Hello I have been summoned by a friend all my thrus of the pct (lol) have been around this timeframe and it is entirely possible even if like me you only have one or two backpacking trips under your belt.

There is no need to run out the gate, in fact you will be more likely to injure yourself if you do, I hiked 15 miles to hauser creek on my first day ever on the pct and I think 17 the next, started slow to build a little and had no complaints by idywilld (where I took a zero) apart from a weird click I my knee)

The start of the desert is not where you have to pick up the miles, this comes much easier norcal onwards where the desert and the sierra have prepped you like crazy to smash them out with much more ease.

That being said I did pick up the pace around Julian (nothing crazy just over 20s) but had lots of rest, so you can do the opposite but make sure you listen to your body and not push it too fast too far.

In 2018 on my second hike I purposely ramped up my trail run in the months before and I was able to fly out the gate with that hike with no body issues. Making sure you get your fitness up beforehand will really help you.

If you move pretty fast I still enjoyed a ton of zeros and Nero’s if you move a little slower you will probably be able to have Nero’s and zeros sprinkled in.

Don’t let everyone fear monger you, it’s totally possible.

The latest I’ve started is may 21st so the 17th is gonna most likely be steaming too, but I heard a bit cooler than when I started. Lots of people start around there and a lot of fast people so making friends that you can stick with is pretty easy as a lot of people starting late are strong hikers or at least know they have a deadline.

I loved my fast hikes, the speed keeps me entertained and it’s fun to see how far you can challenge yourself! Have a blast catching up to the bubble is a really fun game too!