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View Full Version : Hitch back to ADZPCTO ?



Wheeler
03-13-2009, 20:13
I will be hiking the PCT this year and was considering attending the KO. I was thinking of maybe starting a little sooner and hitching back to stay out of the main crowd. How simple/difficult is that ? Also, how much of a crowd is there, really ? I've heard that there are some conflicting view's on the KO itself. Are there any strong reason's to attend or not attend ? It's getting time to buy a ticket, and I'm just plain anxious! Can't wait!:sun

saimyoji
03-13-2009, 20:17
is adzpcto pronounceable? or do you just say the letters?


disclaimer:
sorry if its a stupid question.
(not really, though)

Wheeler
03-13-2009, 20:27
I think it's pronounced adz-pict-co. it's the Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off.

saimyoji
03-13-2009, 20:30
I think it's pronounced adz-pict-co. it's the Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off.

hikers eating and drinking i assume....sounds like fun. :)

TwoForty
03-13-2009, 20:43
I wasn't going to give my opinion on the KOP since I haven't been, but you asked :)

I would consider the fact that you are leaving ahead of it a blessing. You'll be in front of the herd. You won't be the only one out there though, so you can still have the option of having the social scene if you want. Also, your hiking pace plays into this a bit, so consider that.

I really don't know if there is a reason to go nowadays unless you have already hiked or you just want to get into the trail scene. I can see the purpose many years ago when information was scarce and there were fewer people heading off (less of a herd). It would be nice to go after a thru hike to meet up with old friends, make new ones, and relive a bit of the past.

The again, this is all theory and no experience. Kind of like the guy I met last year who always ranted on the listserve about how water caches were wrong, but in the cache registers he changed his mind.

TwoForty
03-13-2009, 20:45
And to answer your question, Warner Springs would be the most logical place to have a hiker pick up/ drop off. You might be able to find someone on the list serve to help you out.

burger
03-13-2009, 21:01
Go to the ride board at http://www.pct77.org/adz/rides.htm and post that you'll need a ride from wherever on whatever date. I'm starting on the 17th and planning to get to Warner Springs by the weekend of the KO, which should be a pretty easy place to get a ride back to Lake Morena.

Wheeler
03-13-2009, 21:31
Warner spring's does look like a good spot. About the KO itself, any opinion's out there?

fiddlehead
03-13-2009, 21:41
As for conflicting reports on the KO party.
I got reprimanded for calling it a "party"

So, seems to me the do-gooders have perhaps taken it over.

Wheeler
03-13-2009, 21:50
As for conflicting reports on the KO party.
I got reprimanded for calling it a "party"

So, seems to me the do-gooders have perhaps taken it over.
Bummer

D-wreck
03-14-2009, 02:08
Strong reason for going to KO -> I'll be there, and we can party like its Connecticut!

I plan on starting with my GF and others ahead of the pack and hitching back. Looking forward to hiking with Sammy the Wheel again.

Wheeler
03-14-2009, 02:43
Giddy up, D-wreck! Remember that homeless guy who kept begging for booze? "Please! I'll give you $20 for that last gulp!" Sad thing was there was a "packy" like 5 mile's back. I'm pretty sure I'll go. If I start out ahead, I'll have the option.

mrc237
03-14-2009, 07:23
Not a huge party like TDs but some informative stuff like water reports and where the caches are. Useless gear contest, lightest pack contest are good for some laughs. Some vendors. May serve dinner Sat night and B'fast Sun. If you can, introduce yourself to the Andersons and the Saufleys great Trail Angels.

saimyoji
03-14-2009, 08:05
As for conflicting reports on the KO party.
I got reprimanded for calling it a "party"

how do you get reprimanded over a hiker event? did they take away your paper hat? :D

A-Train
03-14-2009, 12:09
Not a huge party like TDs but some informative stuff like water reports and where the caches are. Useless gear contest, lightest pack contest are good for some laughs. Some vendors. May serve dinner Sat night and B'fast Sun. If you can, introduce yourself to the Andersons and the Saufleys great Trail Angels.

True, but I believe the Saufleys stopped attending several yrs ago.

I attended the last 2 years. As a hiker on my 2nd day I welcomed the rest from the heat, but it was overwhelming and I didn't know many people. Last year it was a great time, but I had dozens of friends from the trail to shoot the poo and drink a brew with.

It's kinda what you make out of it. You can sit around and catch up with friends or be active, volunteer and go to all the talks and events, or a little of both. There's a lot of gear vendors and things going on, ut it's not the big party Traildays is.

