Hiker Completes First Round-Trip of Pacific Crest Trail
November 18, 2004 Long-distance hiker Scott Williamson, 32, stepped off the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) at California’s border with Mexico Saturday, completing the first ever continuous “yo-yo,” or round trip of the 2,560-mile trail that stretches from the Mexican to the Canadian border through California, Oregon, and Washington. This was Williamson’s fourth bid to yo-yo the PCT, a goal he first attempted in 1996, and his seventh border-to-border hike on the trail.
“I’ve probably hiked the Pacific Crest more than any other person,” he told Outside.
Covering a total of 5,300 miles in 197 days, Williamson traveled an average of 35 to 40 miles a day when not in snow, a rate he maintained by following an ultra-lightweight hiking philosophy.
“My pack, without food, weighed about 8.5 pounds,” he said.
His equipment was basic. Williamson carried a highly customized GoLite pack filled with a commercially available tarp, a Tyvek groundsheet, a closed-cell foam pad, a homemade sleeping quilt, and gaiters. He also wore out 12 pairs of running shoes.
“Every ounce on a hiker’s foot makes a huge difference in terms of energy expended,” he explained, adding that a friend estimated he took over ten million steps.
“I see my equipment as a means to achieve my goals,” he said. “Ultimately, it’s not about the equipment—it’s about attitude.”
One non-essential piece of equipment was Williamson’s rubber ducky bath toy—a mascot he brings on all his hikes.
Williamson left his stove behind and consumed a mostly organic diet of protein shakes, dried fruits, crackers, and re-fried beans for months at a time. He ate two to three pounds of food each day.
“But when I was in a town I pigged out on junk food,” he admitted. To supply his expedition, Williamson pre-packed dozens of boxes before leaving for the hike, which his father mailed to pre-determined spots along the trail. His longest carry without re-supply was an eight-day northbound trek in the High Sierra of California. The longest distance he went without picking up a box was 241 miles.
Williamson’s favorite stretches of the trail were also the most challenging—the snow-covered ridgelines of the High Sierra in California and the Cascade Range in Oregon. On the northbound leg Williamson encountered summer snowpacks well into Oregon. He carried an ice axe but never encountered any situations requiring crampons.
Williamson, who hiked the 2,174-mile Appalachian Trail in 1995, considers the PCT a less strenuous route. “The Pacific Crest Trail is designed for horses, so it is much better graded than the Appalachian Trail,” he said. “The Appalachian Trail requires a lot more boulder scrambling.”
When not hiking, Williamson, who worked in logging for several years, is self-employed as a tree-climber and maintenance specialist in Santa Cruz, California. “I do anything that requires climbing a tree, usually the real dangerous jobs,” he said. He also pursues a hobby of climbing world-record trees, using a rope to prevent injuring the bark. “I saw some trees along the trail that I would have loved to climb, but I didn’t have the proper equipment,” he said.
Following his record-setting hike, Williamson plans to return to Santa Cruz where he has several tree-maintenance jobs lined up. He also wants to try a long-distance race of 100 miles.
“I want to stay in this shape as long as possible,” he said with a laugh.
