The Pacific Crest Trail

A Photo Blog of the PCT

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Sierra
NorCal
Oregon
Washington

I hiked 2,600 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in 2024 with my partner Waddle. I go by Bait on trail. A name I acquired on Te Araroa after being bitten by a long fin eel in the first week. I carried a full frame camera for the length of the trail and the photos below are a selection of my favourite.

Prelude

This might be a bit extreme, but in my mind the hiking community is divided into those who have hiked the PCT and those who want to. It is a two-foot wide, 2,650 mile long trail along the west of the USA and is widely regarded as the world’s premier long distance hiking trail.

Like many PCT hopefuls, my partner and I had been hoping and planning to hike this trail for many years. We had permits for 2020, had quit our jobs, moved out, booked flights etc. We had put our lives on hold. But of course a week before we were due to fly out, the borders went up and the planes stayed down. We also had permits for 2023 but Waddle had a foot injury. We hiked around Australia and hiked Te Araroa in New Zealand instead. But we were never not going to do the PCT.

In 2024 we got permits a third time and were kind of surprised that we found ourselves at Campo without incident. I don’t think it really hit me that we were on the PCT until we reached Canada some 4 1/2 months later. In many ways it felt just like any other trail. But slowly, quietly, and surely this trail seeps into your skin and bones. A walk becomes a lifestyle, the wilderness becomes your home, your friends become your family, civilization an unfortunate necessity.

We had massively high expectations, I knew I had romanticised the trail from hearing past thru-hikers talk about it and watching trail videos. It blew our expectations out of the water, there is nothing that comes close to experiencing it for yourself.

To PCT hopefuls, these snippets will not spoil your experience. And to past thru-hikers, enjoy the nostalgia and relive those unfaded memories.