2017 FKT Plans: The Pace

What does hiking the entire PCT in 2 months look like? I am still trying to get my own head around the idea. It is important that I go into such a big hike with my eyes open because there will be some super hard days and I will be mostly alone. Going in with the wrong expectations would be a recipe to fall apart when things got really difficult. So I will talk a bit about the realities of this hike as though you, the reader, have no idea what I am talking about.

Southern end of the trail at the  Mexican border
Picture borrowed from this site

Take the average day hike, it is usually 3-6 miles. Now think of a "long" hike, like 10 miles. How long would it take to finish that hike? For most people, the answer is 4-5 hours. That is an average speed of 2-2.5 miles per hour. The PCT changes length a little every year due to trail alterations but it is between 2600 and 2700 miles long. Lets just round up to 2700 miles to make the math pretty... in order to finish the trail in 60 days, I would have to hike (on average) 45 miles every day with no breaks. At 2 miles per hour, that would be 22.5 hours of hiking every day. At 2.5 miles per hour, that would be better but still a staggering 18 hours of hiking each day. That is without breaks of any sort! That leaves 6 hours of the day to sleep, stop and talk, get water, cook, etc. Here's what it looks like in a table...

Lake Morena (Day 1)
Picture borrowed from this site

Assumption of a 2700 mile long trail and 60-day hike:
Average day of hiking: 45 miles   
Rate: 1 mph                                Daily hours of hiking: 45 hours
Rate: 1.5 mph                             Daily hours of hiking: 30 hours
Rate: 2 mph                                Daily hours of hiking: 22.5 hours
Rate: 2.5 mph                             Daily hours of hiking: 18 hours
Rate: 3 mph                                Daily hours of hiking: 15 hours
Rate: 3.5 mph                             Daily hours of hiking: 12.9 hours
Rate: 4 mph                                Daily hours of hiking: 11.25 hours
Rate: 4.5 mph                             Daily hours of hiking: 10 hours
Rate: 5 mph                                Daily hours of hiking: 9 hours

A view from Mount Laguna (Day 2)
Picture borrowed from this site

The conclusion: I must hike at very least 3 mph to make it in the time I have allotted for the hike. Otherwise, I will not get the sleep/rest time required to finish 2 months of hiking. To add to this complexity, a rushed pace can wear people down more quickly and make them more prone to injury. So I will spend a substantial amount of prep time focusing on developing a natural but swift walking gait, and strengthening my ankles, knees, and hips.

Eagle Rock, near Warner Springs (Day 3)
Picture borrowed from this site

The above consideration are just focused on pace, but there is a lot to do on the trail. I also have to consider how much time it takes to setup/take down my camp, pack and unpack, get and cook food, walk to get supplies, and simply talk with people. A rushed pace almost certainly means more blisters to treat, which takes time.  All of these other activities make a difference, easily adding to a couple hours of time if I am not careful, so I will have to be very aware of how I spend my time when not hiking as well.

San Jacinto Mountains (Day 4)
Picture borrowed from this site

Thus, I will approach the hike from a standpoint of searching for the equilibrium that gives me the best performance. My primary goal will be to have a natural pace that is as fast as possible so that I have time to sleep and eat. But I cannot push too hard or something like my knees will give out! So I must listen carefully to my body, pushing hard but not too hard.

Mount San Jacinto (Day 5)
Picture borrowed from this site

But enough hypothetical talk. What is my actual goal on the actual trail? Below, I have laid out my ideal pace for the trail. I used Halfmile's maps and phone app to find campsite that were a solid 40-50 miles from each days starting point...

(For the record, Halfmile is a hiker who provides a new map of the PCT, complete with water sources, campsites, and resupply points, every year. The files are free of charge! Click here for more info on maps of the PCT.)

San Gorgonio Wilderness (Day 6)
Picture borrowed from this site

Below, I have listed my tentative schedule of campsites while hiking. Sorry if this is boring you! It helps me to have everything written down... not floating around in my head.
Here's an interactive map if you want to see find these spots on the trail!

