71-649: Indian Heaven is a volcanic field in Skamania County in the state of Washington , in the United States. Midway between Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams , the field dates from the Pleistocene to the early Holocene epoch. It trends north to south and is dominated by six small shield volcanoes ; these shields are topped by small spatter and cinder cones, and the field includes a number of subglacial volcanoes and tuyas . The northernmost peak in
142-585: A monogenetic volcanic field or a polygenetic volcanic field . Alexander von Humboldt observed in 1823 that geologically young volcanoes are not distributed uniformly across the Earth's surface, but tend to be clustered into specific regions. Young volcanoes are rarely found within cratons , but are characteristic of subduction zones, rift zones , or in ocean basins. Intraplate volcanoes are clustered along hotspot traces. Within regions of volcanic activity, volcanic fields are clusters of volcanoes that share
213-541: A protected wilderness area within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest , supporting diverse flora and fauna. The local area has been inhabited by Native American populations for about 10,000 years, and the name Indian Heaven derives from the indigenous name for the vicinity. A popular recreation destination, the wilderness offers a number of trails, as well as more than 150 lakes for fishing, swimming, and boating. Located in Skamania County in
284-584: A 42-mile (68 km) network of trails. The area is relatively inaccessible, as roads are covered by snow until June annually though snow melts by mid-July in most years, permitting visitors in the fall season. The plateau that contains the Indian Heaven Wilderness features forests, which are predominantly made up of Pacific silver fir , noble fir , and subalpine fir trees, though there are also Western red cedars , mountain hemlock , grand firs , and Engelmann spruce . Other flora found in
355-609: A 90-minute movie and showed it around 12 western states for 10 years. The Murray family (Barry, Bernice, Barry Jr. and Bernadette) completed the trek on horseback on October 7, 1970. In 2008, an agreement for realignment through Tejon Ranch in Southern California was reached. This realignment would relocate 37 miles of the PCT from the Mojave Desert floor to the more scenic Tehachapi Mountains. While an agreement
426-484: A cave from the weather. On August 10, 2014, Joseph McConaughy of Shoreline, Washington , set a new supported speed record and the overall fastest known time for the PCT. The distance was covered in 53 days, 6 hours, and 37 minutes. This surpassed the previous record of 59 days, 8 hours, 14 minutes, set by Josh Garret on August 8, 2013, by more than 6 days. Joe was supported by a team of three hikers, Jordan Hamm, Michael Dillon, and Jack Murphy. McConaughy's record
497-707: A common magma source. Unlike a large volcano with satellite or subsidiary vents, a volcanic field's vents have their own source of magma, possibly of different compositions (such as basalt and rhyolite ), and these vents may span an area of thousands of square miles. Scoria cones are particularly prone to cluster into volcanic fields, which are typically 30–80 kilometers (19–50 miles) in diameter and consist of several tens to several hundred individual cones. The unusually large Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt has nearly 1000 cones covering an area of 60,000 square kilometers (23,000 sq mi). Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail ( PCT ), officially designated as
568-686: A dedicated pedestrian/equestrian lane to the Bridge of the Gods across the Columbia River. Currently, PCT hikers and equestrians must cross the bridge walking in vehicle traffic lanes—a potential danger which the new lane will eliminate. The completion date for this project is unknown. The following notable locations are found along or adjacent to the route of the Pacific Crest Trail. They are listed from south to north to correspond with
639-469: A diameter of 20 miles (32 km), with a total area of 175 square miles (450 km). The tallest point within the field is the Lemei Rock shield volcano, which reaches an elevation of 5,925 feet (1,806 m). The Indian Heaven Wilderness , which encompasses an area of 20,784 acres (84.11 km), lies within a forested high plateau region. It includes subalpine meadows , the volcanic field and
710-516: A glacier in the Indian Heaven field, building its upper cone above water and generating pyroclastic materials, lava flows, and tephra to reach a height of 3,300 feet (1,000 m) above its base. However, Lone Butte has since undergone significant glacial erosion , losing about half of its original structure. Activity at the volcanic field has occurred sporadically for the past 700,000 years. Therefore, it remains likely that volcanoes from
