Alright, this is the part I always get excited about when it comes to trips – the numbers. What did I actually do, how much did it cost, and what did a normal day look like? I did the PCT just after my Bachelor’s, so I knew I had to be frugal and do the trail on the cheaper end.
Overall, I spent 4.5 months on the trail. I ended up spending $5,208 in the USA. At the time, $1 was very close to €1, so I’m keeping it in USD.
Money spent
I slept in my tent (or under the stars) for 120 nights out of 132. That’s roughly 91% of the trip spent on the ground. Here is where the $5,208 went:
Food & Groceries (on trail) — $1,942 (37% of total). This was the fuel. Bulk buying, resupply boxes, and snacks to keep moving.
Town Food — $1,062 (20% of total) Burgers, fries, burritos, milkshakes, Subway, McDonalds, and bakeries. The most I spent on a single meal was $30 in Lone Pine, and it was worth every cent. I was eating a lot.
Shoes — $528 (10% of total) I went through 4 pairs of shoes on the trail. I actually started with a pair that already had 200 km on them, making it 5 pairs total for the whole journey.
Insurance — $351
Accommodation — $327 Only 12 nights in total. Usually, we would squeeze as many people as possible into one room. Someone always had to sleep on the floor to keep the cost down, usually me because I wanted to pay less.
US Postal Service — $260 Shipping food boxes, bouncing ice axes, and sending gear ahead. My average transaction was $21.
Other — $208 Includes my $145 flight from Vancouver back to LA, as my return flight to Europe was out of California.
Gear & Replacements — $191 Mostly fuel for cooking, a beanie, new microspikes, an extra foam pad, repair kits, and a poncho.
Alcohol — $135
Transport — $98 Tipping people for hitches and the cost of getting to Vancouver after the trail.
Fun stuff — $50
Phone Plan — $42 Super low. I wasn’t out here to scroll.
Hygiene — $20
- Laundry: $14 (Don’t judge me)
- Showers: $6 (I only paid for a shower twice the whole time)
Distance covered, elevation gain
During the Pacific Crest Trail, I used my phone as my primary way of tracking. I relied on the Far Out app to see how far I’d gone and how much elevation I had conquered, while the health app ran in the background. I didn’t have a Garmin or Strava at the time. This means all the numbers are very close to the truth, but naturally, there are some minor inconsistencies that come with phone tracking over 4.5 months.
They say thru-hiking is 90% mental and the other 10% is also mental (feel free to make up your percentages). But after 132 days of grinding from Mexico to Canada, I realized my legs were keeping a much more literal receipt. I’ve been tracking every kilometer of the 2,702 mile journey.
The PCT isn’t one long hike, it’s 5 distinct physical challenges.
Desert Totals: Distance: 705 miles (1,134 km) Time: 43 days Elevation Gain: 88,838 ft (27,090 m)
Desert Daily Averages: Distance: 16.39 miles (26.37 km) Elevation Gain: 2,066 ft (630 m)
Desert Daily Averages (Active Days Only): Distance: 18.54 miles (29.83 km) Elevation Gain: 2,338 ft (713 m)
Sierra Totals: Distance: 429 miles (691 km) Time: 35 days Elevation Gain: 107,030 ft (32,620 m)
Sierra Daily Averages: Distance: 12.27 miles (19.74 km) Elevation Gain: 3,058 ft (932 m)
Sierra Daily Averages (Active Days Only): Distance: 13.42 miles (21.59 km) Elevation Gain: 3,345 ft (1,020 m)
NorCal Totals: Distance: 596 miles (959 km) Time: 21 days Elevation Gain: 108,507 ft (33,075 m)
NorCal Daily Averages: Distance: 28.39 miles (45.68 km) Elevation Gain: 5,167 ft (1,575 m)
Oregon Totals: Distance: 455 miles (733 km) Time: 15 days Elevation Gain: 74,730 ft (22,785 m)
Oregon Daily Averages: Distance: 30.35 miles (48.84 km) Elevation Gain: 4,982 ft (1,519 m)
Washington Totals: Distance: 517 miles (831 km) Time: 18 days Elevation Gain: 97,812 ft (29,808 m)
Washington Daily Averages: Distance: 28.71 miles (46.19 km) Elevation Gain: 5,434 ft (1,656 m)
Grand Totals: Distance: 2,702 miles (4,348 km) Time: 132 days Elevation Gain: 476,745 ft (145,332 m)
Grand Daily Averages: Distance: 20.47 miles (32.94 km) Elevation Gain: 3,612 ft (1,101 m)
Grand Daily Averages (Active Days Only): Distance: 22.15 miles (35.64 km) Elevation Gain: 3,908 ft (1,191 m)
Total Distance: 4,348 km. To put that in perspective, this is the equivalent of walking from Vilnius to Lisbon, and then turning around and walking almost all the way to Barcelona. In US terms, it is nearly the same as walking from New York City to Los Angeles.
