The Complete Guide to Planning a Thru-Hike

So much of the thru-hiking documentation you see on social media is about when you're actually on trail. Of course people want to show off the photos and videos of their thru-hike - displaying the stunning natural landscapes, the incredible people you meet and all the fun you're having. To be honest, that's what people are most interested in.

But what about all the work you have to do before you even step one foot on the trail? I'm a big believer that even getting to the point of physically starting a thru-hike is half the battle, so I wanted to create a guide for all the logistical things that need to be taken care of before you start. Each of these will be different person to person as everyone is in their own unique situation, but this is a starting point for all the things you'll need to set yourself up for success before you hit the trail.

Deciding to go - Clarifying Your Why

This is the step I found the hardest - allowing myself to listen to my gut when it was telling me that hiking the Pacific Crest Trail was something I needed to do. The idea sat as a seed for years before I finally had the courage to listen to it. If you want help listening to yourself and clarifying why you want to hike a thru-hike, check out this post for some thought work and journal prompts.

Permits

Depending on which thru-hike you're doing, you may need to get one or many permits to be able to hike the trail. The Pacific Crest trail can be done either with the one thru-hiking permit issued by the PCTA, or done using local permits issued by the relevant Park governing body. The Great Divide Trail requires many permits across both National Parks and Provincial Parks that can be both very challenging to get and hard to pull together an itinerary. Doing plenty of research on the Trail Associations website will help you figure out which permits you'll need (if any).

National Parks Permit Release Day for the GDT

Organize Your Finances

Having a good idea of how much you're going to spend while you're thru-hiking is one of the best things you can do to set yourself up for success. This includes having a good buffer for unexpected expenses when they arise (and they will!). The main considerations are:

• Gear - how much do you need to spend on getting new gear or replacing old gear? Can you get anything second hand or does it need to be new? Are there any items you could get on sale? Adding some buffer for gear failures or needed replacements on trail is also helpful.

• Food - how much do you want/realistically think you'll spend on food per meal/day? Trail food vs town food also come at different costs, how much do you want to try to spend per town/resupply?

• Accommodation - most of your nights will be spent for free on trail, but hotel stays can quickly add up if you're not sharing with anyone, or if you need more town days due to inclement weather, injuries etc. Needing to get a hotel on long weekends are also much more expensive (we unfortunately spent $400 on a last minute hotel room in Mammoth during a snowstorm on Labour Day weekend...)

• Transport - how much will it cost to get you to the trailhead and home after the hike is finished? Also be sure to account for other travel costs should you need to flip around the trail due to snow or wildfires.

• Donations - many trail angels accept (and often expect) a donation for their services, typically to cover gas, time or sometimes food. Budgeting for this and having on hand cash is a good idea.

• Bonus - having some money left over at the end of your hike to get yourself set up while you find work when you get home will make the transition much more comfortable.

This is not a one size fits all question, as there are many people who are able to thru-hike on a very limited budget, while some treat it as a trip of a lifetime and spare no expense. Think about both what you want to spend and what you're able to save in the time leading up to your start date.

One of our resupplies in a hotel room in Bend, Oregon

Work - do I need to quit my job?

One of the biggest logistical hurdles when planning a thru-hike is deciding what you're going to do about work. As you're going to be hiking every day for 4-6 months, you won't be working in a traditional sense - which usually leaves you with 3 options:

1) Ask for a leave of absence

2) Get laid off (if you have a seasonal job or job that is willing to do this)

3) Quit your job entirely.

Many thru-hikers choose to work seasonal jobs leading up to their thru hike, such as working for a ski resort. This usually allows them to be laid off at the end of the season and gives them a blissful summer free for thru-hiking. Others with a corporate 9-5 may find it harder to get that amount of time off, whether that's paid or unpaid. Asking for a leave of absence is one way to try to keep your job for your return but gives you enough time to pursue your thru-hike. This can be great if you want to know you have work lined up for when you finish to replenish the funds you spent on trail, but unfortunately not every company allows this type of thing. If that's the case, or if you're also just ready to move on from your current workplace, it's time to quit. I'm always going to advocate to quit your job to do a thru-hike, because I am a firm believer that 99% of jobs don't care about you enough to make it the only reason you don't fulfil your dreams. I had a traditional job in the sense that it was a year round 9-5, but it was for a heli-ski company that had a much smaller operation in the summer. They also had an appreciation for outdoor pursuits and were very supportive of giving me an unpaid leave of absence for 5 months so I could hike the PCT.

Housing

Can you sublet your place, or would you fully give it up? Or are you in a position where you'll need to keep paying (e.g. if you share the place with a partner or family who won't be joining you)?

This is different for everyone and everyone has different options available to them, so I won't spend too much time going through this. If you're able to save some money while hiking, it's worth seeing if you can sublet your place if you plan on returning to the same place after your hike. Some people move back in with their parents either before, after or both to save money. If you're not attached to where you live then moving out and putting your things in storage might be the solution. If you share your home with a partner or family, or if you own your home, everything may just stay the same and you'll return to it after your hike.

