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Pacific Crest Trail, Then and Now
Pacific Crest Trail, Then and Now

Pacific Crest Trail, Then and Now

What's it like to spend six months walking the length of the United States, from Mexico to Canada, following a wilderness trail? Liz and Simon Willis tackled the Pacific Crest Trail in 2002 at a time many people now consider to be a 'classic era' on the PCT. They recorded conversations with hikers, trail angels and townsfolk and, eventually, assembled them into this audio time capsule of a life-changing endurance walk. Things are brought up to date in fresh interviews with people who know the trail well, including a couple who hiked the PCT exactly twenty years later.

Available Episodes 10

We heard an edited version of how Hiker Heaven came into existence in Episode 3.  Here’s the full story, as told to assembled hikers, by Donna and Jeff Saufley on Sunday 19th May 2002.  Sadly Donna passed away in October 2023.  She will be remembered fondly by thousands of people.

New episodes daily - and PCTpodcast.com you can buy a download of our trail journal and see photos from the series.

There are no adverts, but it costs money to produce, host and distribute. So if you enjoy it, and could help contribute towards the ongoing hosting costs, please buy me a virtual coffee - just a small payment that helps.

Thanks to TarpTent.com for their support during our hike and with this series.

Also known as Fleur and Robin they completed their thru-hike twenty years after us.  We hear the social side of PCT hiking, how different groups form and change on the route, and we compare and contrast our experiences, twenty years apart, practical and personal.  Oh and the alarming story Fleur's trail-name.

New episodes daily - and PCTpodcast.com you can buy a download of our trail journal and see photos from the series.

There are no adverts, but it costs money to produce, host and distribute. So if you enjoy it, and could help contribute towards the ongoing hosting costs, please buy me a virtual coffee - just a small payment that helps.

Thanks to TarpTent.com for their support during our hike and with this series.

Twenty years on we speak to a pioneer of ultralight hiking, Henry Shires.  His revolutionary combination of homemade Tarp and Tent was tested during his own 1999 hike, then grew into his business.  
Henry has been a Board Member of the PCTA and back in Episode 4, he’d shared his assessment of the threats to the future of the trail.  We discuss how accurate were those predictions and how home-sewn shelters have grown into an international business.

New episodes daily - and PCTpodcast.com you can buy a download of our trail journal and see photos from the series.

There are no adverts, but it costs money to produce, host and distribute. So if you enjoy it, and could help contribute towards the ongoing hosting costs, please buy me a virtual coffee - just a small payment that helps.

Thanks to TarpTent.com for their support during our hike and with this series.

We come up to date for the rest of the series.  Who now hikes the PCT ?  How do they tackle resupply?  How many finish?  The answers come from the PCT Hiker Survey compiled by Mac (trail name).  You can find all the data and sign-up sheet at HalfWayAnywhere.com 
Mac's Instagram  

New episodes daily - and PCTpodcast.com you can buy a download of our trail journal and see photos from the series.

There are no adverts, but it costs money to produce, host and distribute. So if you enjoy it, and could help contribute towards the ongoing hosting costs, please buy me a virtual coffee - just a small payment that helps.

Thanks to TarpTent.com for their support during our hike and with this series.

Together again, we power through Oregon, racing against the arrival of winter.  Snow comes early and our flimsy running shoes struggle to cope.  Speaking to other hikers, we find a range of attitudes towards the imminent end of the long trail.  We take time to chat with the owner of the legendary Stehekin bakery before we head to the border and cross into Canada.

New episodes daily - and PCTpodcast.com you can buy a download of our trail journal and see photos from the series.

There are no adverts, but it costs money to produce, host and distribute. So if you enjoy it, and could help contribute towards the ongoing hosting costs, please buy me a virtual coffee - just a small payment that helps.

Thanks to TarpTent.com for their support during our hike and with this series.

The mental effort of the hike starts to get to us.  We have bad news from home and have to return to the UK.  Three weeks later, I’m back  on the trail, alone, hiking solo through Northern California.  I meet and spend time with a backcountry trail crew from the California Conservation Corps, before hiking across the state border into Oregon. 

New episodes daily - and PCTpodcast.com you can buy a download of our trail journal and see photos from the series.

There are no adverts, but it costs money to produce, host and distribute. So if you enjoy it, and could help contribute towards the ongoing hosting costs, please buy me a virtual coffee - just a small payment that helps.

Thanks to TarpTent.com for their support during our hike and with this series.

As we leave Kennedy Meadows we find hikers feeling the trail has become a job.  We brew tea with four other hikers in snow on the summit of Forrester Pass, before heading into Vermillion Valley Resort.  We loose the trail in snow and are forced to find a different route across Donohue Pass.  In the early hours we have a rude awakening as a bear raids our food stash.  In Lee Vining we ponder the future of the trail with PCTA board member Henry Shires.

New episodes daily - and PCTpodcast.com you can buy a download of our trail journal and see photos from the series.

There are no adverts, but it costs money to produce, host and distribute. So if you enjoy it, and could help contribute towards the ongoing hosting costs, please buy me a virtual coffee - just a small payment that helps.

Thanks to TarpTent.com for their support during our hike and with this series.

Back in the desert, we’re attacked by fire ants.  Later we sit around a campfire with other hikers and discuss the trail so far.  We hear the creation story of Hiker Heaven from ultimate trail angels Donna and Jeff Saufley, now moved on.  More trail angels tell us why they took on the role and keep us on the right path across the Mojave desert.

New episodes daily - and PCTpodcast.com you can buy a download of our trail journal and see photos from the series.

There are no adverts, but it costs money to produce, host and distribute. So if you enjoy it, and could help contribute towards the ongoing hosting costs, please buy me a virtual coffee - just a small payment that helps.

Thanks to TarpTent.com for their support during our hike and with this series.

2002 is the fourth year of the Annual day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off.  The gathering, near the start of the NoBo hiking season, no longer takes place, but this episode captures the excitement and anticipation of the event.  We hear from PCT statistician Meadow Ed, Henry Shires who’d just set up TarpTent.com, and Flyin’ Brian Robinson who had recently become the first person to hike the Triple Crown in one year.

New episodes daily - and PCTpodcast.com you can buy a download of our trail journal and see photos from the series.

There are no adverts, but it costs money to produce, host and distribute. So if you enjoy it, and could help contribute towards the ongoing hosting costs, please buy me a virtual coffee - just a small payment that helps.

Thanks to TarpTent.com for their support during our hike and with this series.

It’s 2002 and our north bound hike begins.   Two trail angels help cut our pack base weight to 13 pounds and drive us to the trailhead.  On the trail we meet Ron Strickland who has made a career from writing, photographing and creating long distance trails like the PNT.  We bake in the desert then tackle the feared Fuller Ridge before reaching Warner Springs.

New episodes daily - and PCTpodcast.com you can buy a download of our trail journal and see photos from the series.

There are no adverts, but it costs money to produce, host and distribute. So if you enjoy it, and could help contribute towards the ongoing hosting costs, please buy me a virtual coffee - just a small payment that helps.

Thanks to TarpTent.com for their support during our hike and with this series.