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fix-it
01-17-2009, 14:42
Just want some feed back from folks who went to Springer in late Feburary early March to Hike for a month and a half before going to Campo to thru in late april. I know people do this every year but can't seem to find much info on this subject .Any random thought from people who did this would be helpful.

I thru hiked the AT in 2000 and for the first time since I really feel the need to do a LD hike again and i have been thinking about jumping on the AT for a month as a warm up/ shake down and just to get more time out there.

I am intentionlly leaving this question open end and vague because iam not sure what to ask.

Thanks
Fix-it

Pacific Tortuga
01-17-2009, 15:01
You'll be in great hiking shape, the AT is much harder than the PCT.

I have done about 1,000 miles of both trails is how I have critiqe both.

PM Jester here on WBs and see what he thinks as an 08 PCT thru hiker.

sticks&stones
01-17-2009, 15:18
Beats waiting for the snowmelt out west, or working or something.

chris
01-17-2009, 16:48
The start of the PCT is pretty easy, though you'll be hiking longer days than you're probably used to from the AT because of the distance between water sources and the heat during the middle part of the day. I found the AT to be pretty easy physically. SoCal on the PCT certainly has a more gentle grade than the AT, but you'll be hiking longer days due to the distance between water sources and the heat during the day.

Personally, I'd head out to the Arizona Trail at the start of March and hike that northbound for a month and a half, then go over to the PCT.

garlic08
01-17-2009, 21:21
You'll be in great hiking shape, the AT is much harder than the PCT.

I have done about 1,000 miles of both trails is how I have critiqe both.

I need to defend the PCT (unless you're only talking about the average grade). It's really hard to compare the two trails unless you've thru-hiked both of them. You can't compare the Sierra to the Smokies, or the Cascades to the Whites, for instance, or any 1000-mile snapshot for that matter. You can't appreciate the difficulty of the PCT until you actually hike the 2650 miles in that year's weather window. The AT's 2180 miles can take nine months or longer, so I think there's little comparison in difficulty. I think many AT hikers are new to long distance hiking and get wiped out by the huge packs they carry. If they go on to the PCT, they have lighter packs and that makes all the difference.

I personally thought the AT was the easier trail. My average pace for the AT was greater than the PCT, and food and water supply was so much easier.

Hiking the southern Appalachians is good strength training, but as was said above, the PCT grade is easier, so you won't be using that strength. I think what you need more of on the PCT is light weight and speed. I agree that a much better "warmup" for the PCT would be on the CDT in New Mexico. If you don't have desert experience, that would be a good way to get it.

neighbor dave
01-17-2009, 22:32
Personally, I'd head out to the Arizona Trail at the start of March and hike that northbound for a month and a half, then go over to the PCT.

:-?this sounds like really good advice, just be sure you like desert hiking.
if you're on the p.c.t. and you don't like desert hiking you might be inclined to keep pushing, (it's certainly worth it) if you hike 300 miles in az first and hate it, i'd think your chances of doing a thru-hike are slim.:-?
in any event, have a great time:sun

fix-it
01-17-2009, 22:59
Thanks People

doing some miles in the desert either it be the cdt or azt sound like the logical choice, which I did not even think about. I think the most important thing for me to remember is to stay open minded to the pct and not expect a AT experience.

RedneckRye
01-18-2009, 11:07
In 2006 I hiked Amicalola to Erwin before I headed out to the PCT. It was an absolute blast. Revisiting the south, "only" being a section hiker, seeing way too many folks carrying way too much stuff.
Also a bonus month of hiking that allowed me not to try to get in shape here at home before I went west.
As far as desert experience, I found that the 700 miles of desert on the PCT is all of the "desert experience" that I will need for the entire rest of my life.
Have fun out there.

Krewzer
01-19-2009, 01:17
Hey Fix It, when do you plan to start the PCT?

There are at least 5 of past AT hikers starting around April 17. If you're interested in starting around then, PM me and I'll get you what info I have.

(No one I know of has mentioned a training hike on the AT before leaving, but sounds like a good idea physically)

beast1210
01-23-2009, 00:15
besides , start your warmup month somewhere you havent been to, why hike the AT that youve already done. Plus it would split up your travel time to campo.

Mags
01-23-2009, 15:49
As others said, why not warm up on something different?

A GA Pinhoti Trail/ BMT combo would be ~500 miles or so. A bit less trafficked than the the AT to say the least, too.

Sly
01-23-2009, 17:46
As far as desert experience, I found that the 700 miles of desert on the PCT is all of the "desert experience" that I will need for the entire rest of my life.
Have fun out there.

That's what I thought, but for some reason I can't stop going back.

mudhead
01-23-2009, 19:07
That's what I thought, but for some reason I can't stop going back.

It's got you. Thorns and all.

Desert Reprobate
02-02-2009, 01:24
If you are going to hike in the desert, start your trip at Campo early. The temp this weekend in Palm Springs was in the 80s. The snow is melting on San Jacinto. I plan to hit the PCT again in 2011. Even though I've lived here for a while, I will try to get through the desert sections as early as possible.

fiddlehead
02-02-2009, 02:53
I did exactly what many are advising you to do: Go out to a desert somewhere (I picked AZ) and learn some tricks to desert hiking a month or two before you start your PCT adventure.
Things like:
How to camp without water (dry camp),
How to find water (look for cottonwood trees, windmills, etc),
How to read a map (especially the 100k scale ones that are in the PCT guidebook) for instance, you can learn that putting your thumb and index and middle finger tightly together to use as a measuring device gives you aproxamately one mile on these maps.)
What to wear when you are going to be in sun all day (sun hat, long sleeve cotton shirt, perhaps long pants to keep from dehydrating)
How to camel up at water sources so you don't have to carry as much water. (this one was so important for me and i found myself often carrying 1/3 or even up to 1/2 less than others)
How to determine which cactus plants are safe to touch and which ones to stay far away from (dreaded cholla, vs prickly pear for example)
Also, you'll be happy to find out that you can wash your clothes often on the PCT and they will dry out fast. You can hike clean! With clean socks everyday!

Enjoy your hike and your "hiking in the desert" learning experience.

I too can agree with SLy and find the desert is hard to resist after you know how to enjoy it to it's fullest.

yappy
02-02-2009, 14:13
I like the desert too. There is something about the spare beauty and open space. But, heck...where ever you decide to go will give you a chance to sort things out prior to the pct but heading to the desert would give you some prespective that the At would not. have a blast.. woohoo !