This trail spans all North American countries: Meet some of the hikers who take it on

Each spring, the small mountain hamlet of Idyllwild in California sees an influx of Pacific Crest Trail hikers who make a stop in town, which is located near the 179th mile of the 2,650-mile trek.

The trail stretches from the Mexican border through California, Oregon and Washington before ending at the Canadian border, covering a wide variety of landscapes and symbolizing “everything there is to love – and protect – in the Western United States,” according to the Pacific Crest Trail Association.

This year’s hikers are contending with historic snowpack levels in California, the latest example of how climate change and extreme weather are reshaping the storied trail.

The number of Pacific Crest Trail hikers has dramatically increased in recent years, which many attribute to the release of Cheryl Strayed's book "Wild" in 2012 and the movie with the same title starring Reese Witherspoon released in 2014. The book and movie chronicle Strayed's 1,100-mile solo journey on the Pacific Crest Trail in 1995 after a divorce and her mother's death.

A total of 4,125 northbound thru-hike permits were issued for the Pacific Crest Trail in 2022, up from 988 in 2013, according to the Pacific Crest Trail Association. The total number of permits, which also includes the less-popular southbound route or permits to hike just a section of the trail, was 7,852 in 2022, up from 1,879 in 2013. Just 603 of those permits were for southbound thru-hikes.

The Desert Sun stopped in Idyllwild in May to speak with hikers about what brought them to the Pacific Crest Trail.

'Step by step'

Iris Sojer, a 32-year-old opera singer from Germany, made her first visit to the U.S. this year to conquer the Pacific Crest Trail. She first became interested in long-distance trails through trips in Scotland and spent the past four years planning and hoping for a PCT trek. After her father died last year, she decided it was finally time to make the jump. Sojer asked her opera house for a four-month sabbatical to tackle the trail.

“That was quite a big thing, nobody does that in my job. But last year, I just thought, ‘OK, I have to do this now and just ask, and say what I want out loud.’ And it all worked out because I dared to ask,” she said.

Hiking for months on end is "intimidating," Sojer said, but she plans to take it “step by step, day by day.”

"It's quite rough not only physically but also mentally. Nature does something to you on an emotional level, and sets free a lot of emotions, and you look back at your life back home from a different angle. ... It's been beautiful and exhausting and overwhelming," Sojer said.

'I've wanted to do this for 10 years'

Megan Swinney, a 21-year-old from Kansas City, Missouri, says she’s wanted to hike the PCT for about a decade – meaning she first became interested in the trail when she was around 11 years old.

“I was at Glacier National Park when I was 11 or 12, and there was a group of people there on a backpacking trip. I thought it was so cool how they were carrying all the stuff they needed and living out of a backpack, and I just went down a rabbit hole from there researching trails, and once I learned about the Pacific Crest Trail, I was like, ‘I need to do that,’” Swinney said.

Swinney first hiked the 567-mile Colorado Trail when she was 19, and after recently graduating with a biology degree from the University of Central Missouri, she finally had time to hike the PCT.

“I’ve wanted to do this for 10 years, I just wanted to get through high school and college as quickly as possible. And now I’m here,” she said.

Two dentists hit the trail

Brayden Fracchia, 27, and T.J. Trottier, 28, are hiking the PCT in between jobs. The two dentists lived in Australia for the past eight years, and will start new jobs in Canada after they leave the trail. One of the biggest challenges they’ve faced so far has been border security, said Fracchia, as they tried to explain their plans to spend a few months camping in the U.S. with “no current country, and no home address.”

They’ll embark on a new challenge after finishing the PCT, when they plan on working together.

“We’re going to work in the same place after this, which might be more challenging than anything. ... We figure if we can survive (the PCT together), we should be able to work together,” Fracchia said.

A former Marine on his first long trail

Chandler Dillard, a 25-year-old from San Diego, first heard about the PCT as a 19-year-old while in the Marines. After his military service ended in 2021, he started looking into getting permits.

“We did ‘excursions’ in the Marines, but nothing like this. ... I’ve never done any hiking more than around three days,” Dillard said. “And I grew up in Texas and I’ve lived in San Diego for the last five years, so I’m definitely intimidated by the snow this year. It’s pushing me out of my comfort zone.”

'Like coming home'

John Proska, a 37-year-old from the Chicago area, is embarking on his second long trail this year after hiking the Colorado Trail last year. After working as a Certified Public Accountant for many years, he’s now focused on hiking through the spring and summer and skiing in the winter.

“It’s a weird experience, but to me (the trail) feels like coming home,” Proska said.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Pacific Crest Trail: Meet some hikers who take on the 2,650-mile trek