Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: The Gear I Used and Why
It was somewhat easy for me to decide to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. But a gigantic hurdle before me was the gear needed for the trip. Here was my — a beginner's — approach.
I am not an ultralight-gear fanatic. I wasn’t an experienced backpacker when I set out. Shockingly, I wasn’t someone with a plan. I was just someone with a passion, and a serious need to get away from my darkness and into the light of the wilderness.
Here is the gear that I used on my hike along the Pacific Crest Trail from head to toe, day and night. Yes, there’s lots of great gear out there, so how did this gear make the cut?
Through a combination of trial and error, a few handouts, some work ethic, and downright beginner’s luck. And I didn’t need to save thousands of dollars to purchase them, or research high and low, or obsess about ounces and tag-cutting. I did quite the opposite in fact. I somewhat closed my eyes and hoped for the best. And somehow it got me to the monument. Here’s how this process can get you there, too!
October 4, 2023
Sean Jansen
Sean Jansen is a freelance writer and seasonal wilderness guide in Yellowstone National Park. During his off season from guiding, he partakes in a litany of expeditions ranging from thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail to his recent trip, standup paddling down the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. Through recovery from alcoholism, he has moved into a van and spends his time fly fishing trout streams, training for ultra-marathons, and searching the coast for un-surfed waves. With a passion for wilderness and wild places, he often takes his pen and paper on trips and finds ways that the outdoor recreation activities he loves can give back to conservation and environmental areas in need.
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