“What about bears?” and other questions people have asked about my PCT hike

When you first tell people about your plan to hike across the country, chances are you’ll get a lot of questions. Some of them are fair, and some of them are just plain weird. Here is a highly-curated selection of questions I’ve had to answer to in the time since I’ve decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.

What do PCT and SOBO mean?

PCT stands for Pacific Crest Trail. SOBO means southbound, so I’ll be going from Canada to Mexico. If you see someone say they are going NOBO, that means they are going northbound, from Mexico to Canada.

Where are you hiking?

I’m going to hike 2,650 miles from the Canadian border in Washington to the Mexican border in California. I’ll go through the states of Washington, Oregon and California.

How long will this take you?

It takes most people 5 months to complete the PCT. I’m aiming for a little less, anywhere between 4 and 5 months, because when going southbound, you’re on more of a time crunch. You want to avoid getting into the Sierra Nevada too late in the year, or you’re likely to encounter a lot of snow, ice, and therefore a lot of potential trouble.

In any case, I’ve budgeted to spend five months on the trail, but if I could wrap it up faster, that would probably be for the best.

Why the hell are you doing this?

The short answer is: why not?

The long answer is that, contrary to what you might believe when you see me complaining that “I hate hiking” on a long climb while eating a Snickers bar to feel at least a little bit alive, I really like hiking. It’s when I feel most connected to nature, and to myself. I’ll be in between jobs at the time of my hike, and I’m looking forward to taking time to myself.

It’s also, obviously, a great opportunity to push my body and myself. I love doing hard things and being able to look back and thinking to myself “damn, I’m kind of a badass”. I might need a Snickers bar to get me up that hill, but I’ll do it.

Also, I really like to find cool places to camp.

Do you take all your food with you from the beginning?

I get that question way more than I would have thought. But no. I’m going for several months, so there is no way I could do that. I’m planning on foraging and hunting for food. I hear barbecued squirrels are actually quite good. I need to do more research on how to eat rattlesnakes, but I still have time to learn.

Ok no, more seriously, I’ll go through some villages (occasionally even proper cities) where I’ll be able to resupply and take a break with a burger and my one true love: Diet Coke. I’m hopeful that carrying more than six days’ worth of food will be a rare occurrence, as it takes a toll on your body.

Will you be able to take showers or do your laundry?

There are some places where you can take showers and do laundry on or near the trail, and I’ll be happy to take advantage of these as often as I can. I will be embracing the filth the rest of the time.

Aren’t you scared of going alone?

This is a question I get a lot, especially as a woman who has done quite a bit of hiking on her own. Although the vast majority of people mean well when they say “I don’t know how you do it” or “Aren’t you scared, all alone?”, I would be lying if I said I never get annoyed.

The truth is, I’m rarely completely alone. There are always people around, especially on a trail as popular as the PCT. Going SOBO, it’s possible I might have to camp alone, but it will be a first and I’m looking forward to it. To be honest, I also usually feel much safer when hiking than I would in most other places.

What about bears?

This is what concerned my parents the most, which I was not expecting. And it’s something I get a lot. Although bears are probably not in my top 5 of things I’m concerned about (I’m more concerned about chafing to death), it’s a recurring concern for many people.

There are a few spots on the trail where you need to carry your food in a bear canister, and other than that, most people sleep with their food in their tent. That should tell you something. I won’t be hiking in grizzly territory (which is a relief) and as long as you don’t surprise a mama bear with her cubs, you should be alright.

Will I be singing Britney Spears at the top of my lungs when I’m alone to let the bears know I’m coming? That’s a real possibility, and I would like to apologize in advance to any person I might cross paths with on the way.

How heavy is your backpack?

Usually, with water and three days of food, it’s probably a little less than 20 lbs. My “base weight” (that is what you pack weighs before you add food and water and any consumables, and the source of much back-and-forth and humble bragging in the backpacking community) is around 12.5 lbs. I’m not what you would call an “ultralight” hiker by any means, but being a shorter human, I can’t carry as much as someone that’s 6’2”.

Also, I’d rather be able to carry that extra Snickers bar.

How are you training?

I’m writing another blog post specifically about training, but the most important thing I’m doing is hiking. Like, a LOT of it. I’m also doing some cardio, strength training, and a little yoga. And I have roller skates that are a great source of entertainment and fear that I might break every single bone in my body.

How do you take pictures of yourself?

I’m planning on taking very few luxury items to make my pack as comfortable to carry as I can, but two I’m taking with me are a tiny little tripod and a shutter remote control for my phone. They respectively weigh 1.3 and 0.4 oz and if you ask me, it’s totally worth it to take pictures when I’m alone.

Where can we follow your hike?

You can subscribe to get an email when I publish a blog post on here. You can also follow my Instagram: @wakemeupbeforeyoumargot.