Changes I Made On My Thruhike of the Pacific Crest Trail
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2024
- Before embarking on my Thruhike of the Pacific Crest Trail I had successfully completed many “practice” backpacking trips. I was convinced I had all of my gear and my backpacking regiment “dialed in.” With any long-distanced Thruhike you quickly discover that adaptation and change are part of the experience.
In this video, I talk about the things I changed on my Thruhike of the PCT.
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PCT Gear List:
Desert Section - lighterpack.com/r/mekl3i
Sierra Section - lighterpack.com/r/a891cc
NorCal Section - lighterpack.com/r/81d3hp
Oregon Section - lighterpack.com/r/372u3v
Washington Section - lighterpack.com/r/xa2aq0
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Thank you Rev... It was great listening and watching this video. You're the best.
Thanks Steph. You’re so kind.
Thanks Rev.
Hope you enjoyed it. 😁
Excellent tips!
On long bike rides, I became aware of the importance of "weight load balancing". There is no sense in having fresh upper body and spent thighs. Distribute the workload, the upper body can help.
On some ski runs where it became pretty flat, I'd see others (especially gals) with poor upper body strength trying desperately to pole through the flats. It appeared they had shots of Novocain in their arms and shoulders. So I know poles CAN help you propel forward. Also, my tent requires 2 poles. Besides, lately my balance sucks, so 2 poles helps!
I REALLY like your shorts w/liner and schedule ideas too! The shorts and Frogg Toggs are now on my Amazon "wishlist". Your ideas encourage them - plus a good headlight for those dark early mornings.
You should add them in your "description" so I can conveniently use your link and you get the commission!
Thanks!
Great additions! Thanks.
Thank you for all the great videos. You give very good information.
You’re welcome Nancy.
Thanx rev, i've been enjoying watching your trail video. Tke care
Thank you Arnel.
I keep eyeing off those Z Pak tents. So light, they seem such a weight saver, but a big investment! Another great video!
Thanks again Fiona. DCF material is very expensive But they are very light and very durable.
Welcome back Rev. you’ve been missed my brother!
Thank you Joseph. I haven't felt good and it's been way too hot to film. Hopefully I can get back on a consistent basis.
New subscriber. Laid up this week recovering from surgery. Your videos got me through the week. I'm a bit older than you and you have motivated me to get back on the trail s. I'm lucky to live just 45 min from where the pct crosses the Carson Pass. Thanks for your advice and good health to you.
Thank you Timothy. Good luck on your recovery. You live in a beautiful part of the country.
I like that you say "Sierra", w/o "s" ;)
Yes. I’ve been rebuked several times prior.
Great to see you again, Rev! I am just a year or two your junior and you are responsible for getting me back on the trail after many years off. I have enjoyed upgrading and “tweaking” my gear almost as much as the hikes! You also have me producing short videos of my hikes for the family and grandkids. Thanks for another great video. Your “brother,” -Kevin
Thanks Kevin. I started backpacking with my two boys when they were 10 and 12. They are 42 and 40 now! But I took an extended hiatus when they lost interest in hiking with dad (and founds girls) and I didn't get back into backpacking until 2015. It took watching CZcams videos on folks hiking the PCT that got me back into backpacking. A lot had changed during my hiatus, thus my series on, "Things I've Learned..."
Great Rev! Helpful ideas. Glad you are back!
Thanks. Hopefully I can get back on a more consistent basis.
Thank you for passing these lessons along 🤙
You’re quite welcome.
Thanks for the info!
You're welcome Wade.
Really great job! Amazing how much stuff we all changed out once in trail. I’m a loyal subscriber !
Thanks Marmalade! I thought I had everything dialed in for my Thruhike but I guess you learn as you go. Thanks for being a loyal subscriber.
All the changes seem so practical. 👍
I've got a few more changes in Part 2. Very practical.
I loved this. I even changed boots but adding 2 trekking poles was THE best thing I did. 2 more points of contact, balance and lengthening of my stride. As well as saving the knees. I bought them within the first week on the AT. Younger friends scoffed at my poles at first but I noticed they ALL ultimately bought them !
