PCT Hiker Trash Trail Report
#1 – January 1, 2026

Table of Contents

What Is This?

Trail Notes & Observations
Getting a permit
Flooding In California and Washington.

Stories from the Trail
PCT and Mental Health

Trail Tip
Your Bag is only as warm as your Pad.

Be A Part Of…

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What This Is?

PCT Hiker Trash Media is not connected to or affiliated with the PCTA.

Find Us At:

PCT Hiker Trash Media is: The PCT Hiker Trash Trail Reports and the PCT Hiker Trash Anthology.

PCT Hiker Trash Trail Reports will share real-time stories, observations, tips, and moments from the trail.

PCT 2026 Hiker Trash Anthology will preserve these photos, stories, and moments for the Hiker Trash of 2026.

The PCT Yearbook WAS something special to the PCT.
The PCT’s story MUST be preserved.
The PCT 2026 Hiker Trash Anthology IS a fresh start for the Pacific Crest Trail, and it’s Hiker Trash.

The Past
There was a PCT Yearbook.
In 2020, I was looking forward to receiving my PCT 2020 Yearbook.
Long story short, many, including myself, didn’t receive our Yearbooks.
We learned that the editor mailed them out, uninsured, and many were never delivered.

In 2021, nothing was mentioned about a Yearbook.

Having heard nothing about the upcoming 2022 season, I contacted the editor of the Yearbooks to ask if he wanted to hand it over to me. Ultimately, the editor said he would put one out in 2022.

I heard nothing about the PCT Yearbook in 2022 or since.

The Present
I will be hiking on the PCT this year and realized there must be a Yearbook; the PCT’s story must be preserved.
Wanting a fresh start, I decided to create a Not-a-Yearbook.
It’s called the PCT 2026 Hiker Trash Anthology.
A mixture of sophistication and fun, with the smell of PCT Hiker Trash.

In 2022, I talked with the Publisher of the past PCT Yearbooks.
I’ve reconnected with the Publisher, and things are already set up for the PCT 2026 season.
The publisher showed me past PCT Yearbooks, which were more like photo albums with a few pages of PCT hikers from that year.

The PCT Hiker Trash Anthology will tell the story of the PCT Hiker Trash.
It will be told by those who live and breathe the PCT.
The PCT Hiker Trash Anthology will reflect who we really are: The Hiker Trash of the PCT.
The structure will be laid out like the NOBO PCT, beginning in Campo and ending at the Canadian border.

The PCT Hiker Trash Anthology will be more than photos; it will be our stories.

More details on how you can help create this story are coming up.
If there is enough interest, we can also create an SOBO version next year.

The Financial Side
Our publisher is Entourage Yearbooks (EntourageYearbooks.com).
They have been around since 2006.
All payments for the PCT 2026 Hiker Trash Anthology book itself and shipping will be made through them.
At this time, they are charging under $9 shipping and insurance.
If any problems come up with delivery, they will handle them.
They deal with schools and parents around the country; they are set up to make everyone happy.
They hold all payments for the books until they ship out.
If they do not receive an approved final draft of the PCT 2026 Hiker Trash Anthology by mid-January 2026, everyone will be refunded in full.

My goal is to keep the cost of these as low as possible and have them shipped before the end of January (SOBOs are still coming in Nov.).
To keep costs low and cover operating expenses, the PCT Hiker Trash Anthology has something unique and special for 25 of 2026.
The 26th spot must be earned and will be rewarded.
Details in the next Trail Report and on the website.

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Trail Notes & Observations
Getting a permit
Flooding In California and Washington.

Getting a Permit
Since 2020, a recurring concern has been obtaining a PCT permit.
Long story short, if you want one, you can get one.

To “almost” guarantee getting a PCT permit, make sure you are registered on the PCTA website.
You’ll have another chance to get a permit in January.
Even if you don’t get one when it reopens, people drop out as March gets closer.
Years that storms were coming, saw people dropping like flies.

Every year, I kept an eye on available permits, and every year, I found them available.
You’ll have to be flexible with your dates.
Check the PCTA website several times a day, and, more than likely, persistence will pay off if you really want one.

Flooding In California and Washington
If you haven’t heard by now, there has been major flooding along the PCT in California and Washington, with more to come.

Our thoughts are with those who have been affected.

Yes, there is damage, and you should be aware that the trail in many areas will be severely damaged, and there may be limited supplies and Trail Angel support in some of these areas. Mission Creek will be a nightmare. Be prepared.

This is not a message about the problem; it’s letting you know that every year presents challenges on the PCT.

2020 saw the pandemic, social trail shaming, and major wildfires.
Wildfires and snowstorms are a given and have a major impact on the trail, as do summer heat, lions, tigers, and bears.
Ok, no tigers, but there are mountain lions.