781-502: A line from Sawtooth Mountain at the north to Red Mountain to the south, as well as cinder cones , lava flows , and spatter cones (low, steep-sided hills or mounds that consist of welded lava fragments). With a total magma output of 60 cubic miles (250 km), the field has about 50 mafic eruptive edifices (rich in magnesium and iron), whose activity lasted from the Pleistocene to the early Holocene. Roughly half of these vents mark
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#1732802542172852-494: A loop that last 12.3 miles (19.8 km). A moderate hike, it offers views of lakes, ponds, meadows, and forests, as well as access to popular fishing lakes like Dee Lake, Heather Lake, Thomas Lake, and Eunice Lake. These lakes are also popular swimming spots, particularly among hikers with children. Before it merges with the Pacific Crest Trail, the route arrives at the Blue Lake, which has a depth of 46 feet (14 m) and marks
923-668: A million. The Global Volcanism Program of the Smithsonian Institution lists a number of major vents at Indian Heaven, including the Big Lava Bed pyroclastic cone, produced by the most recent eruption in the field; the Bird Mountain, East Crater, Gifford Peak, Lemei Rock, Red Mountain, and Sawtooth Mountain shield volcanoes; and the Lone Butte tuya volcano. The Big Lava Bed pyroclastic cinder cone has
994-484: A mountainous highland , 19 miles (31 km) in length, which runs parallel to the north–south trend of the Cascade Arc in southern Washington state. Most of the volcanoes that comprise the Indian Heaven field are monogenetic , only erupting once before becoming extinct . The rest are polygenetic shield volcanoes. About 80 percent of the lava erupted by Indian Heaven volcanoes consists of basalt ; it represents
1065-657: A number of other volcanic features, more than 150 lakes, and forests. Created in 1984 by the Washington Wilderness Bill, it sits between Mount Adams and the Columbia River Gorge , a canyon of the Columbia River. Part of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest , the wilderness area includes 16.4 miles (26.4 km) of the Pacific Crest Trail , which traverses it from north to south, as well as seven other tributary trails, that form
1136-423: A second round trip on November 28, 2006, cutting two weeks off his 2004 time. In 2014, Olive McGloin (from Ireland) became the first woman to thru-hike the PCT both ways in a single continuous round-trip. The youngest person to hike the trail is Christian Thomas Geiger, who at the age of 6 completed the trail with his parents Andrea Rego and Dion Pagonis. Christian, also known by his trail name Buddy Backpacker,
1207-473: A smooth slope, and produced the Big Lava Bed flow, which represents the newest eruptive activity within the entire Indian Heaven field. Red Mountain, which has an elevation of 4,964 feet (1,513 m), marks the southernmost point of the shield volcanoes in the volcanic field, while Sawtooth Mountain is the northernmost volcano. Within the Indian Heaven Wilderness, visitors can fish in lakes and ponds, hike, backpack, ride horses, and view wildlife. A popular trail
1278-409: A time of 51 days, 16 hours and 55 minutes, fifteen and a half hours faster than Sabbe's time. Olson was crewed by a small group of family and friends. On August 26, 2023, Karel Sabbe took back his record with a time of 46 days, 12 hours and 56 minutes, more than five days faster than Olson's time. Don and June Mulford made the first verifiable equestrian Thru-Ride of the PCT in 1959. In that year
1349-486: Is estimated the average completion rate is around 14%. While most hikers travel from the southern terminus at the Mexico–US border northward to Manning Park, British Columbia, some hikers prefer a southbound route. In a normal weather year, northbound hikes are most practical due to snow and temperature considerations. Additionally, some hiker services are seasonal and may be better timed for northbound hikers. If snowpack in
1420-765: Is on the Canada–US border , upon which it continues unofficially to the Windy Joe Trail within Manning Park in British Columbia ; it passes through the states of California , Oregon , and Washington . The Pacific Crest Trail is 2,653 mi (4,270 km) long and ranges in elevation from roughly 110 feet (34 m) above sea level near the Bridge of the Gods on the Oregon–Washington border to 13,153 feet (4,009 m) at Forester Pass in
1491-467: Is relatively undemanding. However, trails can vary in difficulty for horseback riders and hikers. The Lake Wapiki trail, 9.6 miles (15.4 km) in length, gains 2,500 feet (760 m) in elevation and provides scenic views of Mount Adams and Mount Rainier. The Blue Lake trail in the Indian Heaven wilderness area runs for 3.25 miles (5.23 km); together with the Lemei Lake Trail, it forms
