Flop's 2008 Pacific Crest Trail Adventure!
Sources of Information

Books:

Update for 2009!!!
While Erik the Black's Trail Atlas' are excellent, they are so expensive that I can no longer recommend them. Check them out and see if they will meet your needs dispite their high cost. I currently recommend carrying the Data Book, the Trail Guides, Yogi's Guide, and Halfmile's free maps. In addition to the maps, Halfmile provides GPS routes and waypoints that are usefull.

There is another excellant book that has become available in 2009, A Thru-Hiker's Heart, by "No Way" Ray Echols. This book provides more than a daily journal of No Way's many walks on the PCT - he gives plenty of food for thought for those planning to hike or those looking back on past journeys.

Pacific Crest Trail Guides These guides are made up of three volumes: "Southern California", "Norhern California", and "Oregon and Washington", and they are published by the Wilderness Press.
These guides are required for thru-hikers and are the primary scource of maps for most hikers. Most hikers will pull the books apart and carry only the sections in which they are hiking.

Pacific Crest Trail Data Book by Ben Go.
This small book is a mile-by-mile guide of the PCT showing water sources and other landmarks. Required for thru-hikers.

Yogi's PCT Handbook by Jackie McDonnell.
This guide has 2 parts: the first is in an 8.5 by 11 binder and contains information about how to plan your hike; the second is 5 x 8 and is designed to be carried while hiking the trail. This is an excellent source of information for both planning and while on the trail.

Pacific Crest Trail Atlas by "Erik the Black" Asorson.
This is a new guide for 2008 and only the first (Southern California) and fifth (Washington) volumes are available for this year. Excellent information intended to be carried on the trail. This was an attempt to include the primary information what is included in the PCT guides and the Data Book, including maps, mileage information, elevation graphs, and town information. 3 different sizes are provided. This guide could replace the Guides and Data Book. I wish all the volumes were available this year.

The Pacific Crest Trail Hiker's Handbook by Ray Jardine.
This book was published in 1996 and is an excellent source of information for thru-hikers, and it's written completely for the purpose of thru-hiking the PCT. An excellent book if you can get your hands on a copy.

Beyond Backpacking Ray Jardines' Guide to Lightweight Hiking by Ray Jardine.
This book was published in 2000 and is another excellent source of information for thru-hikers. In this book, Ray Jardine extends the principles he put forth in his PCT Hiker's Handbook and extends them for the long-distance hiking of any trail. This book is a "must read" by anyone considering hiking the PCT.

The Pacific Crest Trail A Hiker's Companion by Karen Berger and Daniel R. Smith.
This book was published in 2000 and is another excellent source of information for thru-hikers. This would be a good book to tear apart and to bring and read the information about the sections as you are hiking them. It would also be a good book to read in the months prior to your hike.

Soul Sweat and Survival on the Pacific Crest Trail by Bob Holtel.
An interesting book about an ultra-running who completed the PCT in 3 years with the help of a support crew. Mr. Holtel was a pioneer and his book tells of his adventures in the 1980's.

Zero Days by Barbara Egbert.
A book about the successful thru-hike of a man and wife and their 10 year old daughter in 2004. The book is very well written and is an amazing story. It provides good information about what life on the trail is like. This is an excellent source of information about the trail for those who nothing about long distance hiking.

Online Journals:

Bearcant's Pacific Crest Trail Directory
This is without a doubt one of the best journals I have seen online. In addition to his journal for his thru-hike in 2005, there is an elevation profiler for the entire trail. Excellent information!

Troll and Oblivious' 2007 Pacific Crest Trail Journal
Another excellent journal by a man who, with his 11 year old son, completed the trail in 2007.

Brian Robinson's Successful Triple Crown Attempt
Another excellent journal about a man who successfully completed all three of America's Scenic Trails, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail, in one calendar year.

Online Sources of Information:

The Pacific Crest Trail Association
A non-profit organization whose goal is to promote and maintain the PCT. This is the best single source for information about the PCT with many links to other sources.

Craig's PCT Planning Program
A program that helps you plan your PCT sectional or thru-hike. A great aid in determining a resupply strategy.

Pacific Crest Trail Water Reports
The best source of information about the water situation on the PCT in Southern California.

Pacific Crest Trail mapping and gps information
A great source for maps and gps information.

Postholer
A great source for snow-level and other information.

Vendors:

ULA Equipment
A great source for lightweight backpacks. I will be using one of their P-2 backbacks for my journey. This model has been replaced by the Catalyst which also looks like an excellent pack.

Six-Moons Design
A great source for lightweight tarp-tents including the Lunar Solo which I will be using for my trek.

Tarp-tents by Henry Shires
While I don't own one, these tarp-tents look to be of excellent quality.


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