We’re Hiking the PCT!

   First things fist…a little about me. I’m Jubilee, a 33-year-old from Puerto Rico. I’m an architect during the week; a wildlife rehab volunteer, MYOG-er, hiker, backpacker, cyclist, and recently gouache painter in my spare time.  This year me and my husband will be thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail NOBO. I’ve been dreaming of thru-hiking the PCT since I discovered its existence around 2018. After an attempt in 2022, I’ve been asked if I plan to do the whole thing one day. I always answered: “Maybe…someday” until I started answering “Actually…this year!”. I hope you follow along as I share my experience.

    This past few months I’ve been telling family, friends, and people at work our plans to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). I’ve found very interesting the variety of responses I’ve gotten. Below are some of them.

What’s that? How long does it take?…That’s a lot of walking!

   The PCT is a national scenic trail that traverses California, Oregon and Washington; starting from the Mexico border to the Canadian border. It is approximately 2,650 miles long. Thru-hiking it means hiking the whole thing, end-to-end continuously, or as continuously as you can realistically, as there can be some parts closed because of wildfires, restoration or other reasons. It usually takes people around 5 months.

Why not the Appalachian Trail?

     Because I live in Georgia, hiking the Appalachian Trail seems like the logical thing to do to most people. On the other hand, having lived in Maine for a little while and now Georgia means that for the past 8 years, the Appalachian Trail has been where most of my weekend hiking and backpacking trips have taken place, and while those trips have been amazing, it makes it feel like the Appalachian Trail is something I already know. The PCT feels like an unexplored territory to me, its vast views and the scale of the the landscapes captivate me. I got a taste of the PCT in 2022 when I did the first 100 miles and in 2023 on a JMT/Yosemite backpacking trip. Both trips definitely left me wanting more.

Me a few years ago backpacking in the Appalachian Trail in GA

How did you decide to do it in 2025?

     The PCT is something that has been on my mind since I discovered backpacking and the existence of long-distance trails in 2018 while living in Maine. After my first solo attempt in 2022 of the PCT, which was cut short by a foot injury,  people have asked me if I’m going to try it again. I always respond with: “Probably, someday”. Then one day last year talking to my husband he asked me “Why not do it now?”… He also told me he would love to thru-hike it with me. After crunching some numbers/checking our budget we decided we could do it next year (2025) and started planning. I now have more backpacking experience than I did in 2022 and feel better prepared.

Me at the PCT Southern Terminus. 2022

What do you do about food?

This question is usually about what I eat, how much food am I carrying, and how I get food when I’m out there. When thru hiking the PCT you pass through or near a lot of towns or resorts that you can stop in or get a ride to and buy food. In these stops you can also take what’s called a Zero: a day when you don’t walk any trail miles (I’ll probably walk a lot around town doing errands like laundry, mail, grocery resupply) 

When out backpacking, I usually take some backpacking meals and things you can get in a regular grocery, because backpacking meals are expensive! From the grocery store, I get a lot of snacks, chips, granola bars, instant potatoes, instant oatmeal, dried fruit, shelf stable sausages, tuna/salmon/chicken/spam pouches, tortillas, hard cheeses, nuts, peanut butter and jelly, if I find them in pouches instead of jars, crackers or bite-sized toast, Knorr rice sides (the Spanish rice side paired with some chorizo or sausage is so good). I am curious about how my tastes change on the trail and how my resupplies evolve.

I’ll also have a friend mail out some boxes with food and gear for the parts of the trail where is harder or expensive to get a resupply.

PB & J on toast, gourmet breakfast on trail.

Where do you camp?

When thru-hiking you camp along the trail. For the most part, there are no established campsites, but you should camp in an area where people have camped before to minimize human impact on the trail.

That’s awesome! What gear are you taking?

I love this question! While I’m not a super ultralight backpacker, I am a gear nerd and like to get into the nitty gritty of materials and product designs. In my next post, I’ll dive into what gear I’m starting with. 

Why do you like backpacking?

     I discovered hiking/camping/backpacking when I was in my 20s and fell in love with it, as growing up that was something that my family did not do. We did go to the beach a lot as we lived on the coast. Since then I’ve been trying to get outdoors as much as I can and try to do a long-ish hiking/backpacking trip yearly while also trying to get more people that I know to get out too. 

One thing I like about backpacking is that it strips down your day-to-day to the basic needs: food, water, shelter. I also appreciate the effort it requires and that it takes you out of your comfort zone and rewards you with amazing views, great stories, and a sense of accomplishment.

PCT. Southern California. 2022

Can’t wait to get out there! I hope you follow along.