It only took 1,690 miles and nearly four months — but we’re finally in a different state! We started hearing cheering at about noon today, a half-mile south of the border, and kept hiking…when we approached the border itself, we saw a big group of hikers sitting there, eating lunch, and cheering each person to come cross the border. In other words, this is a big deal for PCT hikers — and it sure felt good to us!
California alone is nearly two-thirds of the entire PCT — 1,690 of 2,650 miles. From the start of the PCT to where it crosses the Oregon border, it’s only (“only”) 739 miles as the crow flies, but well more than double that as you hike. California contains the southern desert, the High Sierra, and the endless forested mountain range called “Northern California” on the PCT. It’s so epic in and of itself that it’s easy to forget that there are, actually, other states on the PCT.
Mentally, however, since not long after we left Sierra City, this border has been our goal. …