The PCT is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail approximately 4264 kilometres long, and I was fortunate to walk it in 2015. There are hundreds of reasons to hike the PCT but these 10 should be more than enough to plant the seed and get you on your way!

On the way to John Muir PassAll pictures by Kat Davis

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1 Go for a jolly long walkImagine walking along the coast from Adelaide to Cairns or walking 101 marathons back to back. That’s the length of the PCT. The trail starts at the Mexican border near San Diego and passes through California, Oregon and Washington, ending just across the US border in British Columbia, Canada. Most people hike the PCT northbound (they’re called Nobos) and the hiking season is typically from April to September with an average hiking time of five months. The trail can also be hiked southbound (Sobos) but fewer people walk this direction as most hikers like to ease into the trail in the Southern Californian desert and have their “trail legs” ready by the time they arrive into the wild and mountainous Washington.

2 Experience natureDesert, mountains, lakes, snow-covered peaks, alpine flowers, glaciers, waterfalls, lava fields, forests … all of this and more! You start out in the Southern Californian desert before reaching the Sierra Nevada mountains, home to Yosemite National Park and Mt Whitney, 4421 metres, the highest mountain in the lower 48 states. From the Sierras you’re into Northern California, then Oregon passing day after day of

beautiful lakes and crossing Mars-like lava fields. Washington is stunningly wild and remote with moss-covered forests and crazy daily ascents; consider it a good day in Washington if you don’t get rain or snow even in summer! The daily landscapes are just breath-taking.

3 Wildlife viewing opportunitiesIn the USA, rattlesnakes are considered the “gentlemen” of the reptile world due to their warning “rattle” and it’s unlikely you’ll get by without at least seeing or hearing one.

Burney Falls in Northern California

Mother bear and her cubs

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Trail Magic!

Hummingbirds, black bears, mountain lions (rare), deer, marmots, pika, squirrels, mice and chipmunks also consider the trail home – these last three can be a nuisance chewing through tents and backpacks to get to your food so you may soon forget you ever thought they were cute!

4 Get fit and eat whatever you want without putting on weight!Swap the treadmill in the gym for the PCT and after five months you’ll be fitter and probably thinner than you’ve ever been! You will also save five months of gym membership fees that can be your chocolate fund instead on the PCT! Now I’m not recommending a daily diet of junk food, but there comes a time on a long-distance hike when you just can’t get enough nutrition and energy from salads and this is when a good ol’ Snickers bar really does satisfy! It’s thought that hikers walking 30-50 kilometres

per day are burning up to 25,000 kilojoules a day so food is a constant thought and you’ll be craving high-energy food.

5 Make friends for life “It’s not where you go, it’s who you meet along the way.” From The Wizard of Oz.

Even if you start out solo like many hikers do (myself included) you’re bound to meet other people that you might walk with for a day, week or even months. Friendships that are formed on the trail can be tested to the max but when it’s all over, these are probably the memories you’ll look back on and cherish the most.

6 Be humbled and experience generosity on a whole new levelThe concepts of “Trail Angels” and “Trail Magic” was foreign to me before starting the PCT. On numerous occasions I passed Eskys on the side of the trail miles from anywhere, with a PCT sign stuck to the lid and they would be full of soft drink, beer, fruit and occasionally snacks. Often I’d walk past and they’d be empty too! There are

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many stretches with limited water supplies and sometimes I would come across a water cache with gallons of bottled water brought to the trail by Trail Angels. The golden rule here is to treat this as a bonus but never rely on it and be self-sufficient. For a donation, strangers open their houses along the trail for smelly hikers to stay, whether it be a bed or a piece of lawn. These people are Trail Angels and they’re providing Trail Magic. And then there’s all the people who pick up hikers when you stick out your thumb to hitchhike into a town to resupply. If your faith in humanity was ever lost, it would be fully restored after hiking the PCT.

7 Complete two hikes in one!The PCT merges with the 340 kilometre long John Muir Trail (JMT) through the Sierra Nevadas from Mount Whitney to Yosemite. With Washington state, this is a definite highlight of the PCT as it passes through Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite National Parks as well as the Ansel Adams Wilderness. You’ll also cross nine passes over 3000 metres high and inevitably be able to build a snowman on at least one of them! The PCT permit allows you to hike the JMT without the need for a separate permit, but conditions apply.

8 Watch the sun rise and set every day for over five monthsWhen was the last time you saw the sun rise and set on the same day? Hikers are usually up before or around sunrise (it gets hot in a tent with the sun beaming down on it), hiking all day then setting up camp in the late afternoon and eating dinner while watching the sunset. “Hiker midnight” is considered to be 9pm and by this time most are tucked away dreaming of eating a large burger in the next town five days away!

9 Learn some new slang

Bounce box – a box of food or gear that you bounce (post) further down the trail.

Cowboy camp – camp under the stars with your mat and sleeping bag without setting up your tent.

Hiker box – a box full of unwanted hiker food, gear etc. One person’s rubbish is another’s treasure and these hiker boxes can be a great source of … everything! And a money saver!

Hiker trash – a term to describe smelly and dirty hikers after days of hiking.

Just another sunset

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Kearsage Pass

HYOH – Hike your own hike, that is, at your own pace and listening to your body.

LNT – Leave no trace.

Nero – Not quite a zero day, a short mileage day.

PUDS - Pointless ups and downs!

Thru-hiker – A hiker who hikes a long-distance trail in its entirety.

Trail Angel – Wonderful people who open their homes, give rides, leave food and drink on the trail and generally help hikers.

Trail Magic – Food and drink left on the trail by Trail Angels for hikers.

Triple Crown – To be a triple crowner is to hike the three longest trails in America: Continental Divide Trail (CDT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), Appalachian Trail (AT)

Vitamin I – Ibuprofen.

Zero Day - Zero miles hiked (would usually say zero for zero miles and nero for nearly zero miles)

10 Challenge yourself, develop new skills and feel alive!Imagine the moment you arrive at the northern terminus after hiking for over five months. There might be tears, screams of delight, dancing, selfies and maybe a cheeky swig of something special you’ve carried from the last town. You’ll be so proud of your achievement; you challenged yourself in a way you didn’t know you could or ever would. You’ll believe in yourself and deservedly so. You’ll also know exactly how to pitch a tent in record time and sleep on a downward slope if that’s where you’ve pitched it, how to fix a blister, what trail food

I made it

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Kat is from Melbourne and is now based in London. In 2013 Kat quit her office job to walk the Camino de Santiago and has never looked back. She has since walked over 10,000 kilometres in Spain, Portugal, England, Italy, Japan (climbed Mt Fuji seven times) and America. Kat has been bitten by bedbugs, slept on a bar table (and in a dog kennel), worn through 12 pairs of shoes, completed six Caminos and experienced incredible human kindness along the way. She is currently working on a guidebook about the Portuguese Camino and dreaming of her next adventure.