litres). But you then don't want to enter the Sierras too early otherwise the previous winters snow won't have melted (Last year was a huge snow year and some places that should have had no snow still had 12ft when people tried to cross it). Once over the Sierras, you don't want to run too slow or you will be hit by the incoming winter from the north. Get it right though and you should have sunshine for most of the way.

 

[Messiah Khan]

Sounds amazing, have fun and don't expect too much snow up in Washington, they mostly get a lot of rain or wet stuff, haha.

Tell that to Fozzie;

Admittedly, he ended up finishing very late in the season, and he actually ended up near crater lake as he skipped forward to beat the snow, then came back down to Oregon to finish off.

Wow, look forward to seeing all the pics! I assume you have training for this? Unfortunately, I just couldn't afford to pack up my life and do such a thing.

We don't have kids or a mortgage yet, so if there ever is a good time for something like this, now is it! We are certainly not rich though, but have managed to save for the last 4 years and have enough to give us a bit of a buffer.

Does a B2 visa just allow you to stay in the US for 6 months?

That's the one. You can get it extended for longer if there is a valid reason. We should be able to do it in under 6 months, but may request 7-8 just incase we are slowed down for whatever reason.

 

[[TW]Fox]

I can't beleive how cheap it is as well, £8k for 6 months? My 2 week trips around the States are £3-4k for two and I'm quite careful how I budget

 

[Rroff]

Ouch even with a bit of training lugging a 21kg pack around is no joke.

 

[Messiah Khan]

Are you not allowed a gun? Would hate to be travelling so wild and yet so exposed to nature!

Most national parks don't allow firearms. Anyway, a gun and ammo would be too heavy to bring along. You are only exposed to nature and feel scared by it until you start to understand it and become a part of it. The vast majority of wildlife is scared of humans and don't want any confrontation, this includes bears.

It is very, very rare that people are hurt by wildlife of the PCT. The only time there are problems is near civilisation where bears have become accustomed to people leaving food scraps etc around. Using common sense and care is the best way to avoid trouble.

The bigger danger however are river crossings. Especially in the High Sierras there is a lot of melt water causing rivers to swell. This is where we need to be really careful.

This is the kind of trip most of us could only dream about!

Will probably never get to do something anywhere near this in my lifetime. Good luck, will be amazing, aslong as you don't get ravaged by bears...

To be honest, I didn't think I would ever do anything like this. But the more you read about people doing adventures and going on expeditions though, the more you realise they are just normal people who have bitten the bullet and gone for it. So that's what I did. I would hate to look back on my life and regret not having tried adventures and challenges like this. The hardest part is just deciding to do it in the first place.

Cool journey. Hope you guys enjoy yourself!

What are you doing with your house etc while you're away for 6 months? Renting it out?

We rent at the moment. So the plan is to give up our flat, sell much of our stuff. The rest gets put into storage. We then quit our jobs (We did try getting sabbaticals, but no luck. And as mentioned I am going to use it as an opportunity to change my career.) and head off on the adventure. I only have one life to live, so I am going to make the most of it and embrace the opportunity!

 

[Messiah Khan]

Just wow. I've been looking at doing the Appalachian Trail down the East coast, but I don't think the terrain is anything like as gruelling as that.

Out of interest, do you have mountaineering experience?

Looks like an amazing trip. Lots of respect for that!

Go for it! Most people start with the Appalachian Trail, then if that doesn't put them off, go on to the Pacific Crest Trail, then finally if you are hardcore, do the Continental Divide Trail to take the triple crown.

The Appalacian trail is a little shorter, but still a great challenge and adventure. The reason I went for the PCT though was due less people and more sense of wilderness. It also includes possibly some of the best scenery in the world!

I don't have much mountaineering experience. As mentioned, both my parents are mountaineers, so I have been brought up on the mountains, rockclimbing and hiking etc. However more recently, me and my wife have been doing a lot of long distance hiking and backpacking. We need to get some winter training in with ice axe practice etc. That said, the PCT doesn't include any really serious mountaineering. The hardest part is probably the approach to Foresters Pass;

I can't beleive how cheap it is as well, £8k for 6 months? My 2 week trips around the States are £3-4k for two and I'm quite careful how I budget

Yeah, it shouldn't be too bad. Remember though that there is very little in the way of accommodation costs as we will be in a tent. Food will consist of dehydrated food, pasta, ramen, nuts and other cheap staple foods. We might splash out from time to time in resupply towns, but nothing too posh. After a while, even the most basic shower or bed will feel posh, lol.

Ouch even with a bit of training lugging a 21kg pack around is no joke.

Yeah, this is something I want to get as low as possible. Unfortunately much of the weight comes from food and water which weighs what it weighs, so can't be reduced. The rest of the kit is as light as possible though and why I have had many items custom made.

 

[Amp34]

Just wow. I've been looking at doing the Appalachian Trail down the East coast, but I don't think the terrain is anything like as gruelling as that.

Out of interest, do you have mountaineering experience?

Looks like an amazing trip. Lots of respect for that!

Do it... Or at least spend a few weeks on it. I spent a month in Maine a last summer and loved it. The terrain is more smooth but still difficult. I really want to head back there at some point. Walking/cycling(although you can't do that on the trails unfortunately) is where its at, none of the car nonsense.

 

[Bennie-Mac]

I'm so insanely jealous, I would love to do something like this but work commitments and a rather unwilling girlfriend get in my way. Biggest expedition I've ever done was the coast to coast challenge with a couple of mates, still consider it to be the best experience I've had, imagine the sense of accomplishment after your adventure's over!

21kgs for a rucksack isn't actually bad at all, especially if you have a well fitted rucksack that spreads the weight which it seems you have. It will still hurt a bit for the first few days, but you eventually get used to it, although you probably know all this already

Oh yes and don't forget to watch lots of Bear Grylls before you go lololololol

 

[KaHn]

Good luck dude, don't think anyone needs to tell you to take lots of photos

KaHn

 

[qqg3]

Do you have bells for your backpacks and some bear spray to have to hand? It's the simplest way to avoid a silly mistake.

 

[Frenzy]

I WANT TO COME!

 

[KaHn]

http://www.waspknife.com/

For all your bear worries

KaHn

 

[Messiah Khan]

Do it... Or at least spend a few weeks on it. I spent a month in Maine a last summer and loved it. The terrain is more smooth but still difficult. I really want to head back there at some point. Walking/cycling(although you can't do that on the trails unfortunately) is where its at, none of the car nonsense.

Weren't you looking into doing trail maintenance on the PCT next year?

I'm so insanely jealous, I would love to do something like this but work commitments and a rather unwilling girlfriend get in my way. Biggest expedition I've ever done was the coast to coast challenge with a couple of mates, still consider it to be the best experience I've had, imagine the sense of accomplishment after your adventure's over!

21kgs for a rucksack isn't actually bad at all, especially if you have a well fitted rucksack that spreads the weight which it seems you have. It will still hurt a bit for the first few days, but you eventually get used to it, although you probably know all this already

Oh yes and don't forget to watch lots of Bear Grylls before you go lololololol

I can cope with 21kgs, but would be much happier with it closer to 15kg. I can see it being quite hard it in 30 degree heat, up steep ascents with 21Kg pack. Still as you say though, it shouldn't take that long to get used to it.

Ray Mears>Bear Grylls. Although I have seen all of Bear Grylls' series, lol.

Do you have bells for your backpacks and some bear spray to have to hand? It's the simplest way to avoid a silly mistake.

Probably won't carry spray, but bells are certainly an option. Saves us from singing all the time.

 

[Crizzy]

Amazing, good luck.