Hi there,

I'm planning a NOBO for this upcoming season for my first thru-hike ever but have a few logistical things I need some help working out before 100% making up my mind.

The Dilemma: I'm a groomsman in a wedding happening on May 18th in my home province (Nova Scotia, Canada). I am 100% attending this wedding.

What that means for my hike: I feel like I have two options. Help me pls. I know the decision is ultimately mine and is influenced by how badly I want to do as much of the trail as possible but I would appreciate some insight from those with experience who might be able to help me identify the pros/cons of each idea.

Option 1: Start in Mid April, hiking the desert as far as I can in the ~1 month until it's close to the wedding date. I would then get off trail from wherever I've made it to, fly to Nova Scotia, attend wedding, and then fly back to trail and start from (roughly) where I left off.

Option 2: Start near the end of May after the wedding and skip the desert. Maybe don't skip desert but skip a part of the trail later? Maybe start near the end of desert or in the Sierras?

My fears: Is option 1 a logistical crapshoot? Should I feel bad about missing the desert? Will I have time to end in Early/mid Sept even if I start later? Would option 1 require me to hike 500miles before the wedding for permit reasons? When/where should I start with Option 2? What are some things that I should be taking into consideration? Aside from the glaringly obvious factors like money, time and effort...

As I said before, this will be my first thru-hike so I'm a little unsure of what my pace would be on the PCT. From my experience and to make a reserved estimate, I'd say a first month pace would look like 25-30 kilometers per day with a very open mind for nero's and zero's. I'm really trying to focus on not rushing and going too fast in the start.

Thanks for reading