Planning the PCT

Everything I have read says "planning is really a waste of time, it will change." I hear that, but the anxiety ridden side of me says that I should plan. At least, I will have a basic idea. There is some flexibility, but my major concern is water. There are some days that we will have to carry two complete days of water with us, which isn't light. I'll go more into water in a different post, but needless to say, knowing how much water we need might be the difference in making it to the next campsite or not. This is especially important for when we are in the dry parts of California. The further north we go, the better the water availability becomes, especially as we get into the northern states.



The trail is broken down into 29 sections. Currently, I've planned through section D. Yep. It's a process.

California Section A — Campo (mile 0) to Warner Springs (mile 111.1) - 111.1 miles
California Section B — Warner Springs (mile 111.1) to Highway 10 (near Cabazon) (mile 214.6) - 103.5 miles
California Section C — Highway 10 (mile 214.6) to Highway 15 (Cajon Pass) (mile 347.4) - 132.8 miles
California Section D — Highway 15 (mile 347.4) to Auga Dulce (mile 457.6) - 110.6 miles
California Section E — Agua Dulce (mile 457.6) to Tehachapi Pass (mile 557.3) - 99.7 miles
California Section F — Tehachapi Pass (mile 557.3) to Walker Pass (mile 627) - 69.7 miles
California Section G — Walker Pass (mile 627) to Crabtree Meadow (near Mt Whitney) (mile 740.5) - 113.5 miles
California Section H — Crabtree Meadow (mile 740.5) to Tuolumne Meadow (Yosemite) (mile 917.7) - 177.2 miles
California Section I — Tuolumne Meadow (mile 917.7) to Sonora Pass (mile 994.1) - 76.4 miles
California Section J — Sonora Pass (mile 994.1) to Echo Lake (mile 1069.3) - 75.2 miles
California Section K — Echo Lake (mile 1069.3) to Highway 80 (Donner Summit) (mile 1113) - 63.7 miles
California Section L — Highway 80 (mile 1113) to Highway 49 (near Sierra City) (mile 1171.4) - 38.4 miles
California Section M — Highway 49 (mile 1171.4) to Belden (mile 1267.6) - 96.2 miles
California Section N — Belden (mile 1267.6) to Burney Falls State Park (mile 1403.6) - 136 miles
California Section O — Burney Falls State Park (mile 1403.6) to Highway 5 (near Castle Crag) (mile 1486) - 82.4 miles
California Section P — Highway 5 (mile 1486) to Etna Summit (mile 1585.8) - 99.8 miles
California Section Q — Etna Summit (mile 1585.8) to Seiad Valley (mile 1641.9) - 56.1 miles
California Section R — Seiad Valley (mile 1641.9) to Highway 5 (near Ashland, OR) (mile 1706.4) - 64.5 miles

Oregon Section B — Highway 5  (mile 1706.4) to Highway 140 (near Fish Lake) (mile 1760.4) - 54 miles
Oregon Section C — Highway 140 (mile 1760.4) to Highway 138 (near Cascade Crest) (mile 1836.4) - 76 miles
Oregon Section D — Highway 138 (mile 1836.4) to Highway 58 (near Willamette Pass) (mile 1897.7) - 61.3 miles
Oregon Section E — Highway 58 (mile 1897.7) to Highway 242 (McKenzie Pass) (mile 1973.4) - 75.7 miles
Oregon Section F — Highway 242 (mile 1973.4) to Highway 35 (near Barlow Pass) - (mile 2085.9) - 112.5 miles
Oregon Section G — Highway 35 (mile 2085.9) to Cascade Locks (mile 2140.3) - 54.4 miles

Washington Section H — Cascade Locks (mile 2140.3) to Highway 12 (at White Pass) (mile 2287.3) - 147 miles
Washington Section I — Highway 12 (mile 2287.3) to Snoqualmie Pass (mile 2383.8) - 96.5 miles
Washington Section J — Snoqualmie Pass (mile 2383.8) to Stevens Pass (mile 2458.3) - 74.5 miles
Washington Section K — Stevens Pass (mile 2458.3) to Rainy Pass (mile 2576) - 117.7 miles
Washington Section L — Rainy Pass (mile 2576) to Manning Park, BC (mile 2645.1) - 69.1 miles

I have two resources that really help this process: Halfmile's Trail Notes and the PCT Water Report. I supplement with Halfmile's Maps, which are wonderful, but harder to use to plan than the notes. The bonus is that it has elevation mapping as well at the end of the map packets. With the trail notes, I can just scroll through and find the mileage and elevation, which are both data points that I am tracking. It is nice to have the listed camp sites.

As I said, I'm focusing on water, as well as distance and elevation. At this point, I'm only doing the change in elevation from campsite to campsite, recognizing that there might be a really big mountain in the middle that might not reflect in the campsite elevation.

Here is my planning chart. I'm not breaking it up between sections, as many times we are hiking through the section break point. I'm tracking a lot of information, but I know that this activity is a HUGE cope ahead for me. I have realized from even short day hikes that I want to know what is coming, even if it is walking for a really long time. It helps me know what to expect and manage my emotions. So, while many people say that this is a lot of work for nothing, this is a huge part of my emotional stability for the trail. I think the time is worth it.

Edit: I updated the list of sections to show section length and mile numbers.

Sources:
Halfmile. "PCT Maps." Halfmile's PCT Maps. Halfmile Media, 01 Dec. 2016. Web. 22 Mar. 2017.
Spearing, George. "Mileages Along The Pacific Crest Trail." Dances with Marmots. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2017.