The Pacific Crest Trail: a Very Brief History

Jenna and I thought you might like to know a bit about the trail where we will be hiking for 2,600+ miles. The trail is the "crown jewel" of the "Triple Crown" of long distance hiking trails (the others are the Continental Divide Trail, and the most famous of the bunch, the Appalacian Trail); it traverses six of North America's seven different ecosystem types, offers the greatest elevation loss and gain, and most importantly, goes through my beautiful home state of Washington.

Thru-hiking the trail has long captivated the braze and the stupid. Approximately 300 people attempt to hike the whole trail per year, but only around 180 complete it. Jenna tells me that more people attempt to thru-hike the AT per year than have ever sucessfully completed the PCT (source of this fact is unknown). The first thru-hike was completed in 1970 by 17 year old Eric Rybeck. His book, The High Adventure of Eric Ryback: Canada to Mexico on Foot, sparked the imagination of other wanderers. The first southbound trip (what Jenna and I will be doing) as well as the first successful female thru-hike (something left only to Jenna) were both completed in 1972.

After hours of vigorously searching the internet, Jenna and I feel confident in saying that, pending completion, we will be the first vegan and the first gluten-free vegetarian to complete the trail. Both accomplishments will surely go down in the small, but growing, vegan/gluten-free thru-hiking community.