Map by Jon Knechtel, Pacific Northwest Trail Association

The Pacific Northwest Trail is set to receive official National Scenic Trail designation in an upcoming US House bill, the same designation currently enjoyed by better known trails like the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails. Admittedly I had never heard of the trail which runs from Glacier National Park in Montana to the Pacific coast of Washington. The 1,200 mile trail sticks close to the Canadian border and currently only about 30 through hikers make the entire trek each year.

The Seattle Times has a great article about the trail and what a National Scenic Trail designation could mean. Various hiking groups seem to be supportive of the idea since it guarantees there will be no logging or development within 1,000 feet (about 0.2 miles) of the trail throughout its entire length.

Based on the map above it *seems* like it should be possible to link up the Pacific Northwest Trail with the Pacific Crest Trail which runs up and down the west coast. Of course the Continental Divide trail runs north and south through the Rockies so perhaps that could be linked to the other end of the Pacific Northwest Trail? Now we just need a southern route across New Mexico and Arizona and hikers could make one 5,000 mile loop! Just plan it so you’re hiking the northern section in summer and the southern section in winter

I’ve often romanticized the thought of completing a through hike of one of the major hiking trails in the US - the Appalachian, Continental Divide, or Pacific Crest trail - but I’ve never really gotten past the day-dreaming stage. For a select group, however, completing a through hike of a major hiking trail isn’t enough - they have to do all three! And that’s just what John and Dawn Cicanese have done, and the Sarasota Herald Tribune has a good write up on the couple’s hiking accomplishments.

Hiking all three major American hiking routes is known in hiking and backpacking circles as “The Triple Crown” and there are probably less than 200 people who have completed the journey. The Cicanese’s have some interesting insight into what it takes to complete a through hike and for them it means lots of junk food, ultralight backpacking equipment, and jogging shoes instead of hiking boots. They also share some of the differences between the three trails: The Appalachian Trail is the most social of the three hikes with plenty of fellow hikers encountered along the way; the Continental Divide trail has the most wildlife; and the Pacific Crest trail has the best views. Surprisingly the couple also says the Appalachian trail is the toughest trail with the most ups and downs.

The Cicanese’s are involved in their local Appalachian Trail Club in Sarasota - who knew Florida even had Appalachian Trail clubs? Hiking clubs can be a great way to meet other hikers and to share tips for the trail and I imagine if they have clubs in Florida they have them just about everywhere!

So set an audacious hiking or backpacking goal in 2009 and get connected with local hikers who can help you make it happen - you might just be surprised at what you can accomplish this year!

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while now you know that I’m a sucker for thru-hike stories. To me it’s the ultimate hiking accomplishment to finish a trail from end-to-end and I often romanticize the notion of one day completing my own thru-hike of a major trail. Or perhaps I’ll focus on hiking all the trails in my state just like this guy did.

Anyway, postcrescent.com published an article about Troy Ristau and his successful thru-hike of the Pacific Crest trail from the Mexican border in California to the Canadian border in Washington state. The trail snakes across 2,650 miles of the most scenic terrain in the US and crests some of the highest peaks in the Sierra Nevada (including 13,153 foot high Forester Pass). Ristau took about 4 and a half months to complete the hike and arrived at the end of the trail in relatively good shape. According to the article he didn’t get sick during the trek (rare for long distance hikers) and went completely stoveless (see my previous post on camping essentials).

The Pacific Crest Trail is a relatively new long distance hiking route having been completed in just 1993. By contrast the 2,175 mile Appalachian Trail was completed in the 1930s. About 300 hikers set out to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail each year and generally just over half actually complete the journey. Hats off to Mr. Ristau, perhaps he’ll inspire some of us to start our own hiking adventures!