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#17328025421721562-575: Is the Indian Heaven loop, which runs for 10 miles (16 km) from the Cultus Creek campground. Following the Indian Heaven Trail to Deep Trail and then Lemei Lake Trail, it passes through meadows and lakes to join the Pacific Crest Trail before it returns to the Cultus Creek campground where it starts. After the climb from the final paved road to enter the wilderness area, which lasts about 2 miles (3.2 km), hiking in Indian Heaven
1633-874: The Appalachian Trail with the National Trails System Act . The PCT was then constructed through cooperation between the federal government and volunteers organized by the Pacific Crest Trail Association . In 1993, the PCT was officially declared finished. The Trust for Public Land has purchased and conserved more than 3,000 acres (12 km ) along the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington. Consolidation of this land has allowed for better recreational access as well as greater ease to manage conservation lands. A bicycle touring route has been developed to parallel
1704-666: The Laguna , Santa Rosa , San Jacinto , San Bernardino , San Gabriel , Liebre , Tehachapi , Sierra Nevada , and Klamath ranges in California , and the Cascade Range in California , Oregon , and Washington . The Pacific Crest Trail was first proposed around 1932 by Clinton C. Clarke as a trail running from Mexico to Canada along the crest of the mountains in California, Oregon, and Washington. The original proposal
1775-612: The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail , is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie 100 to 150 miles (160 to 240 km) east of the U.S. Pacific coast. The trail's southern terminus is next to the Mexico–United States border , just south of Campo, California , and its northern terminus
1846-503: The Pliocene and Holocene epochs. Strata of rock underlying the area has been deformed to create faults, fractures (separations in geologic formation), volcanic igneous intrusions , and a gradual, dipping syncline that trends north to south. The Indian Heaven field resides within the syncline's trough, and it consists of High Cascade rocks, which are far less altered than the surrounding rock strata. Similar to other Cascade volcanoes,
1917-462: The Triple Crown of Hiking , becoming the youngest person ever to do so. Teddi Boston hiked from Canada to Mexico on the PCT in 1976 at the age of 49. She was one of the first women to hike the trail alone. An autobiographical account of a woman hiking a portion of the PCT alone in 1995 at age 26 was written by Cheryl Strayed . Her memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
1988-562: The Trout Lake area and extended several miles south, also nearing the Columbia River. Highly voluminous, it also features lava tubes . These lava tubes can be found at many of the lava flows that comprise the Indian Heaven volcanic field, which range from basaltic to andesitic in composition, and extend as far as 29 miles (46 km) from their source vents. The eruptive units from the field show normal residual magnetism , suggesting that they were all formed less than 780,000 years ago, with
2059-471: The "yo-yo" circuit on his fourth attempt in November 2004. Williamson traveled a total of 5,300 miles (8,530 km) in 197 days, covering an average of 35 to 40 miles (56 to 64 km) per day when not in snow – an overall average of 27 miles (43 km) per day – wearing an extremely ultra-lightweight pack , which "without food, weighed about 8.5 pounds (3.9 kg)". Williamson then went on to complete
2130-406: The 2,000 miles of potential trail and planned a route, which has been closely followed by the modern PCT route. In recent years, Washington state clubwoman and educator Catherine T. Montgomery 's contributions to the initial concept of the Pacific Crest Trail have been explored and she is known as the "Mother of the Pacific Crest Trail". In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson defined the PCT and
2201-558: The Big Lava Bed mostly consists of unvegetated basalt. It moved to the south down the Little White Salmon River drainage, which it filled for 10 miles (16 km) of its length. Ultimately, the flow extended 16 miles (25 km) from its initial source vent, an unnamed cinder cone. It came within 5 miles (8 km) of the Columbia River . Another, more ancient lava flow that was especially fluid encompassed