The point is, the PCT is about overcoming challenges, and every year it is different, and challenges are part of it.

This year’s storms are part of your PCT adventure.

No matter what the PCT throws at you, when your hike is over, you’ll look back, and overcoming these challenges will be trail tales you’ll be proud of.
I have faith our PCT Hiker Trash community will come together in the end to make this a year we will never forget.

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Stories from the Trail

PCT and Mental Health
“The trail didn’t change me.”

I’ve met many who come to the PCT carrying heavy mental and emotional weight.

Veterans coping with PTSD.
Those grieving the loss of family, friends, homes, businesses, or entire lives they once knew.
Mental health takes many forms, and the PCT can be a powerful place to face it.

This is my story.
In the years leading up to my 2020 PCT hike, I lost my marriage, home, business, brother, and veteran father to suicide, and my mother, who died of a broken heart. I was a mess.

I had read about how practicing Gratitude could improve mindset and attitude.
So, I started small. Each morning, I spent a few moments thinking about things I was Grateful for and watching a short video on Gratitude.

Before hitting the trail, I downloaded the video to my phone and watched it every morning.
Here is a link to it. It was a beautiful way to start A Grateful Day.

I also learned about Trail Names and chose the name Grateful.
Before I left, I tattooed the PCT logo and the words “I am Grateful” on my arm.
When people asked my name, I’d say, “I am Grateful.”
It felt strange at first.
Then it started to feel right.
That’s when the real shift began.

4:30 a.m. on March 12, 2020, San Diego.
I stood outside Lucky DS Hostel waiting for my ride to the border.

Minutes later, my driver arrived.
Driver: “You Grateful?”
Me: “I am Grateful.”
Driver: “Hi, the Pandemic has been declared. Here is some hand sanitizer. And it’s pouring rain in Campo.”

My hike started in the dark, raining, wandering lost in the back streets of Campo, and eventually, I found my way to the trail.

But I was in a great mood.
From the moment I left the border, I kept saying, “I am Grateful.”

And it worked.
My mind stayed focused on why I was there rather than on what was going wrong.
Even though exhausted, I kept saying, “I am Grateful,” and made it to Hauser Creek before dark.

Here is a link to the video from that morning.

When my shoes fell apart thirty miles from Idyllwild, I said, “I am Grateful” and remembered I had duct tape.
When all the shoe stores in Idyllwild were closed because of the pandemic, I said it again, and found “Flex Tape” at a hardware store that carried me through the snow until replacement shoes arrived in Cabazon.

I repeated “I am Grateful” hundreds of times a day.
After months of doing this, I noticed something had changed.
When trail problems or old trauma surfaced, my mind no longer spiraled.
That phrase redirected my focus from the negative to the positive.

I’m not a therapist or medical professional. I’m just Hiker Trash sharing what worked for me.

Was it hard to shift my focus when things were bad and past trauma came up?
Absolutely.
But I knew that if I kept doing what I’d always done, and focusing on the negative mile after mile, I’d stay stuck there.

Did Gratitude heal me?
That depends on what we mean by “healed.”
We never forget our past.
But for me, Gratitude became a powerful tool, not just for staying positive but for seeing the beauty of the trail I might have missed if I’d stayed focused on my shoes falling apart.

I don’t share this as the answer.
I share it in case it helps someone else.
That’s what PCT Hiker Trash does.
We look out for each other.

The PCT didn’t change me; my focus and Gratitude did.
The PCT was my teacher and guide.

I am Grateful

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Trail Tip of the Week:
Your bag is only as good as your pad.

  • I had the yellow Therm-a-Rest XLite Sleeping Pad, with a 4.5 R-value and rated for 20°F – 32°F.
  • I had a 10°F weather quilt.
  • I went camping in near 10°F weather. I was cold.
  • I got the gray Therm-a-Rest XTherm Sleeping Pad, 7.5 R value, rated from -25°F to -40°F.
  • I went camping a couple of weeks later, with the same bag, a new pad, 10°F weather, and a very noticeable difference. I was warm.

Your bag is only as good as your pad.

Next Trail Report: Why I grab Thermo-a-Rest inflatable sleeping pads that hikers throw away.

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Be a Part of…PCT 2026 Hiker Trash Media
If you’re hiking, supporting, or intersecting with the PCT this year, you’re already part of the story.

Here’s how to contribute:

  • Submit photos (before, during, or after the trail)
  • Share a short story, reflection, or observation

Trail angels, thru hikers, and section hikers welcome.

Back-office support:

  • Trail Reporters to gather information online and on-trail interviews.
  • Website assistance
  • Editing, proofreading, and writing.
  • Social Media Influencers

Follow this link for more information. LINK

That’s it for this edition of PCT Hiker Trash Trail Report.
I am Grateful
“Good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight.“

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