PCT hikers hit the trail and local towns
Local businesses report return of international travelers
Yet another part of the summer scene in Inyo County is coming back strong after two years of COVID reductions and restrictions.
This summer has seen, once again, a solid contingent of high-country hikers stepping off the Pacific Crest Trail and dropping into local towns to resupply, refresh and recharge. In another positive sign for the local economy in general, businesses that cater to the PCT crowd are once again seeing significant numbers of foreign hikers, especially from Europe.
“They’re here and they are happy,” said Blair Nicodemus, owner of Big Willy Mountaineering in Lone Pine, when asked about the flow of PCT hikers into town. “It feels like a regular year, again.”
Echoing that observation was Rachel Cokely at the Eastside Guesthouse & Bivvy in Bishop. The PCT hikers started showing up early this year “and are still going strong.”
This year, most COVID restrictions have been lifted and, in an ironic twist, the winter snowpack that came in at about half of historic levels and melted early has been a big plus. “The light snow year means conditions are great in the high country,” said Nicodemus.
The hikers are easy to spot in town when they are out of their natural Sierra high-country habitat. They sport a colorful assortment of lightweight packs, most not weighing more than 30-35 pounds fully loaded and with a blue plastic bear canister tied on top. High-end footwear, ranging from traditional hiking boots to ultra-light trail shoes, support uniformly tan legs, thanks to walking in shorts in high-altitude sunshine. The hats, scarves and shirts are as varied and colorful as the hikers themselves.
An uphill climb
It hasn’t been a “regular year” for PCT hikers for several years. In 2019, a burst of late spring snowstorms prompted a significant number of crosscountry hikers to detour around the Sierra Section. That limited their impact on the local economy. Then the COVID pandemic started in March of 2020, and general shutdowns and strict travel restrictions dried up the flow of PCT hikers for the whole year.
Some hikers ventured out in 2021 in the spring after covid vaccines were available and there was a national spring dip in covid infections. However, international travels still faced travel restrictions which limited their numbers on the trail.
Taking on a 2,650-mile hike that can take up to five months to complete entails extensive planning and logistical maneuvers. In a good year, that can be daunting. In 2021, the
sometimes conflicting and often changing COVID protocols by states and even individual national forests limited the number of hikers, according to a recap by the nonprofit Pacific
Crest Trail Association. The PCT goes through three states, crosses 26 National Forests, seven National Parks, five state parks and four national monuments, so even in a “normal year,” there are plenty of challenges.
People plan for their PCT trek far in advance, and sometimes for years before stepping onto the trail. Those prospective hikers could have spent COVID lockdowns and uncertainty watching videos and social media about the trail and making plans.
‘All clear’
So when 2022 seemed to be “all clear,” they jumped at the chance to make the hike, theorized Emmaleigh Hundley, coowner of the Mt. Williamson Motel and Basecamp in Independence.
“We’ve never seen so many PCT hikers as this year,” said Hundley. She estimated the motel was seeing far more hikers than in 2019 and other pre-pandemic years. “It’s wild.”
The Independence Post Office can be an unofficial gauge of hiker traffic because hikers mail themselves General Delivery resupply boxes. The steel racks behind the service counter are, once again, full of the resupply boxes.
Kearsarge Pass above Onion Valley west of Independence is a favorite route for dropping off the trail since the walk to the trailhead and paved parking lot is relatively short.
Cokely at Eastside Guest House, said most of their clients come down Kearsarge, then take the Eastern Sierra Transit Authority bus to Bishop to take advantage of restaurants, sporting goods stores and other amenities.
Making a bit longer trip are international trekkers.
“Our foreign visitors are back, too,” said Cokely, after being mostly absent for several years.
“I haven’t heard so many foreign languages for years,” said Nicodemus. “It sounds great.” The bulk of the international travelers are from Europe, with plenty of Germans, Italians,
Swiss and French, he noted. “It’s a real positive for everyone in Lone Pine to have our European visitors back.”
The strong PCT season could also signal a solid summer of long-distance hikers visiting local towns.
Most PCT hikers start off from the California/ Mexico border in April and May and hit Inyo County in June and early July on their way to the US/Canadian border.
Hot on their heels in most years are crosscountry hikers traversing a John Muir Trail. That famous trail is just 215 miles long and goes from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney.