We are heading out next week. Checking forecasts, FarOut and otherwise getting ready.
https://www.longtrailsweather.net/azt/forecast.html — the AZT’s weather forecast.
Pictures from this hike: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/18DdvYwx6i/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Some times the fine print leaves you speechless.
But this was honest. Keep it in mind every time you read a “best of” or a “recommended” list or post—including mine.
For international hikers.
. . . . . . .
Q: WHAT ABOUT STAYING IN CANADA POST-TRAIL (RATHER THAN RETURNING TO THE UK?
Off the cuff, it couldn’t hurt for OP (u/Profession_Horror) to have a letter from their Canadian employer, on company letter head, to have available to (if requested) hand to the interviewing officer.
This letter would include:
• OP’s name as it appears on their passport
• OP’s passport number
• OP’s DOB
• Name/Title/Phone of Canadian Employer
• Canadian Employer’s website and address
• ”In-person employment shall begin on-or-about DD-MMM-YYYY.”
• ”If you have any questions, I am available for any questions.”Basically, give the Officer the means to (quickly and easily) verify OP’s story. Again, “bring the receipts”.
And if asked — and I can’t stress this enough — there will be absolutely no work performed while in America. The conditions of a B2 visa do not allow being paid, effectively, for anything while traveling in America…so no side-gigs, no freelancing, no remote work, etc.
• If asked, “Are you working while hiking the PCT?”, the answer is “No, I am not. I have sufficient savings to support myself for the duration. Here is that documentation…”
• If asked, “But aren’t you going to sell necklaces or something like the other hippie travelers?” — that’s a trick question — the answer is “No officer. That would not be allowed under my visa classification as a B2 visitor. Here’s the documentation I have sufficient funds to support myself…”ABOUT FORM I-9
Since OP is from the UK (which participates in the Visa Waiver Program), it is important to double-check that Form I-9 shows OP has entered America under their B2 and not the Visa Waiver Program.
i.e. “Hello Officer…yes, I am from the UK, but I am traveling under my B2 visa, and not the Visa Waiver Program. I just wanted to mention it so my I-9 is notated correctly. I will be visiting America for more than 90 days which is why I have my B2 good for up to 180 days…because the last thing I want is to go out-of-status by overstaying myself.”
CONTEXT: The B2 Visa is what goes into a traveler’s passport, but the Form I-9 is what the Officer registers into their systems as to what visa classification a traveler actually enters the country.
A copy of Form I-9 is given to the travel.
Don’t lose your form I-9. Take a picture of it too.
And BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE COUNTER WITH THE CUSTOMS OFFICER, double-check that your form I-9 reflect travel under the B2 visa (and not the Visa Waiver Program).
I stress this because a few years back there was a terrific hiker who had his I-9 completed incorrectly, and it was sorta a mess getting it straightened out. (We did.)
Think of it like this:
• B2 Visa = Up to 180 days (subject to the actual visa approval)
• Visa Waiver Program = Up to 90 days
• Form I-9 = The document given to you at the border saying if you are officially traveling under the B2 vs. VWP.So if you’re planning to hike for ≈150d, you need to be traveling on the B2, otherwise you’ll go out of status.
(And for the lurkers, yes, I’m intentionally ignoring scenarios like leaving trail on day 80, going to another country for 2w-3w, then coming back on-trail. That’s beyond the scope of this comment.)
OP – If the above is clear as mud, please feel free to DM me?
A lot of the above stuff is generic and applies to everyone, and I know you have a specific concern. But I also wouldn’t be too concerned.
A few good pieces of paper showing your (a) map, (b) budget, (c) letter from your Canadian Employer, and (d) estimated schedule while away from the UK will tell your story.
Just add a few weeks/months to your itinerary to include your Canadian dates. Something like this:
• XX-April | FLY UK>USA, ENTER United States
• XX-April/XX-September | Hike the PCT (est. ≈XX miles/day, ≈2,680mi total)
• On or about XX-September | Complete PCT
• On or about XX-September | EXIT United States, ENTER Canada
• No later than XX-September | Begin work at XXX-Canadian company
• On or about XX-YYYYYYY | Conclude work at XXX-Canadian company
• On or about XX-YYYYYYY | EXIT Canada, ENTER United Kingdom
And
Thanks, Numbers. You’re basically correct.
I’ll reply to OP more when I’m at my laptop. Guess I found my laptop…
But in short: Objective documentation are always the best story telling aids.
Why?…
You don’t want to rely upon the Officers to trust you…you want them to rely upon trusting your process. By that I mean “bring the receipts”.
