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Pacific Crest Tutorial: Your Handy PCT Guide
Curious about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, but not sure how to start? This book will help! The PCT is a grand adventure and a giant challenge, but it doesn't have to be difficult.
This huge compilation of hiking advice from a 2022 PCT thru-hiker will provide tips, pointers, warnings, and plenty of cautionary (and occasionally funny) tales. This handy guide is 70% journal and 30% advice, combining personal experience, town tips, and lots of advice for the PCT hopefuls.
The travelogue/journal section on PCT-adjacent towns will tell you where to shop, what to skip, and where to snag a free scoop of ice cream. (Or pie!) The FAQ section with 92 crowdsourced questions will answer most (if not all) of your questions about the logistics, safety, food, water, and so much more. The topics range from "Should I bring a sun umbrella?" to "How do I poop when I'm surrounded by mosquitoes?" - and everything in between!
Here are just some of the topics you'll learn common PCT slang and terminologyWhere to resupply if you need a new backpack in the desertThe many different types of electrolytesIce axes and power banks, and everything in betweenWhy you shouldn't bring a cowboy hatThe pros and cons of bounce boxesHow to do your big hike on a budgetWild animals along the rattlesnakes, bears, and the fearless deerHow to get in shapeDifferent types of health insuranceThe logistics of hammocksHow to avoid Oregon's mosquito swarms...and so much more! This book is absolutely guaranteed to teach you something new as you prepare for your PCT adventure. Good luck, and happy trails!
The second edition has been upgraded to the description of the hike to the top of Mt Whitneythe description of the PCT Days Festivalhow and why the author fell into Bear Creek in the Sierra sectionand why thru-hikers are so obsessed with food
This huge compilation of hiking advice from a 2022 PCT thru-hiker will provide tips, pointers, warnings, and plenty of cautionary (and occasionally funny) tales. This handy guide is 70% journal and 30% advice, combining personal experience, town tips, and lots of advice for the PCT hopefuls.
The travelogue/journal section on PCT-adjacent towns will tell you where to shop, what to skip, and where to snag a free scoop of ice cream. (Or pie!) The FAQ section with 92 crowdsourced questions will answer most (if not all) of your questions about the logistics, safety, food, water, and so much more. The topics range from "Should I bring a sun umbrella?" to "How do I poop when I'm surrounded by mosquitoes?" - and everything in between!
Here are just some of the topics you'll learn common PCT slang and terminologyWhere to resupply if you need a new backpack in the desertThe many different types of electrolytesIce axes and power banks, and everything in betweenWhy you shouldn't bring a cowboy hatThe pros and cons of bounce boxesHow to do your big hike on a budgetWild animals along the rattlesnakes, bears, and the fearless deerHow to get in shapeDifferent types of health insuranceThe logistics of hammocksHow to avoid Oregon's mosquito swarms...and so much more! This book is absolutely guaranteed to teach you something new as you prepare for your PCT adventure. Good luck, and happy trails!
The second edition has been upgraded to the description of the hike to the top of Mt Whitneythe description of the PCT Days Festivalhow and why the author fell into Bear Creek in the Sierra sectionand why thru-hikers are so obsessed with food
378 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 3, 2023
5 people are currently reading
1 person want to read
About the author
Grigory Lukin
17 books7 followersI'm a chronic misadventurer with a malfunctioning improbability field. (How else would a Siberian end up living in Quebec City?)
I enjoy devouring hard science fiction, digging up obscure platypus trivia, overdosing on C8H10N4O2 and breaking laws of physics. (I try to put them back together when I'm done with them. Most of the time. (Sorry about Tunguska.))
Want to know more? Check out my books or my site!
I enjoy devouring hard science fiction, digging up obscure platypus trivia, overdosing on C8H10N4O2 and breaking laws of physics. (I try to put them back together when I'm done with them. Most of the time. (Sorry about Tunguska.))
Want to know more? Check out my books or my site!