Total Vertical Climb: 145,332 meters (476,745 ft). I’ve climbed the equivalent of Mount Everest 16.4 times from sea level.
The Daily Rhythm: Across all 124 recorded hiking days (excluding the 8 zeros), my “standard” day in the boots settled into a specific rhythm. I typically covered 35.6 km (22.1 miles) while climbing an average of 1,191 meters.
Elevation per section and the varying intensity
Measuring the vertical intensity of each section reveals the true hidden cost of the terrain: while I averaged 176 ft of climbing for every mile (33 m per km) across the entire 2,702 mile (4,348 km) journey, the Sierra was the undisputed king of suffering at 250 ft per mile (47 m per km). Washington served as a brutal final boss requiring 189 ft per mile (36 m per km), closely followed by NorCal at 182 ft per mile (34 m per km), while Oregon and the Desert offered the “easiest” forward progress at 164 ft per mile (31 m per km) and 126 ft per mile (24 m per km) respectively.
During Phase 1, which covered the Desert and the Sierra over the first 78 days, my approach was defined by patience and enjoyment rather than the clock. In the Desert, there was no goal or benefit in rushing toward the snowy mountains ahead of schedule, so I kept my days intentionally slow at an average of 16.4 miles (26.4 km). When I finally reached the Sierra, I focused on the sheer fun of the high country, embracing the most vertical section of the trail where I climbed 250 ft for every mile (47 m per km) while my daily distance dipped to its lowest point of 12.3 miles (19.7 km).
Everything changed in Phase 2 as I moved through NorCal, Oregon, and Washington to check my true physical potential. I transitioned into a high-efficiency machine, relying on an ideal “10-20-30” rhythm where I aimed for 10 miles by 10 am, 20 miles by 2 pm, and 30 miles by 6 pm. This strict pacing allowed me to crush the remaining 1,568 miles (2,523 km) in one continuous 54-day push with 0 zeros, nearly doubling my daily output to an average of 29.0 miles (46.7 km). Even as the workload spiked to a massive 5,205 ft (1,587 m) of vertical gain every single day, this time-based system kept me moving toward the border. It was only in the final miles of Washington that I finally throttled back, intentionally slowing down to process the journey before the trail ended at the Canadian border.
The Gear
This list covers every gram and Euro spent before the trail, including the items you carry in your hands or wear on your body.
1. The Big 3/4 (Sleep & Pack) Subtotal: €930.00 | 3,250 g
- Gossamer Gear Mariposa Pack: €178.00 | 1,000 g
- Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 2 Tent: €280.00 | 1,020 g
- Enlighten Equipment 10F Quilt: €277.00 | 700 g
- Thermarest NeoAir XLite Pad: €160.00 | 470 g
- Sea to Summit Pillow: €35.00 | 60 g
2. Clothing (Carried in Pack) Subtotal: €267.00 | 1,484 g
- Rain Gear (Marmot Raincoat & UL Pants): €103.00 | 410 g
- Forclaz Puffy Jacket: €48.00 | 325 g
- Base Layers & Spare Socks: €90.00 | 562 g
- Head Net, Gloves, & Flip Flops: €26.00 | 187 g
3. Kitchen, Electronics & Essentials Subtotal: €422.00 | 2,086 g
- Kitchen (Stove, Pot, Spork, Fuel, Bag): €126.00 | 362 g
- Electronics (Power Bank, Headlight, Block): €150.00 | 464 g
- Water & Sanitation (Filter, Trowel, Bottles): €45.00 | 193 g
- Pack Extras (Tape, Liner, Footprint, Pocket): €101.00 | 227 g
- Medical Kit: €0 | 270 g
- Toiletries: €0 | 290 g
- Eyecare (Lenses, Glasses, etc.): €0 (not listed) | 280 g
4. Worn Gear & Logistics Subtotal: €778.80 | 0 g (Worn/Invisible)
- Worn Clothing & Shoes: €219.80 | 0 g
- Trekking Poles (In Hand): €43.00 | 0 g
- Travel & Paperwork (Flights, Visa, Maps): €516.00 | 0 g
Final Pack Weight Stats
- Standard Base Weight: 6,820 g (15.0 lbs)
- Sierra Base Weight (with Ice Axe, Crampons, & free BV500): 8,672 g (19.1 lbs)
- Total Gear Investment: €2,010.80
- Total Pre-Trip Cost (with Logistics): €2,526.80
The Currency Context
It is worth noting that at the time of these purchases, the exchange rate was 1 EUR to 1.11 USD. This means my pre-trip gear and logistics investment of €2,526.80 was roughly equivalent to $2,805 USD. When combined with the $5,208 spent while physically on the trail, the total cost for the entire experience, from the first piece of gear to the flight home, was approximately $8,013 USD.