The Pacific Crest Trail or PCT is one of the National Scenic Trails that was established in the US through the 1968 National Trails System Act. The construction of the trail was not completely finished until 1993.  The PCT extends 2,663 miles from the Mexican border near Campo, California to Manning Park in BC, Canada while winding its way through three states, seven national parks and 25 national forests. Along the way the trail passes through the Mojave desert, over the Sierra Nevadas, right by Mt. Whitney (the tallest mountain in the lower 48), through Yosemite, skirts around Crater Lake and then leads up through the beautiful North Cascades into Canada. While many people hike sections of the trail throughout the year, to attempt and succeed a hike from one end to the other in one fell swoop is called a thru-hike.

When thru-hiking, hikers typically make themselves between 18-28 resupply boxes of food before they begin and send them to post-offices in towns along the trail (see Projected Itinerary on main menu). This way thru-hikers only have to carry between 4 and 11 days of food at a time.