Going or not going isn't gonna affect your thru-hike much at all. I think there is a little too much made out of beating the pack. The pack isn't all that big on the PCT and people spread out quick. I traveled in the KO pack until the Sierras and the only team it seemed there were a lot of people around was towns. I'm always suprised so many people start in mid-april. You can take your time to some degree, but still must clear the waterless sections. Also, you will spend a lot more money killing time until the SIerras.

handlebar
03-14-2009, 13:24
Wheeler, I had an unusual itinerary as I was planning two trips back east for weddings so I started early on April 4 sobo from Walker Pass. Found a ride down to kickoff from Cajon Pass through the ADZPCTKO page ride board. Many participants had rides back from Warner Springs.

Though last year was a low snow year, I ran into lots of it on Mt. Baden-Powell. Not sure about this year's snowpack, but I'd advise checking out Postholer.com for that info. The snowpack was similar to last year when I last checked and I was able to start through the Sierra from Kennedy Meadows on June 3 having been held up one day by a fire.

I slackpacked the first 20 miles back from Mexico to Lake Morena the Sunday of kickoff weekend and then took off northbound. The herd wasn't really much of an issue and after 3 full weeks of total solitude it was nice to find some hiking partners. Only problem we ran into was that we found the water cache at Scissors Crossing empty and had to hitch to Julian. Like someone posted, the only time I saw many hikers was in towns. As I recall, Warner Springs was filled with hikers.

Enjoy the hike!

chris
03-14-2009, 15:33
ADZ is great for former and future hikers and I'll be there this year a bit ahead of time. I'm going to hike from Morena up to the view of Anza-Borrego by Mount Laguna, camp, then hike to Pioneer Mail and somehow get a ride back via the ride board for ADZ. Fun times for sure, but if I was hiking I'd probably skip it and start a few weeks later on.

Wheeler
03-14-2009, 18:28
This is all good stuff, I appreciate it.

neighbor dave
03-19-2009, 17:04
we never arranged a ride and got one down and back from warner springs. there were many kind people waiting for hikers to give rides to.
my personal opinion on the kick off is that it's just o.k.
we were ancy to get back to the trail by noon time on saturday. ymmv

Desert Reprobate
03-19-2009, 17:21
I'm already scheduled to pick up one hiker at the Warner Springs Post Office at noon on the 24. If you get further along the trail I can pick up as far north as Idyllwild. See my info on the ADZPCTKO Site or pm me here. I'll have a Tundra with a utility trailer for packs and gear.

The Weasel
03-19-2009, 17:34
DR ----

What do you charge for shuttling. I am going to start sectioning up from Campo soon, and need a place to park and a ride to/from trailheads.

The Weasel

Desert Reprobate
03-19-2009, 17:47
No Charge but I am a ways off the trail. Halfway between Palm Springs and the AZ Border. I plan to start up the mountain at Palm Desert and pick up anyone needing a ride between there and Lake Morena.

Wheeler
03-19-2009, 17:54
I'm already scheduled to pick up one hiker at the Warner Springs Post Office at noon on the 24. If you get further along the trail I can pick up as far north as Idyllwild. See my info on the ADZPCTKO Site or pm me here. I'll have a Tundra with a utility trailer for packs and gear.

That sound's great. I've got a little time to make my plan's more concrete, but that sound's good. I'll get in touch when I'm certain.

Jim Adams
03-20-2009, 00:47
Way too serious for me. Best thing there was hanging with the Andersons. In 2007 3 of us were sitting at a picnic table in our campsite QUIETLY talking at 11:05 pm and were complained to by an alumni that we had to quit talking as quiet time started at 11pm. HOWEVER they thought that it was absolutely wonderful to have a bagpiper march thru the campground at 5am to awaken everyone. Totally different mind set out there...seems to me that they look at thruhiking the PCT as being similar to climbing Everest! Most of them don't have a clue.
just my opinion.

geek

Wheeler
03-21-2009, 20:32
bummer

A-Train
03-21-2009, 21:53
Way too serious for me. Best thing there was hanging with the Andersons. In 2007 3 of us were sitting at a picnic table in our campsite QUIETLY talking at 11:05 pm and were complained to by an alumni that we had to quit talking as quiet time started at 11pm. HOWEVER they thought that it was absolutely wonderful to have a bagpiper march thru the campground at 5am to awaken everyone. Totally different mind set out there...seems to me that they look at thruhiking the PCT as being similar to climbing Everest! Most of them don't have a clue.
just my opinion.

geek

That's cause the party is up at the cabins. We were up everynight till 3-4am sampling different microbreweries, or something like that. Ragin' campfire, music, good people-kinda traildaysesque minus the dancing hippies and drumming.

