As we are both UK citizens we would need to obtain a US visa that would allow us to stay in the US for a 6 month period. 

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Firstly a DS-160 form is to be completed which was quite lengthy, note you will need a digital passport photograph set to US visa size. You can save the application at any point and come back to it which we had to do in order to get all of the details required. 

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The next step is to make a payment, the visa itself is $160 (approx. £131 exchange rate applied, 2019 rate). You will also be asked if you want your passports returned via courier or if you want to collect it from a list of locations. You will then get to select a date and time for your interview. We opted to have ours at the US embassy in London. 

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Interview day arrived, only a few days after completing the application. We wanted to get it out of the way so it was one less thing to worry about. We arrived at the embassy 30 mins prior to our appointment time. On arrival, we went through security and were held in the main reception area before being directed to the first floor. We had a single appointment for both of us, and we were allocated a number. Once your number is called you go to the window where the first part of the process begins. Following this, you are directed to the other side of the room and wait to be called again with the same number. From this window, the interview happens. The gentleman we saw was a keen hiker who gave us a quickfire round of questions to ensure that the reason for entry was justified. We were then told that our permits had been approved and that we would receive our passports in a few days. 

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Prior to the interview we prepared a few documents for in the event that we were asked to show evidence however they didn't ask to see any of these documents. 

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I was personally quite worried about the interview (although I am a worrier!) but there was nothing to be worried about, it was a very smooth process. 

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UPDATE - Unfortunately due to Covid 19 we were not able to hike the PCT in 2020 as planned. We hope to have the opportunity to hike the PCT in the future. 

As we will be using a gas stove for cooking we are required to obtain a fire permit for California. 

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The California fire permit is free and valid for one year. 

They can be obtained from the following site: https://www.readyforwildfire.org/permits/campfire-permit/

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To obtain the permit you are requested to watch a video and answer a series of questions correctly. 

A pretty stress-free process. 

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Permits are only valid for 12 months. 

We purchased travel insurance from a company called Big Cat.  

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We selected the activity pack option which includes hiking up to 4,600 m elevation which is ideal as Mt. Whitney and Foresters Pass are both just below this height. 

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The insurance was quite expensive however we would never travel without insurance. Let's hope we don't need to make a claim! 

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Permits to walk the PCT can be obtained from the Pacific Crest Trail Association website. 

https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/permits/

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Permits are free however there is only a maximum of 50 permits per day covering dates from March to May (starting at the Mexican border). 

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Normally permits are issued in two phases,35 permits per day were released in October (29th in 2019) with a further 15 permits per day released on in January (14th in 2020). 

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We cleared our diaries ready for the October date, luckily it was early evening in the UK so an ideal time. The website went live at a certain time if you arrived at the site before the permit release time you were allocated a random number when the site went live. If you arrived after the go-live time then you join the end of the queue. 

 

We had two devices ready to go, one which was logged in around 30 mins prior and the other 5 mins prior, as there is no advantage for you to log onto the site any sooner. Going through the steps is a daunting exercise but really exciting, we had no idea what number we would be given once the site went live however I think we were extremely lucky to have got numbers in the 700's and 2,000's. Once you have been given a number, a countdown appears which is the approx. time it will take before you can enter the permit page. We sat and stared at the screen for the duration getting giddy when the clock got closer to zero. 

 

We had to wait around an hour for the first device to take us through to the permit page and close to two hours for the second device. Once through to the page we had to complete the application, which was very simple to complete. Alongside your personal details, they ask where you are starting and ending, your average miles per day (excluding zero days) and your start date. When selecting a date it told you how many permits were remaining on that same day which was quite useful as we obviously wanted to start on the same day. 

 

Following the completion of the applications, we received an email from PCTA stating that the applications had been received and would be reviewed in the following weeks. 

 

Several weeks later we received an email stating that our applications had been reviewed and approved, a big sigh of relief! 

 

The actual permits that we need to print and take with us were not available until mid-January. 

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Looking back we were very lucky to have got the dates that we wanted, as we have read numerous posts on the Facebook group from people who had little choice on the date or for couples who got dates that were weeks apart. 

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Ideally, you need a PCT permit, however, we have read that you don't actually need a PCT permit to be able to walk the PCT, individual permits can be obtained instead. 

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UPDATE - Unfortunately due to Covid 19 we were not able to hike the PCT in 2020 as planned. We hope to have the opportunity to hike the PCT in the future. 

To walk into Canada all walkers are required to complete a Canada PCT entry permit which is free. 

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You are required to complete an online pdf document,  which is to be sent with supporting documents to an email address. 

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The size and resolution of the files have to be carefully managed otherwise the submission will get rejected. Files must be attached to the email not placed on a storage cloud. 

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Once the permit has been reviewed you receive an email stating it has been approved and processed. With this email, they will return the stamped document that is to be carried on your persons. 

 

The application can take up to 8 weeks to process however we received ours in a couple of weeks.