I use them for my tent poles as well as saving my knees.
Been missing hearing your voice !!! Good to hear/watch ya again !!
Looking forward to your future videos.
Thanks. I had three stents put in my RCA last week and I feel great. After my recovery, I will be back out hiking and doing videos on a regular basis.
Binge watching your vids Rev. You’re awesome! Thanks so much for your valuable input! Praying you’re back to 100% after your stents. Continued prayers🙏🏼🙏🏼
I hope you’re enjoying the videos. I’m doing good so far.
@@TheHikingRev haha. Sitting here watching your Trail Etiquette video. Great stuff!
I’m using a zpacks altaplex tent. I’m waiting on the Durston XMid PRO 2 tent which fixes all the issues I have with the Zpack tents.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Durston.
Love your videos! How did you film these motivating videos?
Thanks Aaron. I just used my Apple iPhone 13
Great to see you out and at it again! 👏
Thanks. I'm going in to the Hospital on Friday to have stents put in my RCA. Hopefully I'll be good as new.
@@TheHikingRev oh my! Prayers for successful and uneventful procedure! 🙏
Thanks.
Welcome back, and looking great! Nice video with a lot of good advice and shared experience. Looking forward to the next one.
Thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Great suggestions Rev!! Thanks for passing along your experience!!
Thanks. Stay tuned for part 2.
I’m at a point in my life that I’m going to devote 2022 to hiking the PCT, provided I get a thru hike permit. I’ll be 63. Any thoughts about a video devoted to hiking the PCT for those of us in the prime golden years?
I’m going to do a video soon on that very subject. You must have been reading my mind.
Rev, if you don’t mind me asking, how is your “ticker” doing? Did you get that second opinion? I hope you’re doing well!
I hope you got to watch my videos on my heart attack and update. I’m in San Diego now and tomorrow they are going to put stents in my Right Coronary Artery. Why they waited this long is beyond me.
Great to see another video Rev. Loved it. I liked your changes. Cheers brother. 😊👍
Thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed the videos. I hope they were helpful.
Thanks mate!
Quickly became one of my favorite channels. Straight forward advice based on experience. Glad to see you back out there.
Thank you so much. I’ve got a lot of videos I want to publish but I just haven’t felt good. Hopefully after my angioplasty tomorrow I’ll feel better.
@@TheHikingRev I work in a unit that does those….technology has come a long long way in just the past decade.
Glad you’re back on rev. Hope your cardio situation is improved
I had three stents put in my RCA last week and I feel great. After my recovery, I will be back out hiking and doing videos on a regular basis.
Thanks Rev for taking the time to post these videos. Least I can do is take time to respond in turn.
I too wear shorts when walking in the UK, like you I use waterproof over trousers for warmth etc. I wear Berghaus Pac-lite waterproof trousers, they have two way zips which means you can vent the sides of your legs when walking, surprisingly effective and comfortable. Recommended, as is a trucker cap. Dip the cap in water and put it on, convection will help draw the heat away from your head.
Finally, I use a chest/map pack (made by OMM, probably other makes available), it is a small zipped bag that easily clips to any pack and sits on your chest. Brilliant for snacks, camera etc. Saves stopping and taking your pack off to get at things. Highly, highly recommended
THANKS Rev
Great ideas Richard! I'm going to try them. Thanks.
@@TheHikingRev video on chest pack, can’t recommend it enough czcams.com/video/95Svu4QjZT0/video.html
I've found out this year that shorts dry my skin out. I tried the *convertibles* and I tried running shorts. Running shorts required me to carry a fanny pack so even though I like running shorts I never used them again. So I'm back to convertibles and mostly keep the bottoms on. Why? Because long pants hold in the humidity of your skin. The down side to that is that moist skin collects more dirt so you are actually MORE dirty with long pants LOL. At least it's easy to remove the bottom half when it rains so you don't get them wet. Long pants *might* keep your sleeping bag cleaner (I sleep in my clothes)
I like ball caps (truckers hats) but I want to protect the top of my ears so I wear a supper light rip-stop bucket hat from Outdoor Research. It also works better because you can dip it in a stream and it cools your head for quite a while. It even makes a good water "pre-filter". But ball caps are better when you are wearing a bug net because it keeps the net off of your face. Ball caps LOOK better as well. :o)
Next year I'm switching to a Dyneema Pancho instead of a rain shell and pants. It's lighter and it takes up less space in your pack You need that space in the Sierras while carrying a bear canister. I use the BV450 because it fits *inside* my Arc Haul pack.