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2272-624: The Gifford Pinchot National Forest, with the hope that it would mitigate resource damage in high use area and focus visitor use impact to smaller, more compact areas. Volcanic field A volcanic field or crater row is an area of Earth 's crust that is prone to localized volcanic activity. The type and number of volcanoes required to be called a "field" is not well-defined. Volcanic fields usually consist of clusters of up to 100 volcanoes such as cinder cones . Lava flows may also occur. They may occur as
2343-634: The Indian Heaven volcanoes were fed by magma chambers produced by the subduction of the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate under the western edge of the North American tectonic plate . The field may share a 12–40 km (7.5–24.9 mi) deep magma chamber with Mount St. Helens that seismic imaging showed lying between the two volcanoes below two smaller magma chambers, each located more directly under their respective volcanic area. Indian Heaven consists of several, overlapping shield volcanoes that run along
2414-550: The Indian Heaven wilderness. Trees within the area have scars from where their bark was peeled for wood to make baskets. The area is also rich with large game animals and supports a number of roots and tuber plant species. The area near the Indian Heaven vicinity is composed of Western Cascade rocks from the Eocene to Miocene including andesite, tuffs , mud flows , pyroclastic flow deposits, and other volcaniclastic materials, as well as High Cascade rocks that date from between
2485-412: The Mexico–US border. The oldest person to thru-hike the trail is not fully established, with multiple competing claims. On August 7, 2013, Heather "Anish" Anderson of Bellingham, Washington , set the self-supported speed record. She completed the PCT in 60 days, 17 hours, 12 minutes, beating the previous record by almost 4 days. She documented this journey in her book Thirst . In 2018 she became
2556-687: The PCT became an official trail, Martin Papendick was the first known person to hike across three states of the PCT in 1952. After being one of the first to finish the Appalachian Trail in 1951, Papendick hiked between July 4 and December 1, 1952, from British Columbia to the Mexico–US border over the crests of the mountains along the Pacific Coast, a feat he reported in a periodical under the title "Pacific Crest Trails". On October 16, 1970, Eric Ryback, an 18-year-old student, completed
2627-440: The PCT on paved and unpaved roads. Thru-hiking is a term used in referring to hikers who complete long-distance trails from end to end in a single trip. Thru-hiking is a long commitment, usually taking between four and six months, that requires thorough preparation and dedication. The Pacific Crest Trail Association estimates that it takes most hikers between six and eight months to plan, train, and get ready for their trips. It
2698-462: The PCT, Ryback sued for $ 3 million but withdrew the suit after Wilderness Press revealed statements from the people who claim to have picked up the young hiker along highways parallel to the 2,600-mile trail. Ryback is in Smithsonian's top 9 list of people Cheating Their Way to Fame though it notes that "the claims that Ryback 'cheated' are still doubted by some". Richard Watson, who completed
2769-519: The PCT. Ryback carried an 80-pound pack on his 1970 thru-hike. He had only five resupply packages on the entire trip and was loaded with 40 pounds of food at the start of each leg. He often ran out of food and foraged or went hungry. Ryback also helped the Forest Service lay out future plans for the PCT. However, Ryback's claim is disputed. When the guidebook publisher Wilderness Press stated that Ryback had used motor transport in places along
2840-504: The Pacific Crest Trail stretched a poorly-marked 2,400 miles from Mexico to Canada. More concept than footpath, the trail was an oft-broken, high-ridge track disappearing regularly from map and terrain. On April 19, 1959, on an empty scrub sage plain seven miles east of Tijuana, with four horses, Don and June Mulford began their journey north to the Washington–Canada border. The Mulfords went to Hollywood for three months immediately after
2911-638: The Sierra Nevada is high in early June and low in the Northern Cascades, some hikers may choose to 'flip-flop.' Flip-flopping can take many forms but often describes a process whereby a hiker begins at one end (on the PCT, usually the southern end) of the trail and then, at some point, like reaching the Sierra, 'flips' to the end of the trail at the Canada–US border and hikes southbound to complete
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2982-428: The Sierra Nevada. The route passes through 25 national forests and 7 national parks. Its midpoint is near Chester, California (near Mt. Lassen ), where the Sierra and Cascade mountain ranges meet. The overall elevation gain for the Pacific Crest Trail is approximately 489,000 ft (149,000 m). It was designated a National Scenic Trail in 1968, although it was not officially completed until 1993. The PCT
