Thru: Hikers Along the Pacific Crest
Stretching 2653 miles along the west coast between Mexico and Canada, the Pacific Crest Trail is one of the premier long-distance trails in the world and has exploded in popularity in the last decade. It is one of eleven designated National Scenic Trails across the country and one of the “Triple Crown” hikes along with the Appalachian and Continental Divide trails. The Pacific Crest Trail cuts though California, Oregon, and Washington and various biomes including desert, old-growth forest, alpine tundra, grassland, and rainforest. Hikers go from hiking over feet of snow to looking out for rattlesnakes in the sand under a blistering sun in only a day. The sudden changes in environment along the trail are a result of the estimated 489,418 feet of climbing and 488,411 feet of descent over its length. The three to six months needed to complete the Pacific Crest Trail is a huge commitment and effort.
Thousands of hikers are attracted every year attempting to complete a thru-hike of the trail. They come from all over the world, of all ages, and varied backgrounds. Around 50 hikers a day set out from the southern monument in Campo, California from early March to late May. Many start out slow, only hiking 15 miles a day, but quickly edge up to 20. Stronger hikers can easily cover 25 to 35 miles a day. Sadly, the majority never finish. Life has a habit of getting in the way whether due to injury, finances, family emergencies, or just boredom. For those that make it past the first few days and weeks, they notice that hiking longer and further gets far easier. Feet get calloused and hard, shoulders no longer ache as much, and weight is lost.
Everything needed is carried in a backpack. Gear, food, and water quickly add up the pounds and, in turn, the difficulty of the hike. The realities of the hike quickly push hikers to reevaluate if they need everything they brought. The “hiker boxes” in towns along the southern part of the trail are often filled with various gear that their former owners decided they didn’t truly need. Nalgene bottles, stoves, extra clothing are common things to see hikers drop from their kits. Conformity and uniformity can be seen in both the gear and outfits after the first few hundred miles.
This project is a collection of portraits of these thru-hikers at various points along the trail, capturing them as they are with all their accoutrements. None of them know they are going to have their portrait taken until they come across me, wherever I happen to be. This randomness has led to seeing people at various highs and lows; excitement at reaching one of the most beautiful points to just hearing that their husband died. The photograph is a record they can look back at in years and decades to come to show and remember how they were at that special time in their lives. As a whole, the collection is a representation of those that are drawn to this endeavor.
