Wish us luck. Our applications for permits to continue our hike of the PCT were submitted this week. We should hear if they are approved within the next 3 weeks. If approved, we’ll start in early June, where we left off in 2019, with the intent of hiking the remaining distance to Canada, roughly 1700 miles.
Earlier this year, I reserved a permit for the initial, short section from Tuolumne Meadows to Sonora Pass in northern Yosemite through the National Park Service (using recreation.gov). Yosemite is a popular destination and has quotas on all of the major trailheads.
With that reservation in place, we could move our PCT Long-distance permit request to a less congested location. I’m optimistic that the PCTA permit will be issued since we’ve selected a trailhead that has no quota limit on the number of people that can enter each day.
Applying for the two separate permits was also a timing thing. I could make a reservation with the National Park Service before I could apply for a permit at the PCTA.
Still, for this entire trip to work, we need:
- the tide of Covid-19 to recede to ensure the safety of the trail towns and trail angels,
- snowfall to remain light in the Sierra Mountains so that the trail is passable when we start,
- wildfires this summer to remain small so that we don’t have to leave the trail, and
- next winter to come slowly so that we can reach Canada before the snow makes progress too difficult for us boys from Southern California.
I’m confident 2021 is going to be great!
Fair winds!
