text: The subtitle for Cheryl Strayed’s memoir Wild is “From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail”. For those not familiar with the story, Strayed finds herself on a course of self-destructive behavior which she attempts to redirect by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. The not-too-subtle implication here is that for those whose have made poor life decisions and whose are on a path of recklessness, then just go hike a long distance trail and everything will work out. In Cheryl Strayed’s case, it seems to have. She overcame arriving underprepared, with a lack of any real wilderness experience, and a seriously overloaded pack to hike over 1000 miles. 
   
   Then Strayed wrote a remarkably candid book about the events leading up to her hike. The success of her story has made her a respected author and a wealthy woman. However for others that follow her strategy of deliberate ineptitude, things might not turn out so well. 
   
   Some enthusiasts of the trail fear that in the coming years, the PCT will become crowded with so many other ‘lost souls’, seeking some answer to their troubles by hiking 30 miles a day. While the trail is certainly open to all who wish to tackle its challenges, those that choose to arrive unprepared can quickly find themselves in situations on the trail that begin to negatively affect others, as well as the trail environment. 
   
   In the backcountry, hikers expect each other to be mostly self-reliant and follow a standard of leave-no-trace. In town, the actions of one hiker can affect the standing of all hikers who pass through the community. An influx of inexperienced, and often careless wanderers may invariably add strain to the fragile natural and human resources on which hikers rely. 
   
   Likewise even some experienced hikers are often responsible for inappropriate behavior and the resulting often sour reputation of salty hiker trash. It is important for all hikers to recognize their impact on campsites, restaurants, laundromats, stores and post offices and remember to act as ambassadors of the trail. 
   
   Hiking for Salvation 
   
   The Latin phrase solvitur ambulando is occasionally invoked by thru-hikers. It means “it is solved by walking”, and the concept recognizes that many of life’s previously big issues can melt away when we focus simply on hiking every day. By extension, it is understandable how a multi-month thru-hike can be viewed as a life-changing, often cathartic experience. All hikers certainly finish a big a hike changed person. Hiking is an experience that affects us for life. 
   
   However hikers desperate to ‘find themselves’ often embark on such a challenging journey from a mindset of ineptitude, rather than competence. This mentality of deliberate helplessness often leads to on-trail actions that can serve to endanger themselves and the trail environment, and negatively affect the experience of other hikers with whom they share the trail. 
   
   While the trail is certainly a place to learn and grow, setting out on a long hike deliberately unprepared, while hoping to find some ultimate redemption is an undertaking for the foolhardy. Our advice to would-be hikers: Grow a spine first. Then get out there and hike the PCT. ||||| More hikers are expected on the Pacific Crest Trail this year thanks to the movie "Wild," according to the Pacific Crest Trail Association, which preserves and promotes the trail. 
   
   The book "Wild," which has been a best-seller for nearly two years, led to a small increase in inquiries about the trail, "but the movie seems to have had a much bigger effect," said Jack Haskel, trail information specialist for the Pacific Crest Trail Association. "This past December, compared to last year, our website traffic went up 300 percent." 
   
   Requests have also increased for permits for long-distance hikes on the trail. 
   
   The PCT starts near Campo, California, outside San Diego at the Mexican border, and stretches 2,650 miles (4,264 kilometers) through California, Oregon and Washington. It ends in Washington's remote Pasayten Wilderness at the Canadian border. 
   
   Since the 1950s, only 3,346 people have reported hiking the entire length of the trail, but that number has been rising each year — even before the book and movie brought more attention to the trail. 
   
   When Haskel through-hiked the PCT in 2006, 300 people set off to walk the entire route, and about 120 completed it. In 2014, more than 1,000 hikers attempted a through-hike, and about half made it. 
   
   Cheryl Strayed, author of "Wild," hiked 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) of the trail as she recovered from drug abuse, divorce and her mother's death. Reese Witherspoon received an Oscar nomination for best actress for her portrayal of Strayed. Laura Dern was nominated for best supporting actress as Strayed's loving, free-spirit mother. 
   