I started my backpacking with the tent you now have. Good Choice. Zpack repaired it once for free (it was not serious) and then I sent it in for two new zippers (out of warranty) and they replaced them for 35.00 parts and labor. I thought that was a GREAT deal but it did take them a while so you cant be in a hurry with them. If I ever need a new tent it will be this one again or the Plexamid. I always keep my pack inside the tent at night so I will probably never get the plexamid.
Amen about getting up early . . . I don't carry a stove (to save weight and TIME) so I even make my protein/coffee/shake the night before so I can get up and out faster. That's my breakfast till 10am. I'm almost always in bed by 7:30 - 8 o'clock, sometimes earlier. At our age we can't hike much faster but we can hike longer. But I am training to go faster all year long.
Breaks to lower you base weight LOL. It's *amazing* just how much lighter that feels even when it's in fact miniscule.
John…great minds think alike! 😂 We’re going to have to go hiking together one day.
@@TheHikingRev Now I'm sitting out waiting for a plantar fasciitis to heal. Ive never had one before and I hope it does not become chronic. I'm hoping just one more week I can start testing it on short walks. I got it one week after trying to do run/walks on a paved path instead of dirt trails. I wanted to try and run the local park to save me from having to drive 60 miles round trip to Crystal Cove as often. It would be great if I could train walking distance from home but maybe I better not do that any more . . .
Yep…that’ll definitely do it. Felt like a knife sticking in my foot especially first thing in the morning. The only thing that helped me (I got PF about 5 years ago) was PF compression socks.
Another great video. Really like how you explained what changes you made. Most times I see what folks start with but dont see the changes. Lots of great suggestions. Seeing lots of hikers doing the running shorts. I like the schedule idea. But Id warn others to slow pace the first couple weeks to get a good base down.
Highly agree on the “slower pace at first.”
I did not do a “gear list” video at the beginning of my hike because most people that did, hardly finished with the gear they started with. Besides, it’s not what you start with, but what you finish with that’s important.
Another great video Rev - thanks! I'd love to see a video that shows your base weight gear, especially after the changes you made to reduce weight. Over the past few years I've worked on reducing my base weight, but want to do more.
I have a list of my gear and the weight from every section of my PCT Thruhike on Lighterpack.com.
PCT Gear List:
Desert Section - lighterpack.com/r/mekl3i
Sierra Section - lighterpack.com/r/a891cc
NorCal Section - lighterpack.com/r/81d3hp
Oregon Section - lighterpack.com/r/372u3v
Washington Section - lighterpack.com/r/xa2aq0
Great tips there Rev! How was the transition from a freestanding tent to a trecking pole tent? I worry about setting up a trecking pole tent in bad weather and high winds
Thanks Kevin. I love my Zpacks Plex Solo trekking pole tent. I had more problems in the wind/bad weather with my free standing tent.
Hi Rev. Wonderful info, and thank you for "paying forward" sharing all your knowledge! One question about the tent. When I watched your PCT series, I vaguely remember that approaching the end of your journey in Northern Washington, you mentioned heavy rains, and subsequently some leaks that your ZPack tent had developed during the downpour (I think you mentioned a puddle inside!). Can you elaborate on that a bit, was it an equipment fault, or an operator fault, or perhaps the weather conditions were so extreme that any tent would have developed a leak under those conditions...?
