Found out the Pacific Crest Trail has a 45% completion rate and it kind of blew my mind

I was reading the PCTA's annual survey report last night and saw that stat, made me wonder how many people actually prepare for things like the Sierra snowpack before they start.

2 comments

2 Comments

jamie7946d ago

Yeah that 45% number really sticks with you. I think a lot of folks just don't realize how hard the Sierra snowpack can be in a heavy year. People see the pretty pictures online but don't plan for postholing through slush at 10,000 feet in June.

casey8436d ago

I had a buddy who trained for a year on flat Midwestern trails, showed up at the southern terminus with brand new gear, and bailed before Kennedy Meadows because he couldn't handle the daily elevation gain. He told me he spent more time looking at his phone than at snow reports or water caches, and that was his whole problem. That 45% number makes a lot more sense when you hear stories like his, don't you think?