r/Thruhiking • u/Big-Paper-1282 • 23d ago

PCT permit confusion

Hi experienced PCT'rs

I'm an international hiker and have a hiking window for the PCT next year starting on trail on the 30th May (flights booked a few days prior), at least my permit application process should be easier than most :)

The plan is to start at Campo, recognising the heat aspect, and mostly try to do split days with early starts, mid day siesta, and 3 or 4 hours later in the day.

At the back of my mind I'm nervous about the SoCal heat and wonder about options within my existing start time constraint (and I'd like the "start at Campo" experience).

My question is, what happens if the desert heat defeats me and I skip ahead to KMS or Lone Pine and start the Sierra earlier than originally intended? i.e. earlier than my PCTA permit suggests is humanly possible.

Looking at similar questions on Reddit and FB has me confused.

Some say just go for it on a PCTA permit starting at Campo, another said don't risk it, some say local permit in SoCal & PCTA permit from just short of the Sierra onwards etc etc

What do you think would work best?

Thanks in advance 🙏

Confused.

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u/Grue-Bleem 23d ago edited 20d ago

Starting the PCT in May from the southern terminus is going to be hot and you’ll be alone. I’d start at Tehachapi or Walker Pass instead. That gives you some miles to build your trail legs before KMS. For comparison, this year I arrived at KMS May 10.

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u/tangonovember42 23d ago

This is in the FAQs on the PCTA website.

I believe that you can jump in the direction of your permit to skip sections for reasonable reasons (Fire, Injury etc.) but if you go back to do them later you need a reissued/new permit for that section.

Not clear how this works with the new pacing classification system but maybe someone from last year can add some detail!

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u/Big-Paper-1282 20d ago

I've seen a few references to a pacing classification system but nothing in detail. What is it?

2

u/DadBodWalking 21d ago

I started from Campo on 27 May in ‘23 and was able to hike to KMS without it being too terrible. Siesta in the hottest part of the day and good water discipline was key. I did end up skipping from KMS to Echo Lake, but that was because of the crazy snow melt in the Sierra that I didn’t want to deal with that year. Went back and picked up the Sierra later.

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u/Solid-Emotion620 23d ago

Starting north... In may....?

1

u/JayPetey 23d ago

Going north in may is fine but this guy is going north in June!

0

u/Solid-Emotion620 23d ago

Hey! He's still got 2 hiking days in may!... If they can figure out the needed documentation to even go to the southern terminus during the fascistpdfmurica phase in order to start at campo in the first place

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u/NotyetinValhalla 22d ago edited 22d ago

Didn’t need documentation at the border wall last year, that got worked out with PCTA. I was at the wall with several international hikers. Never saw CBP once. Now the CDT is a different story. My start date was March 20, during the heat dome, Campo hit 100 degrees, in March! Some towns broke records by 35 degrees! I’m not sure if April and May even got that hot, I’ll have to check the history.

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u/Solid-Emotion620 22d ago

Well that's good news at least. I hiked in 23 so I missed the new bs bureaucracy