I am finally moving past drooling over new backpacking gear and starting to dig into the actual planning of my trip on the Pacific Crest Trail. There are a lot of things to take into account such has how much you can hike in the day, resupplying, rest days and making sure you know where you’re going. Luckily there are a lot of resources out there to help you plan your trip and help you while you’re out on the trail. While I still haven’t read that book I mentioned in my first post I have found a lot useful sites online, here are a few of my favorites:
Pacific Crest Trail Association – The obvious place to start, the groups that preserves and promotes the PCT,.. and issues your permit. Tons of information about the trail, it’s history an the volunteers that support it. Throw a few bucks their way if you can.
Halfmile’s PCT Maps – The name says it all, maps. Not just any maps but the most current and accurate PCT maps available. They have maps that you can print (which would take a ton of paper), GPS downloads, apps for Android and iOS, and my favorite, a Google Earth map (really, take the time to load it up and check it out, it’s pretty awesome).
Craig’s PCT Planner – A really cool tool that lets you plan out your hike section by section. By just picking your start date, entering your pace and set the hours you want to hike in a day it will generate an itinerary for your journey. It accounts for increased travel time due to elevation gain and allows you to insert rest days into your schedule.
LighterPack – A nice little tool that lets you track what you will carry with you and manage weight. It also allows to share your list with others, once I get my list a little more flushed out I’ll be sure to post it here.
Yogi’s PCT Handbook – Not exactly an online resource but still very important. Yogi’s handbook is probably the only PCT planning book you’ll need. It includes tons of tips and advice from people that have hiked the PCT as was information about the trail itself and the towns it passes through.
PCT Class of 2018 Facebook Group – A great way to connect with others planning on hiking the PCT in 2018, ask questions and help others.
I’m sure there are many more great resources out there that I’ve yet to come across, I’ll be sure to update this post when I find them. I’ll also be adding a dedicated list of resources to the sidebar in the near future.