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I compared the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail this summer
After hiking 500 miles on the PCT in California and 400 on the AT in Virginia, I think the PCT is way easier on your feet. The AT had so many rocky sections near the Shenandoahs that my boots wore out in 6 weeks. Anyone else find one trail way harder on gear than the other?
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adam_anderson61mo ago
Read a study not too long ago that tracked shoe wear on long trails and the AT had way more impact on soles. Something about the sharp rocks and constant up and down just chews through rubber faster than the smoother PCT terrain. I only did 300 miles of the AT in New Hampshire but my trail runners looked like they went through a shredder. The PCT seemed to let me stretch out my gear a lot longer.
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the_kim1mo ago
That rocky stretch in Pennsylvania through to Virginia is a real boot killer, I remember my soles peeling off like old stickers after just a few hundred miles on the AT. The constant sharp edges and loose stones just grind everything down way faster than the softer PCT soil ever did. I had to replace my boots halfway through my AT hike, but on the PCT my same pair lasted the whole way with barely a scratch.
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paul2331mo ago
Man "looked like they went through a shredder" is basically what happened to my boots after just 300 miles on the AT in Pennsylvania. I felt like I was walking on a pile of broken dishes every day. My gear budget took a real hit that summer, I went through two pairs of boots and a set of gaiters like they were disposable. Meanwhile my buddy on the PCT finished the whole desert section on one pair of trail runners and barely had any wear. Guess I should start training my feet for rocks instead of dirt paths.
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