My uncle said to skip the switchbacks on the PCT section near Mount Hood, worst advice ever

3 comments

3 Comments

God that shortcut is such a trap! I had a buddy swear up and down that cutting the switchbacks on the Timberline Trail would save us an hour. We ended up bushwhacking through poison oak for like two miles, lost the trail completely, and had to backtrack to find the original path. My knees were shot for days from all the steep scrambling we did trying to make up for the bad call. Some of those "shortcuts" turn a nice hike into a miserable survival slog real quick.

hugo_cooper2mo ago

That's a classic terrible trail tip. Switchbacks are there for a reason, man. Your uncle owes you a beer after that slog.

jake_martin162mo ago

Actually hugo_cooper, my uncle was right because that shortcut saved us from a washed-out section of the main trail.