From the PCT to Sleeping Bear Dunes, Thru Hikers Hit The Trail

Today may seem like a normal Saturday for most Kingsley residents, but for Sara Nickerson, it’s the start of a momentous journey. The 27-year-old will take her first steps on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) this morning, with plans to spend the next six months walking 2,650 miles from the U.S.-Mexican border in California all the way to British Columbia, Canada.

Only an estimated 200 people attempt to hike the entire PCT each year, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The journey requires a permit – Nickerson obtained hers in a lottery drawing – and spans the high crests of the Sierra and Cascades mountain ranges across California, Oregon, and Washington. The trail, officially completed in 1993, covers a wide variety of scenic and challenging wilderness terrain – from scorching deserts to snowy mountains to remote forests – and can range in temperature from 20 to 110 degrees.

Those extremes - and the punishing physical and time requirements of the trail – deter many people from hiking its full length. But Nickerson, speaking with The Ticker just before departing for the trail’s southern terminus in California, says she was drawn to the challenge. After recently losing a job and going through a break-up, Nickerson was looking for an opportunity to reset mentally and plan her next chapter, whether going back to school or changing career paths.

“I just need a restart, and I was hoping to use the time (on the trail) to think about what I want to do afterward,” she says. “I was pretty depressed before I decided to do this. But planning for it and putting my mind toward something has already helped. I want to accomplish this goal and think about what direction I want to go next.”

As depicted in Cheryl Strayed’s best-selling memoir about hiking the PCT, Wild – and the film adaptation starring Reese Witherspoon – the trail can push hikers to their limits. It presents challenges ranging from blisters and injuries to unexpected wildlife encounters (bears and rattlesnakes are not uncommoon) to food and water shortages. Thru hikers, or those attempting to complete the entire trail in one year, carry everything they need with them in their packs: a tent, food, a filtering straw that allows users to drink safely from natural water sources, a small cooking stove, and a few changes of clothes. Nickerson is also bringing a journal, as well as a highly unique item for the PCT: a small ukulele. “I’ve always wanted to learn an instrument, and it’ll help if I get bored,” she says, estimating her pack weight at 40 pounds.

Hikers strategically space out refueling packages at towns along the trail, mailing supplies ahead of time that are waiting when they arrive. Town stops provide a chance to socialize with other hikers, enjoy a hot meal, and occasionally indulge in a hotel stay. But the rest of the time, hikers are on their own – often walking 15-20 miles a day in remote wilderness, sleeping out in the open wherever they can find a safe place to pitch a tent at night. Nickerson has at least one advantage Strayed didn’t when she hiked the PCT in 1995: technology. At the behest of her parents, Nickerson is carrying a satellite phone that allows her to automatically ping out her location at regular intervals and to send texts or call an emergency responder in the event of a life-threatening situation. She’s also filming her experience, with plans to upload videos during town stops. Those videos and Nickerson’s updates from the PCT hike will be posted on a Facebook page called Vista Addiction she’s set up to document the journey.

Nickerson is looking forward most to seeing Yosemite and Crater Lake while on the trail, along with several other parks. The PCT crosses six national parks, five state park units, five national monuments, 25 national forest units, and 48 federal wilderness areas, in addition to traversing past or through 57 mountain passes, 19 major canyons, and more than 1,000 lakes and tarns. “I’ve never been to the mountains, and this is my first time in California,” Nickerson says. While she has some fears about the hike – mostly relating to encountering bears and finding enough water in the desert – quitting isn’t one of them.

“I’m not a super athlete,” says Nickerson, adding that she’s spent time hiking and camping with her pack to prepare for the trip, but otherwise didn’t undertake any unusual or strenuous training. “But I think I have the determination to do it. When I put my mind to something, I do it. I think it’d be a big regret if I didn’t finish it.”

Interested In A Thru-Hike Challenge? Try One Here In Northern Michigan
Not everyone has the time, money, or aptitude to hike the entire PCT – but there are easier thru hiking opportunities right here in northern Michigan. In 2011, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore launched a program called the Trail Trekker Challenge. Hikers can obtain a free logbook at either the Sleeping Bear Dunes visitors center in Empire or online and document their attempts to hike all 13 mainland trails in the National Lakeshore – nearly 100 miles – in one year. Those who accomplish the goal will get a special prize from Sleeping Bear, as well as their name listed on the park’s website. Though Sleeping Bear averages over 1.7 million visitors annually, only 200-plus hikers have successfully completed the challenge to date.

Merrith Baughman, director of interpretation and visitor services for Sleeping Bear Dunes, says the program – conceived by Glen Lake students Bonnie Ricord and Lena Cruz – encourages park users to discover new corners of Sleeping Bear. “There are definitely trails that get heavily used, like Empire Bluff and Pyramid Point and the Dune Climb, but this is getting folks to see parts that are lesser known,” she says, pointing to the Platte Plains Trail – a 15-mile network of trails – as one example.

In honor of Sleeping Bear’s 50th anniversary this year, the park is also launching a “Play Your Way” 50-mile challenge for 2020. Park users can earn a prize and bragging rights by moving 50 miles through the park over the year – whether on foot, by bike, or on water. “You could paddle down the Platte or Crystal River, walk through Port Oneida, or bike on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail,” says Baughman. Participants can pick up a Play Your Way logbook at the visitors center or call 231-326-4700 (ext. 5010) to request to have one emailed.