   "'Wild' is the largest media event ever for the PCT and millions are hearing about it now and are being inspired," Haskel said. 
   
   Both the book and film offer a realistic look at the challenges and rewards of the trek. Strayed ran out of drinking water, slogged through snow and rain, and bloodied her feet in hiking boots a size too small. She had a few frightening encounters with people she met along the way, but also experienced kinship and kindness. Ultimately the trail's serenity and natural beauty helped heal her damaged soul. 
   
   There are no comprehensive statistics on female PCT hikers, but anecdotal observations suggest more women are hitting the trail, too, from fewer than 10 percent of hikers in past years to 30 percent now, Haskel said. 
   
   "There are definitely more women out hiking," Haskel said. "I hear from women who are inspired by 'Wild.' And who knows what this season will bring." 
   
   Hikers hoping to do the whole trail typically start in April or May and end in September, walking more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) a day for five months, with a day off now and then to recuperate and re-supply. Timing is critical: Start too early in the spring and you face flooded creeks and snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains. End too late in the season and you'll hit snow in the Northern Cascade mountains. 
   
   In addition to endurance and careful planning, long-distance hikers also need to think about money. A through-hike can easily cost $6,000, including the flight to San Diego, food for five months and gear like maps, backpack, sleeping bag and tent. "People who head out with $3,000 often find they're running out of money," Haskel said. Through-hikers also typically wear out four or five pairs of trail-running shoes, which are the preferred footgear these days, rather than the boots that caused Strayed agony when she hiked the PCT in 1995. 
   
   But you don't have to hike long distances to enjoy the PCT. You can go for a few hours, a day or an overnight. The PCTA website recommends many popular, accessible options, including Mount Baden Powell near Los Angeles; Mount Rainier and Goat Rocks near Seattle; and the Cascade Locks and Bridge of the Gods near Portland, Oregon, where a scene in the movie was shot. 
   
   The PCTA has also launched a campaign, with Strayed's support, using the hashtag #responsiblywild to promote safety and "leave no trace" practices. Those include protecting water quality, burying human waste, packing out trash and building safe campfires. 
   
   "There are a whole lot of people that are going to be inspired to hit the PCT because of 'Wild' and we really care about making sure that people are traveling safely," Haskel said. 
   
   And stay tuned for Hollywood's next hiking movie when "A Walk in the Woods" comes out later this year starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte. If "Wild" touched your heart, this one may tickle your funny bone: It's based on Bill Bryson's entertaining book about two middle-aged, out-of-shape buddies attempting to walk the 2,189-mile (3,522-kilometer) Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. 
   
   
   
   ||||| Does the PCT have an overcrowding problem? Photo: Pete Brook 
   
   Hiking the PCT: 2016 I set out in April on a six-month trek north along the 2,650-mile trail. I'll be filing dispatches every two weeks. Follow my journey here. 
   
   You can’t talk about the Pacific Crest Trail without mentioning the crowds. For the first 55 years on record, starting in 1952, the most thru-hikers to attempt the full trail, starting at the Mexican border, where I started, was 300, in 2006. But in the past decade—and particularly the last four years, since the release of Cheryl Strayed's Wild—the numbers have spiked. 
   
   So far, in 2016, more than 4,000 long-distance hiking permits have been issued. Not all of them are for hikers who plan to walk fully from Mexico-Canada. A few hundred of the permits will be for section-hikers taking on a 500-mile-plus trek. A few hundred more are for hikers heading out at other times of the calendar year. Still, if you look at the permit sign-up page on the Pacific Crest Trail Association’s (PCTA) website, you’ll see that throughout the eight-week-ish window (approximately mid-March to mid-May) the full quota of 50 permits per day are taken. So there’s 3,000 people attempting the Northbound thru-hike. Furthermore, a few hundred hikers will be heading Southbound between July and November. (The tougher, so-called "SoBo" itinerary is becoming more and more popular in the face of the hordes hiking north.) 
   
