PCT • Permit Day • Plan B Energy • Asados Amigos
It’s not the miles or the pain. It’s the part no one posts about:
paperwork, timing and a website that can decide your season in 30 seconds.
This is said with love. He Pacific Crest Trail It’s amazing, but it’s also one of the only trails that can derail your season before you leave home. The part my friends “hate” is not walking; It’s logistics, timing, and permit roulette.
Here’s the honest part: For years, I’ve been invited to attempt hikes and decided not to go. Not because I was bitter or because I was afraid: I was building my professional career, looking for a license and assuming responsibilities that didn’t leave me room for a walk of several months. I’m glad I made those decisions. Now time finally aligns and it’s my turn.
My friends and I started day hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2008. Over time, «we should hike» slowly turned into «we should disappear into the woods for months.»
The beginning: miles of the Appalachian Trail, before “thru-hiking” was even in our vocabulary.
That’s where the PCT comes into the picture and where the permission system comes into the group chat.
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In this post: who the crew is, how leave day almost broke the plan, why the backup plan turned into a full hike anyway, and what I learned from seeing it up close.
Get to know Camp Moonshine – AT Intento in 2016
“Hate” is mostly love, with a lot of mockery. The value behind jokes is very real.
James (Rockslide), Henry (Hambone), and Avery (Turbo) on the Appalachian Trail in 2016: Carlisle, PA to Mount Katahdin.
The first days: the team on a ridge, already treating “a long walk” as a normal weekend idea.
The PCT Plan 2018 (PIR)
Core memory: thinking you’re about to walk to Canada… and realize your season depends on the refresh rate.
In 2018, the plan was simple: increase the PCT. Everyone trained, scheduled free time, and created an actual schedule around it.
Then, let the day arrive like concert tickets: blink and the start dates you wanted disappear. I am not here to litigate against the system; overcrowding is real and resources are limited. It still hurts when your “big year” is decided on a keyboard.
In a nutshell: physical condition was not the limiting factor. The moment was.
Thus the Backup Plan became the CDT – 2018
When the PCT plan imploded, “Plan B” was no short trip. It was the CDT, because this team does not slow down.
Canada’s border moment in the CDT (NOBO 2018). I am incredibly proud of them.
Seriously, who makes CDT a backup plan? Camp Moonshine makes…
Camp Moonshine – Trail Resumes
These are the receipts and the reason I listen more than I argue.
Enrique “Hambone”
- IN: 2016 (attempt, NOBO), 2017 (NOBO), 2019 (SOBO), 2021 (NOBO)
- CDT: 2018
- Camino de Santiago: 2019
- THAT: 2020 (half, NOBO), 2022 (SOBO), 2023 (NOBO)
- Florida Trail: 2021
- Pinhoti Trail: 2021
- Mississippi River (heading to the sea): 2023
- North Forest Canoe Trail: x2 (2024, 2025)
Avery “Turbo”
- IN: 2016 (attempt, NOBO), 2017 (complete, NOBO)
- CDT: 2018 (NOBE)
- THAT: 2020 (half, NOBO), 2022 (SOBO)
- Colorado Trail: 2022 (SATURDAY)
Fast forward to 2020
In 2020, we were back outside and the group chat hadn’t forgotten about leave day. An attempted hike on the AZT allowed us to sharpen our banter and make loud plans.
Sage (Shakaa), Henry (Hambone), Avery (Turbo), and Morg are outside, still making big plans.
Now I’m the one planning the PCT. Camp Moonshine is on my side, even if their love language is burning up.
So… do they really hate the PCT?
Not precisely. They hate what it represented at the time: a plan that was decided by time rather than effort. The irony is that the derailment became the story, and the story became stronger than the original plan.
Day zero in Carlisle 2017, the midpoint of the Appalachian Trail, when Camp Moonshine came to town and our trail family mingled with the local crew that had been following every mile and cheering all the way. Me vomiting the shaka down my back!
Up next: What I learned from Camp Moonshine and what I’ll probably learn again the hard way.
Am Sage.
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