3053-519: The Sierra too soon nor the Northern Cascades too late. Most hikers cover about 20 miles (32 km) per day. In order to reduce their hiking time and thereby increase their chances of completing the trail, many hikers try to substantially reduce their pack weight. Since the creation of the Pacific Crest Trail there has been a large movement by hikers to get away from large heavy packs with a lot of gear. There are three general classifications for hikers: Traditional, Lightweight, and Ultralight . Before
3124-520: The area include deer, elk , and American black bears . Because of the abundance of mosquitoes within the vicinity, Indian Heaven is sometimes informally referred to as Insect Heaven. Indian Heaven and the surrounding wilderness area have played an important role in local Native American life for about 10,000 years, and the vicinity was originally called Sahalee Tyee by native peoples, which loosely translates to Indian Heaven. The Sawtooth Berry Fields, known globally for their huckleberries, burned during
3195-581: The deepest lake within the entire wilderness. Blue Lake was carved by glacial motion. One of the most popular camping spots is the Goose Lake Campground, which is frequented by fishermen, boaters, and swimmers. Operated by the United States Forest Service, the campground remains open from July through October. A designated camp site near Thomas and Blue Lakes within the wilderness was created by wilderness managers for
3266-600: The exception of lava within Gifford Peak's eroded core. The volcanic field also features a number of Pleistocene subglacial volcanoes , many of which formed móbergs, flat-topped peaks generated by subglacial eruptions. These mountains, such as Crazy Hills, formed pillow-like shapes when their lava interacted with ice or meltwater . The field also has tuyas , such as Lone Buttle, which formed as flat and steep volcanic cones created by lava that erupted through glaciers or ice sheets . Lone Butte in particular erupted through
3337-643: The field have produced smaller amounts of basaltic andesite and andesite with silicon dioxide compositions up to 59 percent, though dacite is not very common among Indian Heaven eruptive products. Unlike Mount St. Helens, the Indian Heaven field has generated large volumes of basalt but has not caused extensive crustal melting . Most of the lava flows produced by the field have been pāhoehoe , featuring smaller percentages of block flows and ʻaʻā flows. They vary in thickness from 1.3 to 78.7 feet (0.4 to 24 m), reaching volumes up to 0.29 cubic miles (1.2 km); there are about 40 distinct lava flow groups in
3408-568: The field is Sawtooth Mountain and the southernmost is Red Mountain; its highest point is Lemei Rock at an elevation of 5,925 feet (1,806 m). Indian Heaven features both polygenetic and monogenetic volcanic activity; many of its volcanoes have only erupted once before coming extinct, while others have erupted several times. Approximately 50 eruptive centers lie within the Indian Heaven field, which also has approximately 40 lava flows. The field's eruptive output totals 14 to 19 cubic miles (58 to 79 km), with sporadic activity taking place for
3479-688: The field will erupt in the future, generating voluminous lava flows. Nonetheless, the Volcano Hazards Program directed by the United States Geological Survey lists Indian Heaven's volcanic threat level as "Low/Very Low". To assess threats from possible lava flows at Indian Heaven or at nearby Mount Adams, geologists from the United States Geological Survey headed by W. E. Scott determined its mean burial rate in 1995, calculated as
3550-617: The field, totaling 45 square miles (116 km) in area. Indian Heaven has been significantly altered through glacial erosion , including at least four major periods of glaciation. During the Hayden Creek Glaciation from 190,000 to 130,000 years ago, the Lewis River glacier advanced from Mount Adams to fill the Lewis River canyon, partly overlapping the Indian Heaven volcanic field. An ice cap originating at
3621-639: The first PCT thru-hike. His personal congratulations came by telegram from Edward P. Cliff, Chief of the U.S. Forest Service. Ryback is credited, recognized, and has been honored by the Pacific Crest Trail Association as the official first thru-hiker of the entire trail. Ryback completed the Appalachian Trail in 1969 (as a 16-year-old); the Pacific Crest Trail in 1970; and a route approximating today's Continental Divide Trail in 1972. Ryback's 1971 book The High Adventure of Eric Ryback: Canada to Mexico on Foot focused public attention on
