Halfway

Day	99
Current Location	Chester, CA
Miles Hiked	1,332.4
Miles to Go	1,322.8
Percent of Trail Completed	50.2%

At 7 am this morning I passed the small concrete post that marks the official halfway point of the PCT.

The marker is surrounded by trees as black as tar, burnt to a crisp during the Dixie Fire of 2021.

The Dixie Fire was the largest single-source fire in California history, and for several days I’ve been hiking through the aftermath.

What’s more, we’re in a heatwave. Temps have been in the nineties daily, and these burnt dead trees provide no shade against the blazing sun. It’s hell out there.

In this desolate section, reaching the halfway point was a little morale boost.

I’m halfway!

.

.

.

I’m only halfway.

The halfway point is a natural time to check up on your pace. Northbound hikers need to finish the trail before the snow flies in the Cascades. It’s generally understood that hikers should be off the trail by early October at the latest, though snow can arrive as early as mid-September.

Scary Math

99 days have passed since I began the PCT on April 9th. If I took another 99 days to complete the second half, I would finish on October 23rd.

Yikes.

October 23rd is alarmingly late. It’s too late.

Imagine making it almost all the way to Canada, and then the trail became impassable due to snow. You’d have to stop just shy of the end. It would be heartbreaking.

My group is trying to finish the trail by mid-September. In addition to the threat of snow, three have  expiring visas and one has a wedding to attend. Though I don’t personally have a specific deadline, I want to stay with the group. Collectively we are shooting to finish September 15th.

September 15th is 62 days away. 1,323 miles in 62 days averages to 21.3 miles per day. If we want to take a zero once a week, we need to average 25 miles a day.

Our daily average for the first half of the trail was, I’m almost embarrassed to say, 13.5 miles a day.

Wake up Call

I was shocked when I first looked at that number. 13.5 sounds so pathetically small. After all the long days, how could our average be so low?

When we’re actually hiking, we put in decent miles. It’s primarily the town time that really has put a drag on our pace. In addition to the usual temptations of civilization (showers, unlimited food, soft beds, WiFi, etc.), we enjoy the social time together.

On trail the five of us tend to scatter. Crumbs and Freestyle are often ahead, while CamelDown and Analogue trail behind. I usually am somewhere in between, bouncing between the two pairs. Towns are the time where all five of us are in the same place at the same time. It’s our bonding time.

We took an impromptu second zero in Tehachapi just because we felt like it. We took another double zero in South Lake Tahoe, and a zero in Truckee just a few days after that. I don’t think we have ever left a town before 10 am.

There have been another setbacks too. In the second week for example, I had to take three days off when I was sick with rotavirus. Another time it took us almost a full day to find a hitch back to trail from town.

Are we screwed?

So, there’s some pressure to hurry the F up.

It’s not as bad as it sounds though.

It’s pretty normal for the first half of the trail to take longer than the second. The desert starts slow because you’re building your trail legs and stamina. The Sierra is slow because it’s challenging and technical.

The good news is that now is a good time to crank out miles. Though NorCal has its fair share of challenging climbs, I’ve already been able to increase my mileage. Once in Oregon, the trail really flattens out, making big-mile days possible.

Turning a New Leaf

I don’t regret my pacing in the first half of the hike. I avoided injury by not starting too fast. I was safe in the snow. I enjoyed the majestic views of the Sierra. I created strong bonds with my hiking group. But now, with a solid foundation set, it’s time to get to work.

I’ve developed a new daily routine to help me stay on track. For each regular hiking day:

• Start hiking at 5:30 am
• 10 miles before 10 am
• 15 miles before lunch
• 25+ miles per day

If I can stick to this routine on regular trail days, I’ll earn time for rest and time for fun on town days.

Ready to Crush it

I have some trail legs. I’ve ditched my heavy Sierra gear. The elevation profile is flat and easy. I’m strong, light, and fast.

Let’s go!