The morning sunlight peeked through the towering tops of Douglas firs, creating an ethereal atmosphere in the woods of Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southern Washington. My footfalls were muffled ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. This year, 764 thru-hikers completed the survey. That’s only about 9.5% of the 8,000 long-distance permits issued on average each ...

Thru-hikers on the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail have long relied on the kindness of strangers to get them through difficult stretches. Trail angels fill water caches, open their doors to smelly ...

At 2,654 miles, the Pacific Crest Trail, or PCT as it's more commonly known in the hiking community, is considered the longest designated hiking trail in the world. Stretching from Campo, CA, near the ...

In the summer of 1981, Rees Hughes and Howard Shapiro, along with mutual friend Jim Peacock, set out to hike the section of the Pacific Crest Trail that runs through Washington state. It was their ...

Editor’s note: Explore contributor Gensheng Tian hiked a part of the Pacific Crest Trail in July. This is the first of two installments. The Pacific Crest Trail is not only a scenic trail but also ...

It isn’t that hard to find them in town. Thru-hikers are predictable — more animal-like in behavior than town and city folk. Burger stands are typical spotting grounds. Any cheap motel with the door ...