Day 1: Camp at mile 42.10 (Mount Laguna)
Day 2: Camp at mile 82  (Just past Hwy 78)
Day 3: Camp at mile 129.24 (About 20 miles south of Hwy 74)
Day 4: Camp at mile 172.24 (A ridge in the San Jacinto Mountains)
Resupply at ZiggyBear's
Day 5: Camp at mile 226.17 (About 15 miles north of Hwy 10)
Day 6: Camp at mile 274.96 (Next to Big Bear Lake)
Day 7: Camp at mile 317.96 (Near the Mojave River Forks Dam)
Day 8: Camp at mile 364.36 (Near the city of Wrightwood)
Day 9: Camp at mile 410.34 (A few miles north of Hwy 2)
Resupply at Agua Dulce
Day 10: Camp at mile 465.93 (10 miles north of Agua Dulce)
Day 11: Camp at mile 508.14 (12 miles south of Hwy 138)
Day 12: Camp at mile 569.41 (Just north of Hwy 58)
Day 13: Camp at mile 634.18 (20 miles south of Walker Pass)
Day 14: Camp at mile 676.09 (Next to Lamont Mountain)
Resupply at Kennedy Meadows
Day 15: Camp at mile 716.47 (10 miles north of Kennedy Meadows)
Day 16: Camp at mile 759.97 (5 miles south of the trial to Mount Whitney)
Day 17: Camp at mile 799.85 (10 miles north of Glenn Pass)
Day 18: Camp at mile 846.02 (15 miles north of Muir Pass)
Day 19: Camp at mile 893.59 (5 miles north of McGee Pass)
Day 20: Camp at mile 933.61 (10 miles south of Tuolumne Meadows)
Resupply at Tuolumne Meadows
Day 21: Camp at mile 982.38 (15 miles north of Benson Pass)
Day 22: Camp at mile 1027.92 (10 miles north of Sonora Pass)
Day 23: Camp at mile 1072.54 (5 miles south of Carson Pass)
Day 24: Camp at mile 1118.59 (15 miles north of Dick's Pass)
Day 25: Camp at mile 1167.03 (10 miles north of Donner Pass)
Day 26: Camp at mile 1213.61 (20 miles north of Hwy 14)
Day 27: Camp at mile 1267.81 (A few miles north of Buck's Lake)
Resupply At Belden
Day 28: Camp at mile 1325.52 (5 miles north of PCT midpoint)
Day 29: Camp at mile 1367.17 (10 miles south of Hwy 44)
Day 30: Camp at mile 1415.85 (Burney Falls)
Resupply at Burney Falls
Day 31: Camp at mile 1468.42 (McCloud River west of Grizzly Peak)
Day 32: Camp at mile 1517.38 (15 miles west of I5 Freeway)
Day 33: Camp at mile 1566.27 (20 miles south of Russian Wilderness)
Day 34: Camp at mile 1621.18 (Just south of Black Marble mountain)
Resupply at Seiad Valley
Day 35: Camp at mile 1672.96 (15 miles south of the Oregon border)
Day 36: Camp at mile 1722.57 (South of Ashland near Pilot rock)
Day 37: Camp at mile 1760.80 (Brown Mountain cabin)
Day 38: Camp at mile 1812.24 (Mazama Village Campground)
Resupply at Mazama Village Campground (Crater Lake)
Day 39: Camp at mile 1869.61 (5 miles south of Windigo Pass)
Day 40: Camp at mile 1927.84 (East of Waldo Lake)
Day 41: Camp at mile 1977.33 (Near Lava Camp lake)
Day 42: Camp at mile 2027.79 (Jefferson Park)
Resupply at Olallie Lake Resort
Day 43: Camp at mile 2075.27 (North shore of Timothy Lake)
Day 44: Camp at mile 2125.08 (20 miles south of the Columbia river)
Resupply at Cascade Locks
Day 45: Camp at mile 2174.11 (Trout creek in the Wind River Valley)
Day 46: Camp at mile 2221.32 (Trout Lake Creek, 5 miles south of Hwy 23)
Day 47: Camp at mile 2266.22 (5 miles south of Goat Rocks)
Resupply at White Pass
Day 48: Camp at mile 2317.88 (Dewey Lake, near Chinook pass)
Day 49: Camp at mile 2365.18 (Just north of Tacoma pass)
Resupply at Snoqualmie Pass
Day 50: Camp at mile 2411.27 (20 miles north of Snoqualmie pass)
Day 51: Camp at mile 2457.34 (5 miles south of Stevens pass)
Resupply at Stevens Pass
Day 52: Camp at mile 2504.32 (Just north of Red pass, south of Glacier Peak)
Day 53: Camp at mile 2556.98 (10 miles south of High Bridge/Stehekin)
Day 54: Camp at mile 2609.63 (10 miles south of Harts pass)
Day 55: Arrive in Canada (Mile 2650)

San Gorgonio Wilderness (Day 7)
Picture borrowed from this site

I planned these sites based on availability of water and may not actually use them but it will be nice to have a goal to keep track of my day-to-day progress. You will also notice that I overestimated quite a bit and that my planned pace finishes in far below 60 days. I feel these are ways that I can be prepared mentally for the challenge I will face. I am not looking to match the current FKT, nor am I really trying to beat it. I am trying to set a goal for myself that is on the verge of impossible. Sitting with my hundreds of pages of maps, I set this goal for myself. Hypothetically, it is possible but only time will tell if I can make it!

Deep Creek, near Wrightwood (Day 8)
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