   While the PCTA has issued permits for many years, the current permit system—with its 50 permits per day cap—was only introduced in 2015. As a direct response to the spike in numbers, the main aim of the quota system is to spread the number of hikers out and mitigate wear on the trail and environmental damage. This is especially important in the desert environments that dominate the first 700 miles. 
   
   “Deserts are fragile ecosystems. They’re more susceptible to damage and when damage occurs, it lasts longer,” says U.S. Forest Service volunteer Jules Fijolek. “If damage became significant, we’d think about putting in shelters like on the Appalachian Trail. We’re actually trying to avoid that, but the idea is not off the table.” 
   
   In addition to the environmental impact—degraded vegetation, establishment of new camp spots, human waste, etc—there are also real financial costs to essential services. More hikers means more helicopter evacuations and searches. Fijolek says there had already been 20 rescues by April 26. All were in the first 50 miles. 
   
   It’s tough to put a number on exactly how many hikers use the trail during any given period. According to the PCTA, the maximum number of allowable hikers of 50 per day headed out from the Mexican border during the high season in 2015, and 2,800 long-distance permits were issued that year. Of those, approximately 1,200 made it to Canada, Fijolek says. 
   
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   Numbers for this year aren’t available yet—“We’re still in a data collection phase,” says Fijolek—but judging by logbooks and my own observations, we’re close to the 50-hiker-per-day capacity again. 
   
   So far as I can tell, the desired dispersal is working. But it may not hold up as more and more thru-hikers pile on and the only thing delineating when a permitted hiker may hit the trail is the honor system. For a long time, the hiker community, trail angels, and the PCTA were reluctant to adopt a formalized sign-up for what is essentially a wild experience. Stretching back to at least 2004, according to trail angel Donna Saufley, the trail community has been discussing increased numbers, pressures, bottlenecks, and community-led management. But sheer numbers eventually forced the adoption of the current top-down administration of permits. 
   
   No one wants to envision a day when hikers are denied the opportunity to walk. The PCT is a crucible of challenge, change, reconnection, and reinvention. It’s an endeavor open to everyone: it’s call has never come with caveat or exemptions. So even the smallest of restrictions on numbers would be a blow to the spirit of the trail. 
   
   In Warner Springs (mile 110) I met Rusty, 71, who did the thru-hike in 2003. Every year since, he has departed from the Southern Terminus with the plan to hike as far as feels good. Sometimes Rusty makes it 100 miles, sometimes 1,000. In any case, he misses the quieter days. 
   
   “Sometimes, “ he said, “I’d like to hike without seeing a line of ants all the way to Canada.”
target: – Hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail can expect to encounter harsh-but-beautiful landscapes, extreme fatigue, and—these days, at least—traffic. "You can’t talk about the Pacific Crest Trail without mentioning the crowds," Pete Brook writes for Outside. He should know: Brook currently is trekking the 2,650-mile PCT, which runs from the Mexican border through California, Oregon, and Washington to the border with Canada. But don't take his word for it: The Pacific Crest Trail Association so far this year has issued more than 4,000 permits to people planning on tackling at least 500 miles of the trail. To put things in perspective: 300 people attempted to complete the entire PCT in 2006, according to the AP, with about 120 of those making it. In 2014, 1,000 people set off and about half completed the trail. More traffic means more stress on the land, more improperly disposed of poop, and more inexperienced hikers requiring rescue. So what's with the increase in traffic over the past few years? You can thank Cheryl Strayed and her enormously popular memoir-turned-major-motion-picture Wild. After the book came out in 2012, there was a small increase in interest in the trail, the PCTA's Jack Haskel told the AP in 2015. But after the movie, starring Reese Witherspoon, was released in 2014, interest in the PCT exploded. "Millions are hearing about it now and are being inspired," Haskel said. Strayed, more or less unprepared for the journey, hiked 1,100 miles of the trail as a form of therapy as she grappled with personal demons. "However for others that follow her strategy of deliberate ineptitude, things might not turn out so well," writes DontHikeLikeWild.org. "Our advice to would-be hikers: Grow a spine first. Then get out there and hike the PCT." (This female hiker is the "biggest badass you've never heard of.")