Just found out the Pacific Crest Trail has a 98% failure rate

I was reading some stats last night on the PCTA site and couldn't believe it. Only about 2% of people who start the trail actually finish it in one go. That includes both northbound and southbound hikers. Most people quit in the first 200 miles because of injury or just underestimating the mental grind. Has anyone else looked up completion rates for their dream trail and been surprised?

2 comments

2 Comments

mitchell.nancy13h ago

Damn, that's brutal but makes sense given how brutal the conditions get.

caseyl1810h ago

Wait hold on @mitchell.nancy, you kind of just breezed past the "brutal" part like it was no big deal. Are we talking like frostbite brutal or like gear failure brutal? Because I've seen videos of people's boots literally freezing solid overnight out there and I can't even wrap my head around that. I mean, maybe it's just me but I would be crying after day one of that kind of cold. The fact that people just accept that as part of the deal is honestly kind of mind blowing to me.