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 31, 2024
Some context before I get into this review: I thru-hiked the AT in 2022 and have extensive knowledge on the general backpacking information listed in this book. I picked it up because it was free and because I wanted to read more into information that specifically pertains to the PCT.
That being said, I do not think this is the best guide to read if you are a newbie to long distance backpacking. But if you decide to read it anyway, this is definitely a book that can be skipped around rather than read from cover to cover. It is largely composed of journal entries that are not particularly helpful or interesting (no offense- but as a stranger on the internet it’s just a random person’s daily entries that just aren’t that entertaining). I’d recommend instead to read part 1 then skip to the parts that particularly answer the questions you have. The best of the journal entries are reiterated here anyway so you do still get to read some of them. And on this note, there is a lot of repeated information and anecdotes throughout the book which just isn’t necessary.
I have issue with some of the advice that is given because, well, it’s not all accurate or full coverage. It portrays the ideas a lot of lazy/chill/comfortable thru hikers adopt and while I’m not going to necessarily say that those ideas are wrong, I am going to say that I don’t think it’s wise to write those things into a book people are relying on. An example of this is in covering the topic of wild animals like bears and mountain lions. Yes, there is a good chance you won’t have any trouble with them. But no, this does not mean you should go out there ill informed on what to do IF the situation does arise and something goes wrong. I don’t recall reading anything about habituated bears that can cause trouble, for example. And saying that you can’t see the mountain lions stalking you so don’t worry about it is not an appropriate piece of advice either. On the flip side, I did find some information quite useful, especially when it comes to resupplying on the PCT, links to external sources with more information, and weather and snow related issues.
Essentially, go ahead and read this book if you want but please please please pair it with more research. I think overall though your time would be better managed looking elsewhere as a lot of this is common advice anyway that would also be found in better guides.
That being said, I do not think this is the best guide to read if you are a newbie to long distance backpacking. But if you decide to read it anyway, this is definitely a book that can be skipped around rather than read from cover to cover. It is largely composed of journal entries that are not particularly helpful or interesting (no offense- but as a stranger on the internet it’s just a random person’s daily entries that just aren’t that entertaining). I’d recommend instead to read part 1 then skip to the parts that particularly answer the questions you have. The best of the journal entries are reiterated here anyway so you do still get to read some of them. And on this note, there is a lot of repeated information and anecdotes throughout the book which just isn’t necessary.
I have issue with some of the advice that is given because, well, it’s not all accurate or full coverage. It portrays the ideas a lot of lazy/chill/comfortable thru hikers adopt and while I’m not going to necessarily say that those ideas are wrong, I am going to say that I don’t think it’s wise to write those things into a book people are relying on. An example of this is in covering the topic of wild animals like bears and mountain lions. Yes, there is a good chance you won’t have any trouble with them. But no, this does not mean you should go out there ill informed on what to do IF the situation does arise and something goes wrong. I don’t recall reading anything about habituated bears that can cause trouble, for example. And saying that you can’t see the mountain lions stalking you so don’t worry about it is not an appropriate piece of advice either. On the flip side, I did find some information quite useful, especially when it comes to resupplying on the PCT, links to external sources with more information, and weather and snow related issues.
Essentially, go ahead and read this book if you want but please please please pair it with more research. I think overall though your time would be better managed looking elsewhere as a lot of this is common advice anyway that would also be found in better guides.
February 1, 2025
Great PCT Travelogue
Written as a delightful thru-hike up the PCT, with helpful side trips into trail towns and descriptions of the people and encounters along the way, this book serves as a wonderful guide for those of us heading out onto the trail. His Q&A at the end provided excellent additional information that I had not found elsewhere. Overall I give it an A+ and highly recommend it as an easy and fun read.
Written as a delightful thru-hike up the PCT, with helpful side trips into trail towns and descriptions of the people and encounters along the way, this book serves as a wonderful guide for those of us heading out onto the trail. His Q&A at the end provided excellent additional information that I had not found elsewhere. Overall I give it an A+ and highly recommend it as an easy and fun read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews