Just read that the Pacific Crest Trail has a 60% dropout rate by mile 500

I was looking at the PCTA stats last night and that number shocked me, has anyone here actually bailed that early and what made you call it quits?

2 comments

2 Comments

kevin_murray882d agoMost Upvoted

Betting on quitting early is the same pattern I see in gym memberships every January, @simon_chen.

simon_chen5d ago

Honestly those stats always get cherry-picked. Yeah, 60% bail by mile 500 but most of those people never planned to finish the whole thing in the first place. They're weekend warriors who hit snow or a blister and decide it's not worth the hassle. I've known guys who bailed at mile 300 because they missed their girlfriend's birthday party, not exactly a survival epic. Ngl, the ones who actually set out to complete the trail usually already know they're in for a slog and don't quit that early.