The border officer in Phoenix will not care where OP goes post-trail, only that they “leave America”. Could be back to the UK, could be to Canada, could be to Kirbati…the point is that there is a plan to depart America prior to the expiry of their visa and so they will not go “out of status”.
Below, I skip around a bit (a lot?), but I do touch on the specific question of the post-trail Canadian employment.
. . . . . . .
WHAT NOT TO SAY AT THE BORDER CROSSING?…
Don’t say too much. Your visa has already been approved, but the Officer at the border has the authority to decline entry.
They don’t need your life story. They are looking for risk factors.
I often tell travelers, “Remember…all countries are the same. The first line of defense, before the Defense Department, is Customs and Border Control. The Officers want to say “yes”, but their job is to say “no”.”
Consequently, the border crossing is not about you, but about them. Make their life easy. Address them as “Officer”. Slow down and ask them to repeat themselves if you did not hear them, or misunderstood. (This is especially true for travelers for whom English is a second language.) Answer their questions, and ask if they would you like to elaborate further if they find any of your answers unclear.
End of the day, from the POV of US Customs & Immigration, international PCT hikers are (1) a potential security and/or safety risk, (2) NOT a worker potentially removing USD dollars from American workers (by working in America outside the terms of their B2 visa), and (3) a tourist willfully giving their dollars to help fund the US economy.
This evaluation is true for every country, not just America. But for OP? That’s ^ the hierarchy of how PCT hikers are evaluated at the border crossing.
. . . . . . .
WHEN TALKING ABOUT “ENOUGH MONEY TO FUND THE TRIP”…
This comes up every year. The issue is one of “What is the frame of reference the Officer is using to evaluate the traveler?”
To travel in America, for 5 months, on $10,000 USD, will be a red flag unless the traveler can explain “What is a thru hike?”
Some Officers will understand what the PCT “is”. Others will not. They will think “There’s no way this traveler can stay in 150nts of hotels, and pay for 150 days of transportation on only $10,000?”
So OP need to be prepared with:
•
1. a hard-copy map, printed on A4 paper, to serve as a "prop" to contextualize exactly what is meant by "I'm going to hike from here-to-here."• 2. A hard-copy budget, printed on A4 paper, to serve as a “prop” to show “I’ve done the math, and I do have enough USD (plus extra) to support myself and not become a ward of the state”. (I’ve even told international travelers not to only bring a copy of their bank account balance, but (1) a copy of the current exchange rate and (2) a copy of their credit card statement showing additional “available credit” above their cash savings.)
The idea is to make it an “easy yes” for the Officer if they’re unfamiliar with a thru hike.
Additionally, since the PCT is an outdoor (aka “risky”) activity, having a hard-copy of one’s proof-of-health-insurance, in OP’s case, UK National Health, it’s just a good thing to have. Why? There is a long history of international travelers visiting America, “getting a weak heart”, going to the ER to have it looked at, then disappearing with no intention of paying the ER bill.
(I wish I were kidding. As I understand the story, it goes back to Soviet times when those traveling for cultural exchanges wanted to be seen by Western doctors for a second opinion. Consequently, visas are only issued to some countries after evidence of health insurance is presented as part of the visa application itself.)
So for OP? It can’t hurt to have a handy hard-copy of the UK National Health documents which they probably will have anyways (because it is the PCT after all). Just have the documentation available, if needed, for the border crossing rather than buried in your pack.
. . . . . . .
Q: WHAT ABOUT MY 1.5H LAYOVER IN PHOENIX?
OP will likely clear customs in Phoenix, not San Diego, since PHX is the “port of entry”.
Fortunately, Phoenix has a large outdoor community. The officers are likely going to know of the PCT, and if not, it can be described to them.
• It’s not a bad idea to bring a hard-copy piece of A4 paper with the entire trail (California to Canada) so if they ask, “What is the PCT?” you simply can show “I’m walking from here…to here.” (Again, documentation is your best story telling aid.)
• 1.5H to clear customs and get to OP’s connecting flight is possible. But if there are any delays, there won’t be much wiggle room. Focus on things step-by-step. Clear customs first. If you miss your connection, there are loads of flights from PHX>SAN. You can talk to the airline and they should put you on the next one.
• If you see the customs line is “really long”, see if you can find an airline employee. Flag them down and ask for help. They have the ability (and authority) to walk travelers with special needs or tight connections to the front of the line. (They can not help with your crossing, but they can shorten the line.) Look for the airline employees usually a bit before you get in line.
• Look at the PHX terminal maps before your travel? PHX is big. If your gates are at opposite ends, it can take hot minute…end to end of Terminal 4 is ≈0.7km-1.0km.