And another thing that gives me a pause: multiple reports of failed zippers. Even though the company stands behind the product, and they repair them, it seems to be a design defect, perhaps? Or maybe this is all due to the ultra-light nature of this tent. In some cases, those component pieces that are ultra-light, tend to be also less durable unfortunately. Can you share your thoughts on these 2 issues (water leaks, and zipper failures).
Thanks so much for your feedback!
Sure, I’d be glad to. As far as the leaking situation is concerned, that was partly a rookie mistake on my part, and the torrential rains that took place in northern Washington. I pitched my tent at Harts Pass in a depression area and water found its way in my tent. I knew it was not wise to pitch my tent there, but it was the only place that I could find. There was another hiker who pitched their tent, not far from me and their tent with soaked as well so I don’t think it was equipment error but rather my error and where I pitched my tent plus the torrential rains.
As far as the failed, zipper is concerned, yes, I’ve heard that Z-Paks has a problem with the zippers on their tents. They did fix the problem when mine failed. So far the zipper is doing good with my Plexsolo tent. I think any ultralight piece of gear needs to be taken care of gingerly.
@@TheHikingRev Thank you good sir! It is good to know this as I am looking at Z-Pak tents (big $$$ investment though)... YOU are my "virtual" trail angel. Ha ha!😀
Wonderful! great sense of humour, "lighten your base weight..." too funny.
😂😂😂
I am very glad to see you back. When you and I met a little north of Truckee, it looked like your pack was ultra light. As you progressed north, I felt like I could see in your videos that you needed to add or change things, and that took you out of the ultra light category and caused you to actually need a different pack. I am interested in knowing what your ultra light setup was and how it evolved as you moved north. As an older hiker, I feel like I need some comforts so seeing your ultra light setup will be inspirational for me.
Hey thanks CJ! I did change my backpack (Zpacks Nero) in Bend, OR because it was killing my back. It had no support (frameless). I’m going to talk about that in my next video. I put a gear list of the different PCT sections in the comment section in my videos.
I totally agree with you about dialing in your gear before you start, but there are so many things that you start tweaking once you get going. I haven’t done the PCT, but I have done a few shorter thru-hikes and recently completed the Tahoe Rim Trail. My biggest change was what I was eating. I left the stove and fuel behind and brought nut butters, cheese (which I swear I will never get tired of it!), beef sticks, and mixed nuts. I also cut down on the amount of food I packed by almost half. And I found that skipping breakfast got me on trail a lot faster in the morning. The only thing I missed was my morning caffeine fix, but I remedied that with some ZippFizz. It worked great!
Maryann, that was another change I made on my Thruhike. I went from carrying a stove to cold soaking to no cook. (I’m going to cover that in my next video). I also put two packets of instant Starbucks Via in a 750 ml Smart Water bottle for my caffeine fix in the morning.
Nice video would you hike the At trail
I’d like to.
Enjoyed watching this- looking forward to watching part 2. Great advice from what you learned while on the PCT. Hope all is well and maybe you’re doing some local hikes in your area right now?
Thanks Rebecca. We moved from Palm Desert back to the SF Bay Area where it’s a lot cooler. I can get out now and hike on local trails. I’m going to get stents put in my Right Coronary Artery at UCSD on Friday. They say my heart will be “good as new.” We’ll see.
Wow!!!!!! Congrats on the move!!!! Yes, going north was a wise move....so much cooler! Good luck with the stent procedure- my sister has had two put in over the years! They waited a few months to do yours, but good to get it done now!!!
Thanks for the information Rev. I plan to hike the PCT after retirement next year at the ripe old age of 62. One concern is I currently take medication for high blood pressure....wondering if you had to deal with having to take medications during your hike and if that was a problem to deal with. I'm hoping to get off the medication after dropping 20 pounds or so during my hike. Not really over weight just a herititary thing. Wondering if you had any experience with this?
Yes, definitely Ward. I’m dealing with it right now. BP meds are altering my energy on the trail. I’m trying to get my doctor to adjust my meds so I don’t feel so crummy and have a lack of energy. Be careful about getting off BP meds.
