PCT Permit Process today

[CarlZ993]

Holy smokes, what a SNAFU! Everybody & his brother trying to log on at the same time (10:30 am PST) to get their permit done. The PCTA website crashing. I was starting to panic. My buddy & I plan to start out together. So, he's panicking as well. I think I got one of the last available slots for my date (listed as two remaining). My buddy got the same date. I think we both aged multiple years in an hour or so. Whew!

Hope others had good luck as well.

[MamaBear]

That pretty much describes my experience, too. Thank God we had a Noreaster and school was cancelled yesterday or else I'd have been out picking up the boy from school and not able to spend the extra time to get my permit.

[Coffee]

I hope the early season folks have good snow skills - late March is already full! Those late March/early April folks will probably reach KM by early-mid May on average and it is an epic snow year. If I was hiking the PCT this year, I'd probably opt to start mid-May and hike at a rapid pace, and that would still result in hitting a lot of snow...

[DuneElliot]

I didn't think the permit site went up until Feb 1st. They're earlier this year!

I'd be picking an early-mid April date predominantly because I hike slowly, and thus would be taking my time getting to KM for mid June.

[gwschenk]

The ATization of the PCT is now complete.

[srvand02]

The ATization of the PCT is now complete.

And that's why I head Southbound!

[jeffmeh]

Clearly the PCTA did not do enough to prepare for the big volume spike in web requests. My son and his gf are going, and I was helping him to increase the odds of securing two permits for the same start date. Between the two of us on different computers, we had to refresh the page hundreds of times to get it to work twice. That said, we had both permits thirty minutes from kick-off. I kept telling him that he will be happy when he is out there that they limit permits.

[Coffee]

In 2015, which was the first year of the current permit process, it took several days for the more popular days to fill up and changes were still possible several days after the process opened. Now it fills in hours. I wonder if the scarcity factor has actually increased awareness and, therefore, desire to secure something scarce, and how many will be following through on the early season hikes that are going to be a huge challenge for most people given this year's conditions.

I agree on the idea of SOBO. Currently, I'm resigned to sectioning northbound over the next couple of years (will have continuous footprints from Mexico to Donner Pass by this summer, to Ashland in 2018, to Cascade Locks in 2019, and to Canada in 2020) but WHEN I eventually thru it will be southbound, almost for certain.

[AllDownhillFromHere]

Last I checked April was full. Also, their site sucks, because now all dates appear free.

I didn't think the permit site went up until Feb 1st. They're earlier this year!

I'd be picking an early-mid April date predominantly because I hike slowly, and thus would be taking my time getting to KM for mid June.

[MuddyWaters]

At least pcta did something to limit # s

Models apparently predict another big AR in feb. After a 10 day break here. This is looking to be a record snowfall season....... I dont know how its possible to be caught offgard by this...but I know there will be a bunch that are.

20 ft snow in 23 days at mammoth. Walls of snow 25' high in places. Not seen since 1969.

[Venchka]

There may well be a Start Date Swaps Market.
I'm always amazed by the Geographically Clueless.
Wayne


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[Coffee]

20 ft snow in 23 days at mammoth. Walls of snow 25' high in places. Not seen since 1969.

I'm hiking from Sequoia National Park (west side entry at Lodgepole or Crescent Meadows) up to Donner Summit starting mid-August and I wouldn't be surprised to see remnants of snow at that time. PCT thru hikers better have snow skills this year.

[gwschenk]

This year might be the high water mark. The Wild Effect drew people in. Six years of drought gave people unrealistic expectations of what the Sierra is about. What amounts to a more normal snow year has people freaking out. A little reality check might reduce the numbers for upcoming years.

[lumberjaime]

+1 for SOBO! I'm just hanging out, watching all of the NOBOs scramble around freaking out about permits. It would be funnier if I didn't feel so bad about y'all being so stressed out about it. Good luck to everyone applying for NOBO permits, especially all of you early starters!!!

[Miner]

Two big snow years of the type there is no good place to flip should cause future numbers to fall some after the stories get out. Several years of low snow and easy hiking has given the false impression that the PCT is normally a walk in the park.

Mid April through mid May is more appropriate to start for most years.

[ScareBear]

23 feet in 23 days and it is still January in the Sierras. Good luck with May!

[Wyoming]

Just a word to ease some anxiety. Each day is 50 slots.

They have only filled the first 35 slots for each day so far. So there are 15 more slots left for each day. No day is full yet.

What they do is open the first 35 on the first day and those fill pretty quickly as many of you experienced. IN about 2 weeks or so they will open up the other 15 days.

But like many have mentioned this might be a good year to start in May. I started last year on May 9th and still got to Kennedy about 15 June. It is a guess of course on what the snow melt will be like so best of luck.

Traditionally - that is before the long drought - the normal time to go north from Kennedy was mid-June so there was no need to start any earlier than 1 May. Some years most have waited until 1 July to go into the high country. This of course requires that you hike higher mileage days later if you want to make it to Canada.

[mattjv89]

Just barely got in yesterday and I would have been S.O.L. if not for work being cancelled due to weather. Brought me right back to the days of college class registration! Yeah 15 remaining on each day but if this round of permits was any indication I bet they'll be gone in minutes on 2/13. I stuck with April 13, looking to be on the early side for this year but it's more my style to start early and stroll if I need to kill some time.. I would rather have the better part of the desert to my back before it gets really hot.