On the other hand:
No link, but you can find it online easily. 40 watts. Gallium circuits to avoid overheating. Two outlets so I can charge a power bank and my phone at the same time.
Great product.
The TSA was going to cancel pre-check and they just relented and brought it back.
Great way to easily improve battery life on trail.
Our pre-AZT training is going well. I’m carrying at or more than my pack weight on trail and we are now doing longer distances and elevation.
I know. We only need to do 10–12 miles a day but I really want to have it go easier rather than harder.
I’m guessing as to the locations the wallpaper came from.
Adding to gear I’ve abandoned:
So much abandoned I don’t even keep them in the gear closet. Strange. I grew up camping with my family and binoculars were always a part of that.
I even own my grandfather’s binoculars that are over a hundred years old I suspect. These days I don’t carry a set and I really don’t see anyone with them either.
Since the shuttle service runs once a day, Gazelle made some smart plans to make use of what otherwise would be a dead afternoon due to when our flight gets in.
This post explains and sets our plans out.
It starts with being aware that where you can reach the trailhead is at about mile 1.8. That point is circled on the map.
So we fly in. Pick up and rent a truck using points.
Drive to the trailhead at mile 1.8.
From there we hike to the terminus. Then we hike back to the trail head/parking lot. That is a loop of 3.6 miles.
Unfortunately you can’t start at the terminus, the closest you can get is 1.8 miles away. Most people do that at the start of their first day on trail. We will do that on Day 0 which will get us 3.6 miles ahead on what is a rough day with a lot of ascent.
After all, from the terminus at below 6,000 feet to the peak is over 2,700 feet of ascent over 6.4 miles. We will do part of it in the afternoon.
After we get that done we drive back, return the truck and go to our hotel to rest.
Day one we catch the early morning shuttle and start climbing from mile 1.8.
That way on Day 1 we hike from 1.8 to the peak at 6.4 instead of from mile 0. That is 4.6 miles instead of 8.2 to get to the peak that it would take without the day 0 plan. Then we continue downhill to bathtub springs at mile 8 and downhill to camping at 11.3 where there is also water.
That location even has one bar Internet/Verizon which I expect we won’t use. But it is nice to think about.
So we have a plan that makes use of dead time and also makes for an easier day one.
I think it was a great idea Happy6/Gazelle had.
Will see how it goes.
Unfortunately I have to manually update my table of contents. I got it updated today.
It is here: https://adrr.com/d20/table-of-contents
It registers the following as it is dated to the last entry included rather than when I did the update.
*Updated as of February 11, 2026*
Wallpaper My phone wallpaper randomly brings up trail pictures which is a delight.
Photo albums Lost Coast Trail — that is my photo album for the Lost Coast Trail. Not really enough pictures to make my table of contents list of photo albums but fun.
Quirk What is strange is that the photo album software creates photo albums for me, including ones without pictures in them, that I have no input into along with the ones I do and create myself. 🤷♂️
On trail there are a few of these that are useful.
That is, ten miles by ten o’clock. Once you have trail legs, getting up early and being on trail by 6:30 or sooner and hiking until 10 o’clock or so before your first break can really make a day go better.
Break at 10 for second breakfast. Break at 12ish for lunch and a siesta. Then hike until before sunset when you stop to pitch your tent, treat water and have dinner makes for great days.
Very much a PCT or CDT thing and only after you have trail legs.
Hiking with a wind shirt over your sun hoodie and a buff around your neck on a brisk morning will get you off to a cool start. But you warm up soon enough.
It helps build confidence if you do some practice hikes that way. It also helps if you wear a hat regardless of the sun.
Hats are surprisingly good at making you warmer. I’ve known a number of people who lived in hats. It is a good trail habit to get into.
All that said, what I’m really in favor of is starting cool, not actually starting cold.
That phrase is a catch phrase, not part of a syllogism.
But trying to backpack in a way that minimizes additional impact and makes trails sustainable is a good thing.
That is, feel free to do it your own way. What works for you may not work for me and vice versa.
However, to paraquote:
This cliché is often misused as an excuse for poor trail etiquette, like leaving trash or starting fires during burn bans. It should apply to personal choices, like mileage or footwear, not actions that negatively impact others or the environment. Some discussion.
https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail/hike-your-own-hike-really/
https://thetrek.co/hyoh-does-not-apply/
Sometimes the phrase or the acronym HYOH is used to say “buzz off.”
So it has pretty varied uses.
People often carry stuff that is just unnecessary and heavy—trying to pack gear for every possible contingency rather than for the actual trail.
The weight can really add up.