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#17328025421723692-517: The first woman to complete the Triple Crown of Hiking in a single calendar year. Exactly nine years later, on August 7, 2022, Josh Perry improved upon the self-supported speed record, completing the PCT in 55 days, 16 hours and 54 minutes. In 2023, Nick Folwer set a new self-supported record of 52 days, 9 hours and 18 minutes. While he was in the Sierra Nevada , Hurricane Hilary hit California, and he needed to spend 41 hours sheltering in
3763-590: The late 1890s and again in 1902. Later fires helped maintain the fields by drying their berries. From 1902 to the mid-1920s, local tribes including the Yakama , Klickitat , Wasco-Wishram , and Umatilla , as well as Native American groups from Montana and Wyoming gathered in the Indian Heaven area during the summers for annual huckleberry feasts. During these gatherings, they celebrated, traded, and performed rituals; they also raced horses, played various games, constructed baskets, dried meat, tanned hides, and fished in
3834-407: The lava volume erupted per unit time divided by the area of the lava field. They found that Indian Heaven's average burial rate was low, but noted that Indian Heaven "has had a large lava flow in the past 10,000 years." Estimating the probability of lava flows from Indian Heaven covering a certain point in the zone surrounding the field, the geologists arrived at a range between one in 100,000 to one in
3905-586: The local lakes. In 1932, the Yakama Nation and the United States Forest Service agreed to set aside a portion of the Berry Fields for exclusive Indian use; the harvest remains an important local tradition. Today, the marks from the Race Track, a meadow used by Native Americans for horse racing, can be seen about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) off the segment of the Pacific Crest Trail that crosses through
3976-530: The most voluminous Quaternary basalt produced by a volcanic field in the Cascade Arc north of Newberry Volcano in Oregon , with an eruptive output volume between 14 and 19 cubic miles (60 and 80 km). Basalt composition varies from low- potassium high-alumina olivine tholeiite to calc-alkaline , shoshonite , and alkaline intraplate compositions, though olivine -bearing basalt with different amounts of porphyritic plagioclase dominates. Volcanoes within
4047-487: The north of the Columbia River . The Indian Heaven volcanic field lies between Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams , about 19 miles (30 km) southwest of the latter. The Simcoe Mountains volcanic field is located to the east. To the southwest lies a diffuse volcanic belt of at least 22 volcanic centers, 25 miles (40 km) in length, that runs in a southeast-trending direction and includes Marble Mountain, Bare Mountain, West Crater, and Trout Creek Hill. The field has
4118-480: The northern end of the field also spread during this glacial era. The Lone Butte tuya volcano erupted through this glacier, which had a thickness of 770 feet (230 m). One of Indian Heaven's vents produced a large effusive eruption about 9,000 years ago, forming the Big Lava Bed , which consisted of basaltic lava. With an area of 20 square miles (52 km) and a volume of 0.22 cubic miles (0.9 km),
4189-503: The past 700,000 years. The last volcanic activity in the field produced a large cinder cone, Big Lava Bed , as well as a voluminous lava and scoria flows about 9,000 years ago. Future activity is possible, though the Volcano Hazards Program directed by the United States Geological Survey considers Indian Heaven's volcanic threat level to be low. The volcanic field is surrounded by the Indian Heaven Wilderness ,
4260-566: The ride and were featured on network television. June's old press book yields a half-dozen TV-Guide pages, and she recalls, "Art Linkletter was such a nice man. We appeared on his 'House Party' show and he had coffee with us afterward". High Road to Danger , a syndicated TV show, made an episode on their ride. Even after they had returned home to the Northwest, there was continued TV coverage. A January 1961 TV Guide records their appearance on Portland's KOIN Red Dunning Show. The Mulfords even made
4331-582: The state of Washington , Indian Heaven volcanic field is part of the High Cascades, an eastern segment of the Cascade Range , which trends north–south. Formed towards the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, these mountains are underlain by more ancient volcanoes that subsided due to parallel north–south faulting in the surrounding region. The Indian Heaven field lies 40 miles (64 km) east of Vancouver , Washington and 14 miles (23 km) to
