Treacherous North American Hiking Path Unsuitable for the Weak-hearted Adventurer
The Sea-to-Sea Route, also known as the C2C, is an ambitious trail network stretching nearly 8,000 miles coast to coast across North America. Proposed by trail enthusiast Ron Strickland, the C2C is a piecemeal network of existing trails that offers hikers an opportunity to experience the beauty of North America up close while hiking from sea to sea.
The journey begins at Cape Gaspé in Quebec, Canada, and ends at Cape Alava in Washington, USA. Along the way, hikers will traverse various landscapes, including vast prairies, soaring peaks, rugged coastlines, and the Great Lakes.
The eastern end of the C2C progresses towards North Dakota, where the formal trail network ends for approximately 800 miles. During this stretch, hikers must either road walk or forge their own route. After Montana, the trail joins the Continental Divide Trail, which traverses the snow-capped peaks of Glacier National Park heading towards the Canadian border.
Following Glacier National Park, the trail connects with the Pacific Northwest Trail, which runs 1,200 miles across northern Montana, Idaho, and Washington through the Rockies and the North Cascades to Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula. The final western terminus is Cape Alava on the Olympic Peninsula, the westernmost point of the continental US, where hikers can celebrate their journey by plunging into the Pacific Ocean.
If attempting the entire route, the East Coast trailheads near the Atlantic and the western endpoint at Cape Alava are traditional start and end points. However, because the entire route is so long, many hikers choose to plan sections individually; each trail segment can be started at its own trailhead, such as the Continental Divide Trail segment in Montana or sections of the Pacific Northwest Trail.
Planning a Sea-to-Sea hike involves selecting manageable sections of the piecemeal route, preparing for wilderness and navigation challenges, and choosing appropriate trailheads depending on which segments you aim to complete. Hikers should expect vast distances, which make a thru-hike typically take about a year, and varied terrain, including snow-capped mountain peaks, rugged wilderness, and forested areas. Navigation difficulties on sections where trails are abandoned or involve off-trail travel mean good map and navigational skills are critical.
Ron Strickland, the creator of the C2C and the Pacific Northwest Trail, first proposed the Sea-to-Sea Route in the early 2000s. In 2004-2005, Andrew Skurka became the first known person to have walked the C2C, completing the 7,800-mile journey in 11 months.
In summary, the Sea-to-Sea Route, or C2C, is an epic coast-to-coast hike that offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience the beauty of North America. With careful planning and preparation, adventurous hikers can embark on this once-in-a-lifetime journey.
- For an unparalleled opportunity to experience the diverse landscapes of North America, consider following the Sea-to-Sea Route, also known as the C2C, which covers travel in various regions and features travel guides for hikers road walking or forging their own routes.
- To successfully plan a lifestyle steeped in travel and adventure, researching travel guides for the Sea-to-Sea Route, including the hike's sections such as the Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Northwest Trail, will be essential in navigating, preparing for wilderness challenges, and selecting manageable portions of this epic trail spanning nearly 8,000 miles.
