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Just found out the Pacific Crest Trail is way longer than I thought
I was looking at the official PCT website yesterday. It says the trail is 2,650 miles long. For some reason I always thought it was under 2,500. That extra 150 miles is like hiking from San Diego to Phoenix. Makes planning a thru-hike seem even bigger. Has anyone else had a trail distance totally surprise them?
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phoenix_lewis8d ago
My Colorado Trail guidebook was off by like 40 miles.
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Yeah, I had that happen with the Appalachian Trail. I kept telling people it was around 2,100 miles. Then I looked it up and it was over 2,190. That extra bit felt like adding a whole extra state. I just started adding a flat 10% to any trail length I read about now. It's the only way to manage expectations.
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aaron8548d ago
You're totally right about that extra distance feeling huge. I did the same thing with a local trail listed as 15 miles. My GPS tracked it at almost 17 by the end. Those little additions really mess with your head when you're tired. Adding a buffer is the only smart move. I just round everything up now and am still sometimes surprised.
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