I finally hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and found out it has 1,000+ miles of pure desert

I did the section from Campo to Kennedy Meadows last summer. Everyone talks about the Sierras but NOBODY warned me that over half the trail is just dry sandy nothing. I legit ran out of water 3 miles before a cache and had to signal a day hiker. How do you guys even carry enough water for 20 mile dry stretches without breaking your back?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_robin5d ago

My buddy tried the same stretch last spring. He packed 6 liters and still ended up rationing his last bottle like it was gold.

charlie1985d ago

Oh man, that 3-mile waterless stretch is a rite of passage nobody tells you about (probably because they don't want to scare off new hikers). I swear the trail designers were like "how much suffering can we pack into one desert?" and just went for it. My trick was using a dirty water bag and a Sawyer filter to scoop from cow ponds along the way - tastes like regret but keeps you moving. The real pro move is packing those 6-liter bladders and walking like a sad, hunched-over tortoise for 15 miles straight.