It is so tempting to just carry a little extra weight. A full cook kit instead of a spoon and a pot/cup. A two pound tarp and a four pound tent. A three pound sleeping bag rated for cold weather. A two pound pad to sleep on. Just a few extra pounds of clothes.
That is how as a Boy Scout I hiked with a seventy pound pack.
Two things.
First, for overnight camping and short section hikes that is often the way to go. It is a different experience.
Second, weight sneaks up on you. I’m not telling anyone to go “stupid light” or turn into a trail mooch (someone who skips basics like a lighter or a water filter and borrows them every night). But watch out for weight sneaking up on you.
For long distance and thru-hiking weight control is a key to better experiences.
This is for the AT. The Appalachian Trail has a lot of rain. If you aren’t willing to hike through it, you aren’t going to succeed.
Other trails have their own equivalents, such as Embrace the Suck or Embrace the Brutality.
Pretty self explanatory.
https://www.thehikinglife.com/2024/10/25-things-long-distance-hikers-never-say/
In cold and humid conditions cotton holds onto moisture. In hot desert conditions cotton is often superior but in some conditions it is sub-optimal.
It will rarely, if ever, lead to death, but there is often something better.
Ok. First, if you spend too much time not making miles you won’t get there.
But, most people are hiking because they enjoy it, they didn’t sign up for a death march.
So keep focused, but remember why you are hiking.
Cutting pack weight by cutting things you need.
Examples would be the guy without enough capacity to carry all the water needed. The guy skipping a water filter or treatment. Or the guy who used a cup that was too small as both his cup and a pot.
A true Zero is a complete day with no hiking. Hike in the night before. Stay a day. Hike out the next morning.
A Nero, or near zero, is a day that includes hiking. The most common is hike in, do laundry, buy food and shower and then spend the night and hike out the next day instead of taking it off.
If you do that you spend a lot less money and make better time. It is a good habit to focus on Neros over Zeros.
Thought I’d write an update on hiking poles.
When I’m hiking/walking without weight or on flat double track (double track = roadway, usually dirt and usually now only carrying foot traffic) poles often don’t add much.
Many find that with a light pack or little irregularities they need just one. For example,“Darwin on the Trail” shifted to a single pole for that, and got the Zpacks Altaplex (a tent that needs only one pole) back into production single-handedly, so to speak.
But once your pack gets around 15-20 pounds (or more) or the route gets more texture, two poles really help.
Uphill they make it easier and more stable. Downhill they make it much easier on your knees.
For most trails, and for most people, two poles is the way to go.
Poles can be made of wood, aluminum, fiberglass or carbon. The traditional hiking staff was oak.
For a variety of reasons, modern poles are made of aluminum or carbon with carbide tips.
The handles can be made of many things, but cork, plastic and foam are the three most common. Handles have different shapes.
The tips can either be carbide or they can have rubberized caps.
I started out firmly in favor of aluminum. The weight difference between the materials was insignificant due to a number of factors and aluminum bends while carbon breaks.
I bent poles several times on the Appalachian Trail (the AT). Other trails don’t have the same characteristics as the AT.
I used aluminum until I sheared the bottom six inches off a pole while crossing a snow field on the PCT. The outfitter had only carbon poles so that is what I replaced my poles with.
::As an aside, the old poles went in the hiker box. Before we left town someone I knew had taken the good one for their mother and I ran into a guy at the dollar store who had taken the other. The mother who got the pole later gave us a ride back to trail.
Carbon seems to absorb shock a little better. I just kind of prefer it though I don’t have a firm reason, but that may be it.
Hard plastic handles show up a lot and are ok. They usually cost less and may weigh a hair less than cork. The foam handles don’t feel comfortable for my use. I use cork handles.
I’m now just careful to keep the wildlife from nibbling my cork pole handles. So far I’ve only lost two pole handles to wildlife.
The best handle shape for a handle depends a lot on how you use your poles. I used to like “ergo” handles. The grips on those are tilted. They fit one type of grip much better than the standard straight handle.
I also used to prefer smooth to contoured handles. Smooth works better with some grips. Since the AT I’ve also had times I’ve used the foam extensions further down the pole below the cork. My Leki doesn’t have those.
Over time my grip has changed. I also now rotate how I grip a lot and often palm the tops of my poles.
Contouring (ridges on the grip) has gone from an impediment to useful for me and smooth handle tops from irrelevant to preferred as textures on the top of a pole handle are inconvenient to palming.
These are the brands I’m familiar with.
I’ve owned and own REI poles due to garage sales and such. Great to loan out. Solid.