Physical Preparation and Training

There's some discussion in the thru-hiker world on how much you need to do before you hit the trail. Some people advocate for the trail providing training once you start, especially if you take it slow to begin with, check in with yourself regularly, and do warm ups and stretching at the end of each day. Others argue that doing as much physical training as possible is the best way to prepare and gets you in good shape to start and avoid injuries.

I'm somewhere in the middle - I absolutely believe in training before the trail and think it can only be beneficial, but if you're not in a position to do that (whether it's due to time, location or access to trails) then you can still have a successful thru-hike without training your ass off before you start. This is where paying attention to how each part of your body feels each day will be critical, and not letting ego get the best of you when deciding how many miles to do each day at the start.

For example, I decided before I even hit the trail that I was only going to do 15 miles on my first day to Hauser Creek, instead of the 20 miles to Lake Morena that many people push for. I knew if I went into the PCT with the mentality of just pushing through the miles without getting a feel for the trail and the impacts on my body that I could end up getting injured early on. While I felt great on day 1 and could have kept going, I still stopped after 15 miles, had an early night and felt refreshed and ready for the next day.

One of my training hikes for the PCT in February 2023.

Gear

This is many peoples' favourite part of planning a thru-hike. Do you have all the gear you need to do this? What do you have that is good enough to continue using, and what will need upgrading? Whose advice do you trust when putting together your kit? Just because someone recommends a product, it doesn't mean it's right for you (especially if they're getting paid to recommend it to you).

If you're looking for inspiration or a place to start, check out my current thru-hiking gear list. You could even compare it to what I had when I first started the PCT by looking at my Lighterpack here.

If you really need to buy new gear because you either didn't have it before or because your version of it is on its last legs, go for it. But if you suspect you'll need or just want something new, I like waiting until you get on trail to see how it impacts you. It's pretty easy to buy new things along the trail, both from local gear stores or from ordering online, and by waiting to see how you feel on trail you could save yourself some expensive gear mistakes.

For example, I had a Gregory Octal 55L before the PCT and while it was fine, I knew I was likely to want a different backpack once I got on trail. If I had ordered one before I started I would've chosen something much bigger and completely different to what I chose in the end. After 6 weeks on trail I finally chose to order the Durston Gear Kakwa 40L, which is my literal perfect thru-hiking backpack.

By waiting you could also get great insight from other hikers with what's working and not working for them, or even test their gear, so you can make good choices and less expensive mistakes.

On Section B of the Great Divide Trail

Safety Considerations on Trail

Being safe on trail has so many different facets. The ones that impact everyone equally are making sure you have a satellite communication device (such as a Garmin InReach) to be able to send check-in messages to your loved ones or an SOS call from anywhere, even without cell service. Having good navigation systems is key, even on very well maintained trails. Wildlife mitigations such as a bear canister/bag and bear spray may also be a necessity. Understanding how to read weather forecasts properly and as accurately as possible will help keep you safe and make good decisions when navigating mountainous terrain.

Then there are other safety considerations that impact some people more than others, depending on who you are and where you're coming from. Being a solo woman, a person of colour, a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, or navigating through a country where the government is executing its own citizens are all things to be mindful of when you're thru-hiking, even if the Brads and Chads of Facebook tell you to "shut up and just go hiking". Be vigilant with who you accept hitches from, look after yourselves and each other, and if anything feels off - trust your gut and try to move on quickly.

One of the other things you can do when considering safety on your trail is search Facebook for any groups that may help you along the trail. The Triple Crown Trails in particular have so many trail angel groups, often for specific sections of each trail, where you can post looking for rides or accommodation in each town. I found this to be quite successful and made me more comfortable with knowing who the person was ahead of time, and how good their reputation is within the group.

Mental preparation

Before I hiked the PCT, I was certain that my biggest challenge would be physical. I viewed myself as a pretty mentally strong person, and given that I had been planning for this adventure and had been so excited to hike the PCT for years, I was surprised by how the burnout and mental challenge got to me after a few months. Even if you anticipate being mentally challenged by the trail, there are a few things you can do to try to prepare for when this comes up - reading Pacific Crest Trials by Zach Davis and Carly Moree is something that helped me a lot going into the hike.

Expect disruptions to a traditional continuous footpath thru-hike, such as snow, inclement weather, wildfires etc. Think ahead of time about how you're going to handle challenges like these, possible injuries, financial issues, or any other common spanners in the works.

Travelling to the start of the trail

Unless you live right at the start of the trail, you'll need to travel to get there. This is obviously unique to each person, but usually involve a combination of flights, rides, buses, or trail angels.

If you need a flight, trying to book early or during a sale (Black Friday or Boxing Day are usually good ones) will help save some money. Researching public transport options will likely be the cheapest way to get to the trailhead, or you could post in one of the Facebook groups looking for a ride from a trail angel.

Arranging the transport is actually exciting and when things feel like they're finally starting to come together!

Putting it all together

Planning a thru-hike is by no means an easy thing to do - there are so many logistical things to take care of before you even take one footstep on trail. If you manage to take care of each of these things in this thru-hiking planning guide before you start, you'll be in a great place to set yourself up for success and give yourself a better chance of finishing your trail.

I hope this list has been helpful to get you where you want to be, and if you need any personal help for planning your thru-hike drop me a line - these are my favourite conversations to have!

Happy trails!