Army reservist on PCT

Brian Hughes, a 47-year-old Army reservist from Livingston, is trying to hike the full 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada to raise money for Combat Stress. (uk.news.yahoo.com, pcta.org) Hughes serves with 6 SCOTS, the 6th Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and works as a dog walker in civilian life. The Daily Record reported on April 21 that he is already on the trail, which crosses California, Oregon and Washington. (army.mod.uk, uk.news.yahoo.com, pcta.org) Combat Stress says it provides specialist mental health treatment and support for UK veterans, including a 24-hour helpline. Hughes is using the hike to direct money and attention to that work. (combatstress.org.uk, combatstress.org.uk, uk.news.yahoo.com) A thru-hike on the Pacific Crest Trail usually means one continuous trip of 500 miles or more, and hikers attempting the whole route typically use a long-distance permit issued through the Pacific Crest Trail Association under U.S. Forest Service authority. For 2026 northbound starts south of Sonora Pass between March 1 and May 31, permits were released in two batches totaling 50 starts per day. (nps.gov, permit.pcta.org, permit.pcta.org, fs.usda.gov) This year’s backdrop is a western snow drought. The Bulletin reported on April 20 that snowpack in many places was absent or nearly gone by around April 1, the usual seasonal peak, the lowest level in the 45 years since automated measurements began. (thebulletin.org, nrcs.usda.gov) For hikers, low snow can mean easier early travel through high passes, but it also brings earlier runoff and longer dry stretches in the desert. The Pacific Crest Trail Association’s water report is a standing tool for hikers because water availability can change quickly along the route. (backpacker.com, pcta.org) Independent trail snow tracking showed Pacific Crest Trail snow conditions updated on April 16, with 2026 data already being watched by hikers planning Sierra crossings. Drought.gov said in February that water-supply concerns were already increasing across the West as snowfall deficits mounted. (postholer.com, drought.gov) That leaves Hughes chasing two hard things at once: the mileage of one of America’s best-known long trails and a season likely to demand tighter planning around heat and water. If he reaches Canada, the walk will have covered 2,650 miles for a veterans’ mental health charity he chose to support. (pcta.org, combatstress.org.uk, thebulletin.org)