Black Diamond. I’ve owned and used BD in aluminum and cork. https://andrewskurka.com/black-diamond-alpine-carbon-cork-poles-long-term-review/
At $180 MSRP (edit by d20. They now cost $230), the Alpine Carbon Corks are among the most expensive poles in the market, and they will not be a trivial expense for most backpackers. But I still recommend them if you:
- Can afford the best,
- Will justify the expense with extended use,
- Hike on extremely rugged trails, or off-trail and on early-season snow,
- Are generally hard on your gear, or
- Will stress these poles with a heavy body and/or pack.
Personally, these poles have won me over with their:
- Comfortable cork grips and functional foam extension grips;
- Shafts that are very steady under load, with minimal vibration or bending; and,
- Locks that do not slip, wiggle, or corrode, and that can be easily operated and adjusted.
If you’re on a budget, don’t backpack often, stay on easy trails, and/or have a petite build and tiny pack, look elsewhere. For most backpackers, I typically recommend the Cascade Mountain Tech Quick Lock Poles (my review), which offer 75 percent of the performance for one-sixth the price; or the niche Ultimate Direction FKT Poles (my review), which are the lightest and stiffest poles I’ve ever used.
That is a quote from Skurka on poles.
Leki. The poles were fine. I got them because that was all the outfitter had when I needed a pole (I fell during a water crossing and lost a pole over some rapids). They use a contour grip. When we continued hiking and I could get a non-contour grip they went in the gear closet.
The warranty used to be lifetime and all repairs. It is still more than reasonable. https://lekiusa.com/pages/warranty
Foxelli. Gazelle (I’m still calling Happy6 “Gazelle” especially after our recent trails. She continues to be impressive) got a pair from a hiker box. She liked them. Bought a new pair to take on the trail in the place of the Black Diamond Aluminum Cork she was hiking with.
I’d probably have gone with them if CMT wasn’t so much cheaper.
Cascade Mountain Tech Carbon Cork. Can be repaired with parts from a Foxelli pole. BD poles are not size compatible. I admit. My first pair being under $28 dollars was part of what I like about them.
BD is much harder to adjust than CMT. The flip locks on the CMT adjust easily. When a deer ate the handle off one of my BDs, I was able to replace it with the handle from a set in a hiker box that had flip locks that had slipped a little and the owner could not adjust them.
On the other hand you end up adjusting them often. BD users never adjust.
I’ve liked the way the CMT feel in use. Hard to quantify but I prefer carbon to the other poles we have.
Misc. lots of companies now make hiking poles. Some are fixed length, some only have one adjustment point (to save weight). There are lots of variations. Some are strapless to save weight. Prices are all over the map.
From $19 aluminum poles at Sierra (an outdoor store that is the TJ Max of outdoor stores) to pricier poles from specialty shops, there is a huge variety.
Hiker Hunger I dislike their advertising enough to say never buy from them under any circumstances. That is not an opinion on their poles. Pricewise their poles cost more than Cascade Mountain Tech, more than Foxelli and slightly more than Zpacks as of this date.
Prices always change though. Especially with the tariffs and trade wars.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/s/2XtdVUZU1h
Measured today:
Leki 8.7 ounces per pole.
BD Carbon Cork 8.5 ounces per pole.
CMT 7.4 ounces per pole.
Foxelli with tape. 8.2 ounces per pole. (My wife wraps some duct tape around her poles for emergencies)
Old BD Aluminum with rubber tips and plastic handle. 11.1 ounces per heavy duty pole.
Newer BD cork handled aluminum poles weigh 8.7 ounces each (including duct tape). The Black Diamond (BD) Carbon Cork had no duct tape so the weight is even closer than it appears.
On the AT I found the rubber tip covers very useful. They grip granite better than carbide and they don’t dig into soft or wet ground as much.
Rubber tip covers are also called end caps and rubber boots as well as pole feet.
They are valuable for using poles in buildings or cities if you have a need for poles in day to day life as a neighbor of mine does.
However, the AT is littered with pole tips. They come off much too easily and quickly. I avoided losing them by using epoxy to hold the poles on tightly.
Once I got away from the AT I quit using the tips. The harder ground is perfect for the carbide tips.
It has been years since I used pole tip covers.
https://andrewskurka.com/trekking-pole-replacement-tips-buyers-guide-instructions/
Everything you need to know about replacing pole tips.
So. I own the standard safety whistle and have carried it “just in case.”
Next to my favorite place for ice cream there was a protest.
A cute ten year old (?) kid gave my wife and I whistles.
Lighter. Surprisingly loud. Free.
I think I have a new whistle for backpacking now.
Ice cream was great.