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#17328025421724402-409: The trail on September 1, 1972, was often credited as the first PCT thru-hiker because Papendick was generally unknown and Ryback may have accepted rides. The first woman to complete the PCT was Mary Carstens, who finished the journey later in 1972, accompanied by Jeff Smukler. The first person to thru-hike the entire PCT both ways in a single continuous round-trip was Scott Williamson , who completed
4473-424: The trail, or any combination of the two. The final major logistical step is to create an approximate schedule for completion. Thru hikers have to make sure they complete enough miles every day to reach the opposite end of the trail before weather conditions make sections impassable. For northbound thru-hikers, deep snow pack in the Sierra Nevada can prevent an early start. The timing is a balance between not getting to
4544-422: The trail. However, it is not currently possible to legally enter the United States from Canada by using the Pacific Crest Trail. Hikers also have to determine their resupply points. Resupply points are towns or post offices where hikers replenish food and other supplies such as cooking fuel. Hikers can ship packages to themselves at the U.S. Post Offices along the trail, resupply at general and grocery stores along
4615-441: The vicinity include an understory of huckleberry plants and beargrass , in addition to colorful wildflowers ; vine maples ; flowering plants such as blueberry , heather , vanilla leaf , and false hellebore ; and aromatic wintergreen . Many of the area's lakes get stocked with trout species like cutthroat , rainbow , and brook trout . Amphibians such as frogs can be found in the wilderness, while terrestrial animals in
4686-401: Was also the youngest person to hike the Appalachian Trail until 2020. Other notable young hikers include Sierra Burror and Reed Gjonnes. Burror, who completed a continuous thru-hike of the trail in 2012 at the age of 9, is the youngest girl to thru-hike the trail. She completed her hike with her mother, Heather Burror. Gjonnes, who thru-hiked the trail in 2011 at age 11, went on to complete
4757-402: Was broken on August 14, 2016, by Karel Sabbe , a 27-year-old dentist from Ghent, Belgium . He covered the distance in 52 days, 8 hours, and 25 minutes, averaging over 50 miles a day and shaving almost a day (22 hours) off the previous record set by McConaughy. Sabbe was supported by his friend Joren Biebuyck. On July 22, 2021, 37-year-old ultra-runner Timothy Olson broke Sabbe's record with
4828-850: Was conceived by Clinton Churchill Clarke in 1932. It received official status under the National Trails System Act of 1968. The Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail , and the Continental Divide Trail form what is known as the Triple Crown of Hiking in the United States. The Pacific Crest Trail is also part of the 6,875-mile Great Western Loop . The route is mostly through National Forest and protected wilderness . It also passes through seven national parks: Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Yosemite, Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake, Mt. Rainier, and North Cascades. The trail avoids civilization and covers scenic and pristine mountainous terrain with few roads. It passes through
4899-647: Was published in 2012 and reached #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers list. Her hike is the subject of the 2014 film Wild , starring Reese Witherspoon . The first two reported deaths on the Pacific Crest Trail were in November 1995, when thru-hikers Jane and Flicka Rodman were killed during a detour down California State Route 138 in Southern California , when they were struck by a motorist who lost control of his vehicle. They were less than 400 miles from their goal of reaching
4970-519: Was reached, the realignment is a long-term project; many details remain to be determined, as well as an Optimal Location Review—a lengthy process through which the ideal path for the new section of the trail is specified. Portland, Oregon's 40-Mile Loop proposes to extend the Springwater Corridor hiking and bicycling spur trail to connect the Pacific Crest Trail with the proposed Cazadero Trail . Plans are currently in progress to add
5041-994: Was to link the John Muir Trail , the Tahoe–Yosemite Trail (both in California), the Skyline Trail (in Oregon) and the Cascade Crest Trail (in Washington). The Pacific Crest Trail System Conference was formed by Clarke to both plan the trail and to lobby the federal government to protect the trail. The conference was founded by Clarke, the Boy Scouts , the YMCA , and Ansel Adams (amongst others). From 1935 through 1938, YMCA groups explored
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