Pacific Crest Trail: My Trail Name Is “Detour”

A Pacific Crest Trail Journey: Part 2

Sugar Foot, Take Five, Bad Sherpa, Mr. Clean, Resilience, All You Can Eat … and Matt? Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) hikers rarely use their real names with each other. Early on their way from Mexico to Canada, most adopt a trail name connected to a funny story or their personality. Trail names help build community and give hikers something to talk about when they meet.

I didn’t have one when I started my “North State” (Northern California) section hike at Lassen Volcanic National Park. Because I began in July, I joined the trail halfway through its 2,650 miles. That should let me reach Canada before snow sets in, and I can detour south for the California desert next spring.

So in my first days of hiking, I felt a bit out of place every time I gave my real name to another PCT hiker. No one rushed to suggest a trail name either, as happens often early on the route. How does one choose a new identity? I thought about that for a few hundred miles.

Along the way, a bear who wandered through camp surprised me but did no harm. A skunk alarmed me more but left me no stinkier than before. On the other hand, the quarter-sized blister on my right heel proved a real problem, forcing me to hike in sandals for 50 miles while my wife Karen shipped my running shoes.

I love Lassen Volcanic National Park, where I’ve enjoyed many hikes, climbs, and ski outings. So it hurt to see results of the 2021 Dixie Fire which burned about two-thirds of it. Fire occupies the minds of all PCT hikers, who know a blaze could end the journey at any time.

But I enjoyed detouring to the summit of Fairfield Peak, and then later, to Subway Cave and Burney Falls. Most other hikers stick to the trail and avoid any extra mileage, but I like taking side trips to see more scenery, and the Cascades are mostly new to me.

Hat Creek Resort provided my first bed and shower, which felt great. All the hikers congregate at such havens from trail rigors. The resort’s hosts kindly tolerate the pack of dirty vagabonds drinking beer, stuffing themselves and charging their phones. In such places, hikers also resupply with food and supplies for the next push, either at stores or from boxes they ship themselves.

Summer heat requires an early start, so in Lassen National Forest, I hit the trail by 5am. The trail rewards long hiking days with quicker arrivals at trail towns, which allows lighter pack weight. I planned on hiking 15 miles a day but I’m averaging 20, and plenty of others do more than that.

Though I’ve been backpacking for decades, I find I still have more to learn. For instance, water requires more attention here than other places I’ve hiked. In the North State, the PCT often extends more than a dozen miles between sources. These days, virtually all hikers rely on the FarOut app to locate water sources, campsites and more; no longer is the backcountry a retreat from phones and technology.

I also found new ways to lighten my gear, shipping home unneeded clothes and trading in my sleeping bag and cookware for lighter replacements. That brought my base pack weight (without food or water) to 17 pounds, which isn’t bad, though many travel with even less.

I’m losing weight, too, and not on purpose. Hiking all day while eating little takes a toll and I lost more than ten pounds in my first weeks. Pack weight or no, I need to eat more on the trail. I was glad to discover Packit Gourmet backpacking fare; meals like Texas State Fair Chili and Pasta Beef Bolognese help to satisfy my considerable appetite.

After the burned trees of Lassen, I was glad to reach the healthier Shasta-Trinity and Klamath National Forests, even though they introduced the challenge.

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Main image: The California-Oregon border marks a milestone for hikers.

Read other backpacking & hiking posts here.

Read more by Matt Johanson here.