Great commentary. After my 60 year battle with gravity, I too finally dropped the external frame Kelty and the REI tent for a trekking pole tent. The critters love the salt from the band of your hat, but you knew that didn't you?
Yep…anything to lighten that base weight. I don’t know what I was thinking when I left my cap outside. ☹️
Thanks for you videos and glad to see you are doing well! I have a question regarding the Z-Packs Duplex - Your thoughts / opinion - DCF ground sheet or no need for a DCF ground sheet?
I think there are cheaper options out there that serve the same purpose (protect the floor of your tent.) ie: Tyvek.
Take a break to lighten your base weight. I love it!😄 Hello Rev it’s great to see you again. My wife says you’re looking well and I agree. We’ll be watching for your next video.
Thanks Jerry. My wife was not happy with me referring to “lowering my base weight.” 😂
@@TheHikingRev 😂
That sounds like a trucker schedule, Early to rise early to bed... just saying.
Especially if you need to get to Canada before winter sets in.
Considering a quilt. I noticed you got the sewn foot box instead of the zippered. How did you make the choice between the two? Thanks!
Weighed less.
@@TheHikingRev Aha thank you!
Thanks for your feedback. When there were a lot of mosquitoes on some sections, did you use your rain paints or something else to protect your legs?
I put rain pants on when the mosquitoes were bad. They worked great! Rolled my sleeves down and put on a head net. That way the only exposed skin was my hands.
I am not trying to be critical, but what is your definition of a thruhike? If I recall, you hiked the total PCT miles over 2 years? In your latest video you say 5.5 months, but not that it was different years. So do you define it as completing all sections over several years? Or do you think doing it in 2 years at most counts as a thruhike? I’m curious because it will probably take me at least 3 years. I know everyone has different definitions for this, so I’m curious what yours is.
I believe a continuous footpath from the beginning of the trail to the end of the trail regardless of the time that it takes to complete it is considered a Thruhike. There is nothing magical about 12 months, 365 days, 8,760 hours or 525,600 minutes. You can describe your Thruhike in many ways e.g. “I did a Thruhike of the PCT in one year.” “I did a Thruhike of the PCT in 5.5 months.” “I did a Thruhike of the PCT in 4 months, hiking at an average speed of 2.5 mph with only 7 zeros, doing only in-town resupplies and using only 4 Altra Lone Peak 4.0’s.” Or you could simply say, “I did a Thruhike of the PCT.” 😁
@@TheHikingRev Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I should have about 1/4th hiked this year after my next 100 miles in WA that I start tomorrow. I may just complete a thru hike yet if there’s much left after all the fires 😟
Mimi…be safe out there. Those fires are no joke. I read a report that said, with the yearly fires on the West Coast due to poor forestry management and winter storms (or droughts), a Thruhike of the Western Trails (PCT, CDT, etc.) was going to be a thing of the past. Sad!
@@TheHikingRev I’m hoping and praying that won’t be the case, but I eventually want to hike all the open miles before I’m 80! Well I guess a few are still hiking even then, so maybe I have a chance to finish this.
Did you have condensation issues with the zpack duplex tent?
Only a few times.
Something else I would be interested to know "how it changed": Your stride. Did your stride change much? Was there a point where you felt your stride change? Was your stride longer at the end of the hike than it was at the beginning??? Was it deliberate or intentional, or did it just happen?
That’s a great question. My stride definitely was longer at the end of my hike than it was at the beginning. I made it intentional because the longer your stride is the less energy you exert while hiking.
Did you ever try using a hiking umbrella instead of a hat
No, I never did. Perhaps I’ll try one next time.
DISGUSTING ....... !.
Thank you…I think! 🤨
@@TheHikingRev OMG , why I made such a comment on your video . I don't know how it happened . I am so sorry , I am apologize for my comment because I love your videos very much. I am also 54 years (old) hiker. Some of your ideas inspire me. Thanks and keep-up the good work.
@@gayasamarasinghe845 That’s funny, Gaya!
@@TheHikingRev Take Care ... !.