Months ago I asked for and got recommendations for a PCT section hike to commence on August 4 of this year -- three weeks from Sunday. Based on those recommendations we made detailed plans to fly into San Francisco and hike "Section P," from Castella to Etna. But it seems California is on fire... and at best, this section will be hot and very smoky. At worst, the fires will still be burning, or new fires may have started. Not quite what we were looking for!
So here I am again -- asking the same question. Heck, it doesn't even have to be the PCT -- but it would be nice if it were a continuous trail in something that looks and feels a bit like wilderness. General considerations:
1. Roughly 100-120 mile section (7 or 8 days hiking @ 15 miles/day)
2. Proximity (say, within 6 hours drive) from San Francisco
3. Accessibility: need a place to stash car during the hike,
and a way to get back to starting point
4. Decent scenery, not too hot.
5. Hopefully: permits, bear canisters, extreme navigation skills not needed.
JMT (or a piece of it) fails on several counts -- otherwise we'd have chosen that without much thought.