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Just found out the Pacific Crest Trail has a 2,650 mile long alternate route that barely anyone takes
Was reading some trail forums last night and stumbled on this. Apparently there's a whole different path called the 'Tehachapi Alternate' that avoids the main Sierra section but adds like 200 miles. Only like 50 people have done it in the last 5 years. Has anyone here given it a shot?
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grant1551d ago
Yeah the "licking rocks to see what they taste like" part got me laughing because honestly that's how it feels with stuff like this. I've noticed the same pattern with people who always hunt down the most obscure alternates in hiking, cooking, even driving routes, like they're trying to prove something by doing it the hardest way possible. At some point you gotta wonder if they're actually enjoying the hike or just bragging rights about being one of 50 people dumb enough to add 200 miles.
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Well there's "barely anyone takes" for a reason, I reckon. An extra 200 miles on top of 2,650 sounds about as fun as hiking through a car wash. You'd have to really hate the Sierra Nevada or really love walking through what's basically a whole lot of nothing. I can see why only 50 people gave it a shot - probably the same folks who enjoy licking rocks to see what they taste like. Give me the main trail with the mountains and the views any day, even if it means dealing with snow and crowds. Sometimes the alternate route exists just to prove that the regular one was fine all along.
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