It was a damn good time-Just ask Mags :)

Wheeler
03-23-2009, 23:52
Giddy-Up

Sly
03-24-2009, 00:29
If I were you I'd try to go to the KO. Regardless of what you hear, or have been told, thru-hiking is not all about hiking, nor should it be. You're from CT, it may be years before you're back in CA for the KO.

Mad Hatter 08
03-30-2009, 02:35
I was at the KO last year and met alot of awesome people I'm trying to get off of work that friday so i can go down on friday morning i'll be going through julian and down sunrise highway I dropped glow-worm around there somewhere last year after the ko so I'm going to do some map work between now and then and I can probably pick up 2/3 people on my way down.

Wheeler
03-31-2009, 14:54
If I were you I'd try to go to the KO. Regardless of what you hear, or have been told, thru-hiking is not all about hiking, nor should it be. You're from CT, it may be years before you're back in CA for the KO.

Yep, I'm gonna check go check it out. Sound's like getting a lift wont be too tough. Most likely Warner Spring's, maybe Julian. Got my gear, got my ticket, Giddy-Up! Can't wait to get this thing started. I took about 2 week's to plan the AT, and I've had over 3 months to plan the PCT- that's way too much time for sombody like myself, better to just charge it.

Dogwood
03-31-2009, 16:35
Lots of worthwhile reasons to go back to the KO. If you are new to the PCT or westcoast hiking you'll learn alot about it at the KO from seasoned westcoast hikers and from previous PCT thru-hikers. Speeches are given and the latest reports on water availabilty and trail conditions(snow depth, water depth at fords, reroutes, fires, business closures, new friends of the trail, challenges, etc) are offered. A keynote speaker or several speakers will give very trail worthy beta and hiking accounts. You will meet some people at the KO who you will meet up the trail like outfitters, hostel owners, trail angels, shuttlers, new friends, etc. Last yr., I remember ULA, Leki, SMD, Henry Shires, Gossamer Gear, and a lot of other gear manufacturers present vending, repairing, and displaying their latest gear. Some selling their wares at a KO discount to thru-hikers. Hope I didn't offend anyone if I forgot to mention you. Previous yr.'s hikers and a great many others are there to help support you on your hike and see you off armed with all the necessary tools and advice that can lead to a successful thru-hike. It's great to meet all the wonderful people involved that put on this event. Many, including previous yr.'s thru-hikers, typically put on a feast that's worthy of a king's buffet. Like Sly so exactly said it, "thru-hiking isn't just about hiking."

I think it's a good idea if you can start earlier and get a ride back to the KO. That's what I did. I got a ride back to the KO from Warner Springs and back to Warner Springs from a trail angel I met in Warner Springs. Check the ride board or, I'm almost certain, you can arrange a ride back to the TH from the KO. You'll find lots of helpful supportive folks along the PCT! That's what the KO is about! I think it's also a good idea to start earlier and come back because it tends to spread out the pack so that it doesn't overwhelm a town, trail angel, hostel, camping sites, water resources, etc. Sure, there are people partying, but don't get confused it's not like it's all about that!

Dogwood
03-31-2009, 16:39
BTW, I'll bet on it, that you will find somone who will be going to the KO from the Julian or the Warner Springs areas.

ENJOY the Journey!

Wheeler
04-04-2009, 11:54
I'll be there. Anyone else going to this thing?

Mad Hatter 08
04-12-2009, 23:28
I'll see you there Wheeler

Mags
04-12-2009, 23:38
It was a damn good time-Just ask Mags :)



It was a great time at the cabins until 4am... Wish I could remember most of it... :o


Being serious, it is a VERY low-key version of Trail Daze. I had to drop off POD and Disco at the border early Fri morning, so I was asleep by 10:30ish. And it was cool. The following night, I er, was not in bed quite as early.

I'll be there again this year. It is my favorite hiker gathering. I'll also be backpacking for two days prior to the KO with some nefarious character.

The organizers do a great job (IMO) of balancing the community side of the hikers with the people who want some quiet.

ps. I'll be working the registration desk Friday evening. Come on over and say "HI". :)
pps. ADZPCTKO photos: http://www.pmags.com/joomla/index.php/component/option,com_gallery2/Itemid,36/?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=5436

Sly
04-12-2009, 23:40
I'll be there. Anyone else going to this thing?

I'll be there. :sun